He leaves his 'poor evangelist' parents for a life of glamour and pleasure only to find tragedy in the end. The business was conglomerate with Houdaille Industries Inc. Later the business has to face some crises due to relevant internal and external factors. The first is a news report of a drowning, in which the woman’s body was found but not the man’s. A driven but immature young man by the name of Clyde Griffiths hopes to escape from the world of poverty and devout religion established by … His colleagues introduce Clyde to various vices, including drinking, and he begins to enjoy himself too much. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. 3 Executive Summary Burgmaster is an American Corporation. His wife, Elvira, and their four children, Esta, age fifteen, Clyde, … An American Tragedy: Summary Read More » This love triangle is the original true story that has inspired the plot for numerous love triangle movies. Before she can sleep with Clyde, Roberta must overcome the scruples of her church, which say that she will be a “bad girl” if she yields. Book 1, Chapters 1-5 Book One Chapter IAn American Tragedy begins in Kansas City on a summer evening sometime in the 1920s. He was the son of poor Protestant evangelists who travelled from town to town preaching. Create your account, Already registered? Infatuated with Sondra, but being pressured toward marriage by Roberta (who cannot obtain an abortion), Clyde feels himself in a trap. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. Fearing that he will be connected with the event, Clyde leaves town, and settles in Chicago, where he gets another job as a bellhop. An American Tragedy, Dreiser’s longest novel, has often been hailed as his masterpiece. {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}} lessons When Clyde and Roberta are rowing on the lake, Clyde accidentally whacks Roberta in the head, and as she falls back, the boat capsizes. It occurs to him that as Roberta cannot swim, an “accidental” drowning might be the way out of his predicament. Summary and Analysis. There is a great deal of variety within the genre, with something to please almost everyone. Clyde’s uncle is most assuredly not from the same limb of the family tree as his mother and mother. Clyde does not learn from his mistakes throughout the novel, and as incidents continue to occur, he blames his troubles on others. An American Tragedy Character List Clyde Griffiths. His matrimonial tragedy is particularly “American,” for during the 1920’s, the United States was still recovering economically from World War I, and many saw wealth as their highest goal, sacrificing other joys. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Thus, Clyde grows up longing for material things he can never attain except through his own efforts. In the aspect of ideology, “An American Tragedy” was an imaginative response to light novels, published in the USA in early XX century, which cultivated in the country’s population the idea that one of the ways to realize the famous “American dream” can be “Cinderella’s trail”: a poor young man meets a girl from a well-to-do family, marries her, receives a very handsome dower and takes a high position in … Clyde accepts and is brought to New York to work in the shirt collar factory. An American Tragedy was published in December 1925, and issued in two volumes. flashcard set{{course.flashcardSetCoun > 1 ? As he runs to the vendor, Mrs. Griffiths tells herself, “she must be kind to him, more liberal with him, not restrain him too much, as maybe, maybe, she had. Having just reached adulthood, Clyde Griffiths has always lamented his lot … All rights reserved. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser: Summary & Themes, Create an account to start this course today. Besides the youthful deaths of Roberta and Clyde, it is a tragedy that no one can really understand the yearnings of another’s heart. In one sense, it looks as if everything is hopelessly the same. Bates College. Clyde’s obsession with wealth also leads him to forfeit his chance for a warm and companionable marriage with Roberta. An American Tragedy Summary An American Tragedy is 1925 novel written by Theodore Dreiser, perhaps best remembered for his earlier work, Sister Carrie. African American (23) American Indian (3) Disability (1) LGBTQ+ (2) Latinx (9) Middle Eastern (3) South Asian (1) Women / Girls (17) Awards & Distinctions. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Meanwhile, Clyde is becoming increasingly popular with the upper class, and finally has a chance to make Sondra his. Reaching over to rescue Roberta, however, he upsets the boat, which hits her on the head, knocking her unconscious. Theodore Dreiser Booklist Theodore Dreiser Message Board. Clyde’s mother is an example, as is the Reverend Mr. McMillan, who visits Clyde in prison. . He despised the deprivations that lack of money caused and dreamed of a better life. The product of this obsession was his 1925 novel, An American Tragedy, based on a true crime story from New York's Adirondack Mountains region that Dreiser followed. Beginning his life as the impoverished son of street missionaries, young Clyde aspires to a more affluent life with luxuries, fine clothes, and a woman who'll love him. What are the symbolisms found in An American Tragedy? We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. With Roberta, Clyde goes from seeing her as a welcome diversion to a nuisance while she is pregnant with his child. It does not help that Clyde is nervous, and keeps saying various things that make him look guilty. Dreiser created a poignant yet powerful novel of youthful loneliness in industrial society and of the American mirage that beckons some of the young to disaster. When Clyde and his work friends, including the man that Hortense is in love with, get into a car accident, they unintentionally kill a little girl. Jun 20, 2020 Bettie marked it as wish-list There is a one star review for this book. In the meantime, however, Clyde has met Sondra Finchley, a girl of wealth and social prestige, whose way of life represents everything of which he has ever dreamed. Crime thrillers are among the most popular novels on the shelves right now. Furthermore, he implies that religion is ineffective in bringing about desired results. He has a chance meeting with his wealthy uncle Samuel, a factory owner in Lycurgus, New York. Samuel offers Clyde the chance to better himself by moving to New York and working for him. 's' : ''}}. Book I: Chapters 1-5. After a series of dead-end jobs, Clyde ventures to Lycurgus, New York, hoping for a place in his uncle’s prosperous shirt factory. Dreiser foreshadows Clyde’s indifference to murder in book 1. His parents are deeply religious, and insist that he participate in missionary work in their community. Clyde confesses to McMillan the true motive behind his crime: the material deprivation that drove him to an obsession with Sondra and her glittering world. Shortly after reading this, Clyde discovers a chain of isolated lakes north of the resort where the Finchleys have their summer home. An American Tragedy, the great achievement of his later years, is a work of mythic force, at once brutal and heartbreaking. The technique of foreshadowing plays a role in An American Tragedy, with the accident where Clyde and his friends kill the little girl earlier in the novel harking to what will happen with Clyde and Roberta at the end. 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To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Forty years after the tragedy it became a classic movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun. An American Tragedy Summary. Summary Asa is a sensitive yet dissolute individual, while Elvira has a sterner, more directed personality. Clyde tries to get an abortion for Roberta but is not successful. Dreiser introduces twelve-year-old Clyde Griffiths along with his family: his father, Asa, and mother, Elvira, poor evangelists who run a mission … An American Tragedy Summary. Thomas P. Riggio , volume editor, is a professor of English at the University of Connecticut and general editor at the University of Pennsylvania of the Dreiser Edition, currently published by the University of Illinois Press. ©2021 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Our Summary of An American Tragedyby Theodore Dreiser Theodore Dreiser's work 'An American Tragedy' evokes a prodigal-son theme, where the main character is unhappy both with his religious upbringing and poverty-ridden surroundings. Nov 01, 2016. On the other hand, there is a glimmer of hope in Mrs. Griffiths’s reflections concerning Russell. 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Sociology 110: Cultural Studies & Diversity in the U.S. CPA Subtest IV - Regulation (REG): Study Guide & Practice. Nevertheless, Dreiser suggests that for some, religion is a source of strength. Start your 48-hour free trial and unlock all the summaries, Q&A, and analyses you need to get better grades now. Two adults and four children are singing hymns and handing out religious pamphlets. This genre has spilled over into television and movies, with a wide appreciative audience; however, this is not a modern phenomenon. . It seems to be unwarranted low marking by someone with an agenda. ’For his sake.’” It is possible, then, that she has learned something from her son’s ordeal and that Russell’s fate will not be a repetition of his Uncle Clyde’s. Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy is considered one of his most popular works. Detailed plot synopsis reviews of An American Tragedy; Clyde Griffiths, the main character in this 1925 Dreiser masterpiece, is the eldest son of poor, street-preaching parents. Clyde’s unending pursuit of material wealth and the social status that comes from it pushes him into poor choices that result in his death and the death of two innocents. Gilbert Griffiths. The protagonist is Clyde Griffiths, the son of street preachers who live in dire poverty. She becomes a problem when she tells Clyde that he must marry her or she will tell everyone. The oldest boy obviously does not like what he has to do, but his parents eagerly are given to the salvation of lost souls, which, however, brings them only moral satisfaction. Dreiser created a poignant yet powerful novel of youthful loneliness in industrial society and of the American mirage that beckons some of the young to disaster. © copyright 2003-2021 Study.com. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree. A driven but immature young man by the name of Clyde Griffiths hopes to escape from the world of poverty and devout religion established by his parents, who are street missionaries in Kansas City, Missouri. This novel was one of Dreiser's most successful works. On a deeper, more profound level, it is the masterful portrayal of the society whose values both shape Clyde's ambitions and seal his fate; it is an unsurpassed depiction of the harsh realities of American life and of the dark side of the American dream. T. Roman. Asa Griffiths, an evangelist of about fifty, is leading his family in a street service designed to attract converts from the passersby. 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