Analysis of An American Tragedy and What Makes it a Classic
An American Tragedy is an intriguing, frighteningly realistic journey into the mind of a murderer. It is a biography of its era. And, it is also historical fiction. But what makes this novel a classic? While society has changed dramatically since 1925, Dreiser's novel, which shows the futility of "The American Dream" and the tragedies that trying to live it can cause, accurately summarizes social mores of this and any time period.
Before Theodore Dreiser was born, his father, a devout German immigrant, lost everything when his large wool mill burned down (kirjasto.sci.fi 1). After a beam hit his head, Dreiser's father was subject to dramatic mood swings; this brain damage caused him to became an evangelist (Survey of American Literature 571). Theodore Dreiser, the twelfth of 13 children, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1871. By this time, his parents were poor, nomadic preachers. Their nomadic lifestyle meant that Dreiser did not have any companions outside his family. While travelling, his mother taught him to avoid degrading and destructive experiences (Hart 236). Certain that his parents were failures because of their strong morals and their constant preaching, he rebelled. Dreiser had no friends, money, social status, or sex life, which he craved. For most Americans, these were collectively "The American Dream." For Dreiser and his most famous character, Clyde Griffiths, living the American Dream -- the evasive pinnacle of success -- became an obsession.
That obsession led 13-year old Dreiser to Indiana University, which he flunked out of. Instead of preaching, he instantly abandoned his unsuccessful family for the promise of riches and women in industrial Chicago. After living in abject poverty for years (Parker 203), he worked as a journalist for both Chicago Globe and St. Louis's Globe-Democrat, which gave him a glimpse of high society. There, he married Sara White. Within months, the two separated permanently, and Dreiser became a nomad. While wandering, he studied the writings of Balzac, Darwin, Freud, Hawthorne, Huxley (wwnorton.com 1), Poe, and Spenser, from which he created two philosophical theories: social Darwinism governs society (Parker 203), and man's greatest appetite is sexual (kirjasto.sci.fi 1). Dreiser followed his philosophy; he typically had several affairs at once.
In New York, Dreiser started Sister Carrie, a brilliant naturalistic piece. The book was sold only 500 copies; it was so "scandalous" that its owned publishers censored its printing in 1900 (Bucco 5).
“American Crisis.” The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill 2009. Print
The goals that mothers set for their young daughters while trying to protect them displays a thin line between protecting and overprotective. In the book Bossypants by Tina Fey, she talks about her life experience. Tina Fey devoted a whole chapter of “prayers” she has for her daughter in “The Mother’s Prayer for Its Daughter”. The prayers contain different standards, and goals that she made for her daughter. When a woman becomes a mother she must take full responsibility for the upbringing of a small human. The baby’s upbringing is then based around a list of goal the mother makes based on her life when she was younger. The goals need to be set when the baby is younger because once the baby reaches the age of womanhood, she should be able to follow her own path. If she
Theodore Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters that succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency. The novel Sister Carrie, written by Dreiser, is a story of a woman who flees country life for Chicago, Illinois and falls into a wayward life of sin. It ruthlessly exposes the hypocrisy and meanness of middle-class standards, and creates a new tradition in literary realism. In his life, Dreisor had also lived a harsh childhood with his family, living in five different towns, including a short time in Chicago. His youth was an emotionally unstable time for him, further worsened by the teachings of his German American catholic school. He was forced to stick to the strict teachings of his school, Roman Catholic religious denomination, which most likely lead to the deep criticisms of the Catholic religion shown in his later writings.
America is a popular image in literature and films. Dozens of writers sought to expose America’s vices and evaluate the consistency of its values, morality, and ethical norms. The pursuit for material wealth and the American dream were the topics most frequently discussed in American literature during the 1920s. The effects of World War I on individual beliefs and ideals, the ongoing decay of morality, the hollowness of dreams and convictions, and the failure to materialize one’s life goals together created a complicated situation, which often resembled a journey for nothing.
Lincoln was often considered lazy by his neighbors. At age twenty-two, Lincoln canoed down the Sangamon River. He arrived in New Salem, where his career began. He then traveled to New Orleans, where he first witnessed slavery. He then traveled back to New Salem. There, he bought a General Store, which he later sold. He then attempted to start his political career with the Illinois General Assembly. His popularity grew, but he lacked connections and money, and lost.
American Psycho is a savage account of a wealthy investment banker in the late 80s that commits heinous acts of murder, rape, and torture. Although on the surface, American Psycho seems as though it is just another horror story, it actually has a much deeper message. This story is a harsh critique of a superficial Wall Street society in the late 80s that was rampant with materialism and greed. This is the society in which the main character Patrick Bateman lives–where appearance, material possessions, and status define a person. This superficial existence leaves him hollow and dead inside and turns him into a psychopathic killer. A society such as this, devoid of any morality, inevitably creates psychopaths such as Bateman. The film shows an excellent portrayal of a vacant, nihilistic killer with no feelings or emotions. However, there is something more to the story that the film did not quite capture. The book seems to not only be a satirical take on this society, but a tragedy as well. Recreating the dinner scene with his secretary Jean shows that underneath the surface Patrick Bateman is, indeed, a human being with real feelings and emotions, and that it is a great tragedy that this superficial society has turned him into a monster.
In 1834, he was voted into the state legislature. He served for four terms and also achieved prominence when he was a Whig. He obtained his license as an attorney in 1836. A year after getting his attorney license, he moved back to Springfield, IL, where he and John T. Stuart became partners. Abraham Lincoln showed his ability as a great lawyer; he was very sincere, was a good speaker and had a way with winning arguments. Lincoln married Marry Todd after a troubled courtship in 1842. He and his new spouse moved to Washington, D.C. in 1847, where he served in the House of Representatives. Lincoln supported economic development and opposed the Mexican War while serving ...
Politics became part of Lincoln’s life in 1832 when he campaigned to be on the Illinois General Assembly. He was a member of the Whig Party. Lincoln was a captain of the Illinois Militia during the Black Hawk War, he never did see combat though. Later in his life Lincoln failed at some small business ventures. In 1837 he taught himself law and was accepted to the Illinois Bar, later that year Lincoln moved to Springfield became one of the most respected lawyers.
In 1834 Lincoln was elected on the Wing ticket to serve in the Lower House until 1841. He emerged as a party leader, so he moved to Springfield the capital of Illinois. At this time he also became a very popular attorney with a partnership of 3 other men. In 1842 ...
The child advocacy center model incorporates several different approaches to create one that has been more beneficial compared to other Forensic interviews (Hebert et al, 2016). It combines multidisciplinary teams, evidence-informed Forensic interviewing practices, and victim advocacy (Herbert et al, 2016). This is similar to what has been found to be beneficial when working with victims of human trafficking. Child advocacy centers also offer child-friendly settings in how people interact and how the building looks. Children could be intimidated by certain settings like a police station, a hospital, school, or CPS office and could feel like they are the ones in trouble (Herbert et al, 2016; Jones et al, 2007). A child advocacy center aims to be comforting and be inviting to the child, so they aren’t afraid. It also works to limit the amount of interviews the child undergoes by being multidisciplinary. If a child is constantly having to repeat their story, it increases the likelihood they will change pieces to please the interviewer or will recant altogether (Herbert et al,
...n American Literature. By Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 387-452. Print.
There are many aspects of Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy that involve the moral decision versus the immoral decision and God. The main theme that Dreiser maintains throughout the novel is Immorality. Each character in the novel possesses one or more characteristics that show that he or she is partially immoral. When combined, all these elements have a strong message, that there is consequence to straying from God's path.Clyde Griffiths is the perfect example of how a person is led from God's light. At the beginning of the novel, his character is the son of poor missionary parents.
Arthur Miller states in his essay, "Tragedy and the Common Man," " . . . we are often held to be below tragedy--or tragedy below us . . . (tragedy is) fit only for the highly placed . . . and where this admission is not made in so many words it is most often implied." However, Miller believes " . . . the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were" (1021). It is this belief that causes Miller to use a common man, Willie Loman, as the subject of his tragedy, Death of a Salesman. Miller redefines the tragic hero to fit a more modern age, and the product of this redefinition is Willie.
A white picket fence surrounds the tangible icons of the American Dreams in the middle 1900's: a mortgage, an automobile, a kitchen appliance paid for on the monthly - installment - plan, and a silver trophy representative of high school football triumph. A pathetic tale examining the consequences of man's harmartias, Arthur Miller's "Death of A Salesman" satisfies many, but not all, of the essential elements of a tragedy. Reality peels away the thin layers of Willy Loman's American Dream; a dream built on a lifetime of poor choices and false values.
A view from the Bridge was written by Arthur Miller in 1955 and set in