An American Tragedy and the Futility of the American Dream

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, Dreisers 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. br brBefore 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, Dreisers father was subject to dramatic mood swings; this brain damage caused him to became an evangelist (Survey of American†¦show more content†¦br brAn American Tragedy was based on the infamous Chester Gillette case. Chester abandoned his missionary parents and wandered, working anywhere he could, until he met Grace Brown. They had an affair. When she became pregnant, she moved into her parents house. After she begged him to marry her, he took her on a honeymoon to the Adirondacks, where he planned to murder her. He caught before he began; he left her trunk and hat -- valuable evidence in public places. After registering under an obvious alias, they went boating, and he drowned her. He fled and stayed at the Arrowhead Hotel until his arrest three days later. During his trial, Chester said his girlfriend had committed suicide to escape public humiliation. The DA proved that he hit her with a tennis racket (which numerous people saw him carry). Chester was found guilty of first degree murder and electrocuted (newpisgah.keene.edu 1). Gillettes trial and An American Tragedy have surprising similarities. Chesters attorneys, girls, rich uncle, and settings were identical to Clydes, albeit with minor name changes (www.albany.edu 1). Both Clyde and Chester had poor parents, fell in love with a garment-factory employees and a good-looking upper-class girls, botched their girlfriends drownings, and were electrocuted. So, while Dreisers theme was not original, his flair forShow MoreRelatedAt First Glance F. Scott Fitzgerald’S Book The Great Gatsby1190 Words   |  5 Pagesone can easily see that this love story is intermingled with many interesting and ironic elements including prestige, wealth, vanity, and ultimately, tragedy. However, when one delves deeper into the precepts of this book, one will easily see that it is full of symbolic language that represents a disheartening, fatalistic view of the American Dream. Once this reality is understood, this book becomes a prime illustration of the fate of those whose chief aim is to store up wealth and pursue the forbiddenRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. 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