"An American Tragedy"

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the motivating forces behind Clyde Griffith's decidedly antisocial actions in Theodore Dreiser's novel, "An American Tragedy". The paper shows that Griffith's poor religious upbringing, his lack of a formal education, and his observation that money buys happiness, ultimately lead to his downfall.

From the Paper:

"Sin is most often exponential in nature one hardly embarks on a lifetime of crime with a murder or rape; rather, a series of inconsequential slips that so often lead to one's downfall. The same is true in the case of Clyde Griffiths. By attempts at justification and rationalization of his first crime. "What difference did it make if he stayed out late?. Wasn't he a man now, making more money than anyone else in the family? Couldn't he begin to do as he pleased (56)?" his road to sin and death became wider and more appealing."

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