An American Dream: Analysis of Major Characters
"An American Dream: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex relationships and moral dilemmas faced by the protagonist, Stephen Rojack, a multifaceted character who grapples with his identity after committing a grave act of violence against his estranged wife, Deborah. Rojack, a war hero and former congressman, is portrayed as a man struggling to reconcile his heroic self-image with the reality of his actions and personal failures. Deborah, a cold and self-centered figure, plays a significant role in Rojack's psychological turmoil, as her challenges to his masculinity contribute to the tragic events of their relationship.
The narrative also introduces other key characters such as Barney Kelly, Deborah's father, who embodies power and menace, and Ruta, the maid whose presence complicates Rojack's post-crime reality. Cherry, a nightclub singer, emerges as a symbol of hope and potential redemption for Rojack, contrasting sharply with Deborah's influence. Shago Martin, another significant character, adds tension through his rivalry with Rojack over Cherry, highlighting themes of competition and the search for identity.
Through these characters, "An American Dream" explores themes of masculinity, existential crisis, and the quest for personal redemption, inviting readers to reflect on the darker aspects of the American experience and the pursuit of one's dreams.
An American Dream: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Norman Mailer
First published: 1965
Genre: Novel
Locale: New York City
Plot: Symbolism
Time: 1962
Stephen Richard Rojack, the narrator and protagonist, a war hero, former congressman, professor of existential psychology, television personality, and murderer. On a late-night visit to his estranged wife, Deborah, Rojack strangles her after enduring her taunts. She challenges his manhood, and Rojack feels particularly vulnerable because he has had doubts about his character. Although he has achieved some notoriety, he has not lived up to his own heroic image of himself. He weathers the police interrogation well, even though the police suspect him of throwing Deborah's body out the window to make her death look like suicide. Rojack is determined to act as his own man, which means confronting his hostile father-in-law, Barney Kelly, and fighting for his new love, Cherry. At the end of the novel, he leaves town on a quest westward, hoping to develop a better character based on what he has learned from murdering his wife and having to fight for his survival.
Deborah, Rojack's wife, the daughter of Barney Kelly. Although her early years with Rojack were stimulating, she obviously has lost much respect for him and goads him into killing her at precisely the moment when he is looking for help. Deborah is beautiful, but she is cold and self-involved. She seems to have none of Rojack's vulnerabilities. She dies at the beginning of the novel, but her character and her judgments of Rojack tend to dominate his thinking about himself.
Barney Kelly, a millionaire with connections to the Mafia who suspects Rojack of murdering his daughter. The cool and collected Kelly does not reveal his emotions until the moment when Rojack—determined to prove his courage through some physical feat—decides to walk the parapet outside Kelly's apartment. As Rojack makes a turn around the building, Kelly tries to trip him. Rojack's step is steady, however, and he is able to cope with this crucial moment, giving him enough courage to get through the traumatic night of Deborah's murder.
Ruta, Deborah's German maid, who is in the house the night Rojack strangles Deborah. On an impulse, Rojack invades Ruta's room after murdering Deborah and finds Ruta ready for his sexual advances. Rojack's taking of this woman is associated in his mind with his newfound energy. He asks Ruta not to mention this episode to the police, and she complies. Only later does he suspect her of having some special connection with Barney Kelly, who may have set up Ruta to keep an eye on things in the house.
Cherry, a nightclub singer with whom Rojack has an affair. She is blonde and beautiful, and she has a modest talent. Rojack appreciates her toughness and willingness to befriend him when he first meets her at a table surrounded by gangsters. Cherry becomes Rojack's inspiration. She is the woman for whom he is willing to fight, the woman who can support him in precisely the ways Deborah was unwilling to do.
Roberts, a detective who investigates Deborah's murder. Although he is certain that Rojack is her murderer, he does not have enough evidence to prove it. Instead, he tries to work on Rojack's anxieties, hoping that he will confess. At the same time, Roberts has a certain admiration for Rojack's toughness.
Shago Martin, a black man with sexual prowess who has been Cherry's lover and who becomes a television replacement for Rojack. At one point, Rojack has to fight Shago for Cherry. Although the men share certain values—especially their antiestablishment bias—their feelings about Cherry divide them. In a particularly brutal scene, Rojack kicks Martin down the stairs. Although Rojack feels some compassion for his rival, he feels compelled to fight for this new woman and for his new sense of himself. Martin, on the other hand, behaves like a burned out case, trying to frighten Rojack with a knife but without the force to call him to account.