An American Tragedy: Analysis of Major Characters
"An American Tragedy" is a novel by Theodore Dreiser that explores the life of Clyde Griffiths, a tragic hero shaped by his impoverished and religious upbringing. Clyde's desire for wealth and status leads him to make questionable choices, including pursuing relationships with two women—Roberta Alden, a factory girl, and Sondra Finchley, the daughter of a wealthy family. Roberta, who becomes pregnant and pressures Clyde to marry her, ultimately faces a tragic fate due to Clyde's desperation and moral dilemmas. The novel delves into themes of ambition, social class, and the consequences of one's actions, as Clyde's journey leads to his arrest and eventual conviction for murder. Other significant characters include the wealthy and manipulative Sondra, Clyde's resentful cousin Gilbert, and his supportive yet impoverished family members. The story raises complex questions about morality and societal expectations, making it a poignant commentary on the American dream and its darker realities.
An American Tragedy: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Theodore Dreiser
First published: 1925
Genre: Novel
Locale: Kansas City, Chicago, and Lycurgus, New York
Plot: Naturalism
Time: Early twentieth century
Clyde Griffiths, the tragic hero. The son of itinerant evange-lists, he was reared in poverty amid an atmosphere of narrow-minded religiosity. He has thus always longed for the things that money can buy. At sixteen, he gets a job as a bellboy in a Kansas City hotel and uses his unexpectedly large earnings for his own pleasure rather than to help his family. When his sister is left penniless and pregnant, he contributes only a small sum; he is buying a coat for Hortense Briggs, a shopgirl whom he is trying to seduce. Because of a wreck in a stolen car, he has to leave Kansas City. In Chicago, he meets his rich uncle, Samuel Griffiths, who gives him a job in his factory at Lycurgus, New York. The job is an unimportant one, and Clyde is resented by his cousins, particularly by Gilbert. Clyde is forbidden to associate with the factory girls, but out of loneliness he becomes friendly with one of them, Roberta Alden, whom he persuades to become his mistress. Meanwhile he is taken up by Sondra Finchley, the daughter of a wealthy family, who wishes to spite Gilbert. They fall in love, and Clyde dreams of a rich marriage. Roberta, however, becomes pregnant and demands that he marry her, thus shattering his hopes. When their attempts at abortion fail, Clyde, inspired by a newspaper account of a murder, plans to murder Roberta. Though he intends to kill her, her death is actually the result of an accident. A long trial ensues; but in spite of all efforts, Clyde is convicted, and the story ends with his electrocution.
Roberta Alden, Clyde's mistress. A factory girl and the daughter of poor parents, she falls in love with Clyde, whom she meets at the factory. In spite of her moral scruples, she becomes his mistress. When she finds herself pregnant, she tries to force him to marry her, though she knows that he no longer loves her. This situation leads to her accidental death at Clyde's hands.
Titus Alden, Roberta's shiftless father.
Sondra Finchley, a wealthy girl who takes up with Clyde to spite his cousin Gilbert. She falls in love with him and is planning to marry him when he is arrested for murder.
Asa Griffiths, Clyde's father, a poverty-stricken itinerant evangelist.
Elvira Griffiths, Clyde's mother, the strongest member of the family.
Hester (Esta) Griffiths, Clyde's sister, who is seduced and abandoned by an actor.
Samuel Griffiths, Clyde's uncle, a rich manufacturer who gives Clyde a job in his factory.
Elizabeth Griffiths, Samuel's wife.
Gilbert Griffiths, their son, a pompous young man who resents Clyde.
Myra Griffiths and Bella Griffiths, daughters of Samuel and Elizabeth.
Hortense Briggs, a crude, mercenary shopgirl whom Clyde tries to seduce. She is interested only in what she can persuade him to spend on her.
Thomas Ratterer, a bellboy who works with Clyde and introduces him to fast life.
Willard Sparser, the boy who steals the car and causes the accident that drives Clyde from Kansas City.
Orville Mason, a ruthless and politically ambitious district attorney who prosecutes Clyde.
Burton Burleigh, Mason's assistant. In the morgue, he threads some of Roberta's hair into Clyde's camera to provide the evidence necessary for conviction.
Alvin Belknap and Reuben Jephson, defense attorneys.
Governor Waltham, the governor of New York, who rejects Clyde's plea for commutation of his sentence.
The Reverend Duncan McMillan, an evangelist who brings Clyde spiritual comfort just before the execution.