Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreisers An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie :: essays research papers

Money Makes the Man in Theodore Dreisers An American Tragedy and babe CarrieThrough the social criticism of Theodore Dreiser, the salute of the poor is comp ard against the actions of the rich. In both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie Dreiser presents characters who are driven by ignorance and in ability to withstand the pressures of the shallow American yearning for money, success, fashion -- dreams about which Dreiser himself was indeed an authority (W.A. Swanberg 254). Throughout his career, Dreiser wrote for a variety of periodicals in order to earn enough money to stick out himself. His success on that point lead him to write novels, which in turn manoeuver his path to fame and fortune.Mirroring the life and ambition of Dreiser, the characters in An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie demonstrate the same goals and hopes for their lives. Like Dreiser, both Clyde and Carrie came from modest roots. In American society at the turn of the century, however, it is money that ultimately makes the man. As a result, both characters spend their lives training their substance into this mold, even at the hail of compromising themselves.Within the book An American Tragedy, a poor son is working his way up to become known. In his society, a call up is known for the amount of money its holder makes. His actions in and out of work reflect what his social life of popularity will become. He strives for richness and a life of prosperity, but it is not always what he wants. His choices with love let to be that of wealth and success or he is dishonored.This character, Clyde, takes a series of miscellaneous jobs to help him succeed. His first high paying job was as a bell hop in a hotel frequented by the rich. From there he went on to work at the shirt factory possess by his extremely wealthy uncle, Uncle Griffiths. Beginning in the wash rooms, Clyde finally worked his way into a managerial position keeping tab of the payroll. eon at the shirt collar factory C lyde engages in a human relationship with Roberta, one of the workers under his charge. Clyde then falls in love with Sondra, a woman of the upper class. Not long after, he discovers that Roberta is pregnant. Rather than embark his own rise into the upper class, Clyde must find a way to get rid of Roberta. His only thoughts are that of murder, but he lacks the braveness to do it himself.