An American Tragedy: The Real Tragedy

An American Tragedy: The Real Tragedy

An American Tragedy, the story of how one man's pursuit of success and love tragically ends his life. At first glance the obvious tragedy would be, Clyde's death, but when contemplated the real tragedy may not be what one may think. There are several smaller "tragedies" that contribute to the "bigger tragedy": Clyde's life. Clyde's strict religious lifestyle, lack of education and preparation for life, and the society in which he grows up in are what ultimately sets him up for his inevitable doom.

Clyde comes from a poorer family and grows up in a more restricted and deprived childhood. He grows up in what seems like a normal home; mom, dad, and siblings. But here's the twist, there is no real "home" or house in Clyde's life. His family goes from town to town, city to city, state by state living in missionaries. His parents don't have normal jobs with normal salaries and therefore cant afford to provide Clyde with a stable environment. Instead of going to school Clyde is forced to sing hymns in the streets with his siblings, while his parents preach the word of God. "The principal thing that troubled Clyde up to his fifteenth year, and for long after in retrospect, was that the calling or profession of his parents was the shabby thing that it

appeared to be in the eyes of others." - An American Tragedy. This quote shows us what Clyde really thinks of his parents' work. He is ashamed of it and even thinks of it as "shabby". His parents being strict and religious do not allow Clyde any comforts or luxuries. They believe that these are sinful and will ruin Clyde as a person.

Another problem that leads up to Clyde's ultimate demise is his lack of education and preparation. Clyde is neither educationally nor mentally prepared for the real world; a world outside of his closed religious life. His lack of education is what forces him to get a job as a bellhop; the first thing that exposes him to "indulgences" such as drinking, an act that he is not used to. Clyde's lack of preparation or education in love, also lead to his downfall. His first relationship, being with Hortense, wasn't exactly what one would call an "ideal relationship". It was a relationship in which Hortense had Clyde eating out of the palm of her hand the entire time. Clyde then in turn had Roberta eating out of his hand in his second relationship because it was the only thing he had known in love. Clyde's deprivation of interaction with girls his age causes his lack of knowledge in women. And because he is deprived of women, he has no idea how to deal with Roberta towards the end of the novel.

Lastly, the materialistic, urban society in which Clyde grows up in is the tragedy that