Abstract:

Theodore Dreiser is one of the greatest writers in the 20th century in the United States. His representative work, An American Tragedy, describes the ambitious young man, Clyde Griffith, who wants to be a member of the upper-class. His tragic life is caused by the desires for money, social status and sex. The over-expansion of the desires would certainly lead to the imbalance of the ethics. The lack of education and his inner personality weakness cause his tragedy partly. The most important factors are the economy, culture and policy at that time. It is not only the tragedy of Clyde himself, but also the tragedy of the whole American society. Through the analysis on the causes of Clyde’s tragedy, this paper dissects the status quo and exposes universal problems that exist in American society.

Keywords: Clyde Griffiths; An American Tragedy; desires; tragedy

摘  要：

西奥多•德莱塞是美国二十世纪最伟大的作家之一，他的代表作《美国的悲剧》描写了克莱德•格里菲斯悲剧的一生。他满怀抱负、一心想跻身上流社会，最终人生却以悲剧收场。他悲惨的一生是由其对金钱，社会地位和性的欲望造成的。而克莱德悲剧的产生，不仅仅是因为其自身性格的缺陷和教育的缺失，还受到当时社会的经济、政治、文化等因素的影响。克莱德的悲剧不仅是个人的，也是整个美国社会的。本论文通过分析克莱德悲剧造成的原因，剖析当时美国社会的现状，揭露存在的问题。

关键词：克莱德•格里菲斯；《美国的悲剧》；欲望；悲剧

1 Introduction
Theodore Dreiser, also called Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser, is an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist’s school. His well-known novels include Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy.
Dreiser writes the novel, An American Tragedy, based on a notorious criminal case, which happened on July11, 1906. The crime is a murder that Chester Gillette kills the twenty-year-old girl Grace Brown at Big Moose Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Chester Gillette is put on trial and is put to death by electric chair. He reads the report and writes the novel, An American Tragedy by taking the crime as a blueprint.
Clyde Griffiths is the main character in the novel. His tragedy is caused by his endless desires. He seeks for money because he wants to get rid of poor and he is eager to live a better life. The family which he grows in is so poor that he has no money to buy delicious food and anything brand new. He aspires after social status because his parents live in the lowest level and he is sniffed by others.