An American Tragedy Literary Elements

Tragedy, Cautionary Tale

The American Midwest and upstate New York during the 1920’s

Third person omniscient with bulk of the narrative stated from Clyde’s perspective.

Cynical, self-reflective

Clyde Griffiths is the protagonist but he is more of an anti-hero rather than a protagonist in the traditional sense. The Antagonist in the novel is the shallow, materialistic culture of America during the 1920’s as well as socio-economic and socio-cultural boundaries that he cannot seem to overcome with hard work and grit.

The first major conflict comes when Sparser accidentally runs over a nine year old child and rather than face the consequences of his actions decides on making a hasty getaway from the crime scene. He ends up crashing his boss' limousine and getting arrested for his troubles

Clyde transitions from a young man making poor decisions to a criminal when he plots a murder and carries it out, knocking Roberta out of the boat and allowing her to drown. This decision sets into motion a chain of events that eventually results in his incarceration and ultimately his execution.

His parents, being itinerant evangelists, keep a number of Bible verses on the wall of their home. One of the verses is Proverbs 24:20, an admonition against evil acts. Mark 8:36 is also mentioned as an admonition against materialism. These verses serve as a foreshadowing device portending Cylde’s eventual fall from grace due to his excessive love for the good life.

When Roberta’s letter to Clyde is read in court she mentions: “Clyde, if I could only die. That would solve all this. And I have prayed and prayed that I would lately, yes I have. For life does not mean as much to me now as when I first met you and you loved me. Oh, those happy days! If only things were different.” She had no idea that he had already been considering murdering her and their unborn child.

Allusions: There are a number of Biblical allusions in the novel, used primarily to portend Clyde’s rise and fall. There are also literary and historical allusions in the form of names such as Lycurgus, alluding to the semi-mythical lawgiver of Sparta.

There are several narratives in the novel describing the bleak living conditions of economically disenfranchised as well as descriptions of the sheer opulence of the socio-economic elite. These contrasting images can be found all throughout the story.

Clyde’s relationship with The American Dream is a paradox. Whenever he gets just a bit closer to realizing his dream he ultimately sabotages his own efforts through his own greed, self-centeredness, and ambition.

The novel draws on real-life parallels from a highly sensationalized murder case of 1906 involving a Chester Gillette who had killed his pregnant girlfriend, Grace Brown. Gillette’s background, modus operandi, and motivations for the murder form the basis of Clyde Griffith’s life and times.

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Sondra is described by Clyde as “…the most adorable feminine thing he had seen in all his days…” Far as Clyde is concerned Sondra is the very personification of feminine beauty.