A Freudian Approach To An American Tragedy

Theodore Dreiser is one of the most influential American writers in the early twentieth century. As the masterpiece of Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy deserves such a good name: the gem of western culture. It reflects the reality and maladies of the contemporary American society in Dreiser's time and it brings both fame and wealth for Dreiser. There has been plenty of criticism on Theodore Dreiser. But most of them focus on the naturalist feature of his work and some others pay attention to the archetype of the murder case. However, the psychological analysis of An American Tragedy is scarce.This thesis attempts to make a Freudian study of Dreiser's An American Tragedy so as to summarize the different manifestations and features of the characters. Theodore Dreiser takes great interest in Freudian psychology in his lifetime and thus it is easy to locate the interrelation between his masterpiece, An American Tragedy and Freudian theory. According to Freud, every human being is the combination of the id, the ego and the super-ego. Consequently, the main characters in An American Tragedy can be analyzed in this way since they share the same characteristic, too. While due to the imbalance among the three aspects of the structure of mind in some characters, their respective personalities are somewhat distorted and they assume a morbid tendency. However, there are still a few characters who possess a balanced structure of mind and they enjoy a healthy ego. And then on the theoretical basis of the relationship among the three aspects of the structure of mind, the author of the thesis makes an attempt to solve the respective mental imperfections of the different characters in An American Tragedy.This thesis consists of five parts. Part one is the introduction which provides some fundamental information about An American Tragedy and the overall research of this novel by both western and Chinese scholars. In addition, it explores Sigmund Freud's influence on Theodore Dreiser, and to a step further, on An American Tragedy.Chapter One is the second part of the thesis and it touches upon characters who can be viewed as the representatives of the id in this novel. It analyzes the possible causes of the formation of the id as well as the negative effects of the id on the characters'personalities. Egoism follows the pleasure principle, just like the id, and it causes these characters to form an egotistical personality. Due to this flaw in their personalities, such three characters all lead an unsatisfactory life in this novel. In contrary to the self-centered characters, there is one heroine in this novel who appears as the embodiment of goodness.Part three analyzes Mrs. Elvira Griffiths whose personality is dominated by the super-ego and it points out the advantages and disadvantages of her personality against that social background. Under the guidance of Freudian theory, this part analyzes the features of the super-ego reflected in Mrs. Elvira Griffiths. Super-ego means the conscience, that is, what one will do is influenced in some way by his or her moral and social standards. Then they will try to meet such standards by controlling some of their desires. Mrs. Elvira Griffiths conforms to the leading features of the super-ego and she is the incarnation of virtues.Chapter Three, the fourth part of the thesis, is related to the characters who own a healthy and ideal ego. Only such characters lead a happy and the so-called successful life in their fellowmen's eyes.The last part is the conclusion, which makes a detailed and comprehensive summary of the thesis. This thesis is intended to make an analysis of the different types of characters in An American Tragedy by virtue of Freudian psychology. Furthermore, it cherishes such a hope that through the dissection of the characters, readers can get some enlightenment in the formation of a healthy personality.