Throughout literary history, authors have changed, but they all have drawn ideas for their prose from their own life experiences. Such is the case with Theodore Dreiser. Dreiser uses events from his life and from a 1906 murder trial when he wrote his novel, An American Tragedy. This novel combines the elements of reality and fiction. Within the novel, these elements combine to create the downfall of the American Dream. Clyde Griffiths, the protagonist in An …showed first 75 words of 2792 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2792 total…G. "American Dream" in Thematic Guide to the American Novel. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2002. Brandon, Craig. Murder in the Adirondacks: An American Tragedy Revisited. Utica: North Country Books, Inc., 1986. Dreiser, Theodore. An American Tragedy. New York: Signet Classic, 2000. Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova. "An American Tragedy" in 100 Banned Books. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999. Lundquist, James. Theodore Dreiser. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1974. Pizer, Donald. Literary Masters: Theodore Dreiser. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000.