Analysis on the character of Clyde in an American Tragedy by tripartite personality structure theory

Abstract

An American Tragedy, written by Theodore Dreiser, is an important novel in the history of American literature. In this novel, Dreiser models the hero Clyde and reveals the reason of his tragic life. This paper will analyze Clyde's character by Freud's tripartite personality structure theory. In this way we will understand Clyde's character much better and realize that if a person cannot resist the temptations on the road of pursuing his dream, he will destroy himself like Clyde. © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland.