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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
A drowning murder is central to the novel; trial and execution are depicted in procedural detail; no graphic gore
Language
Barely any
Early 20th-century literary prose; minimal profanity
Sexual Content
Some
An extramarital affair and pre-marital pregnancy are central; sexual situations are referenced but not explicitly described
Substance Use
Barely any
Minimal substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Deep psychological portrait of moral self-deception, social aspiration, and the gradual corruption of a conscience
What this book is about
Clyde Griffiths, a young man of poor background, becomes infatuated with the American dream and a wealthy girl who seems to embody it—but his ambitions set him on a collision course with a pregnant factory worker he no longer wants. Theodore Dreiser's 1925 masterpiece is a detailed social critique of class, materialism, and the corrupting influence of aspiration, culminating in murder and execution.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Centers on a murder motivated by class anxiety and romantic obsession
Reader Verification
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