An American Tragedy · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
Book I
Clyde Griffiths is introduced as a young man from a poor, religious family who becomes a bellhop at the Green-Davidson Hotel. He is drawn to wealth and pleasure, begins a relationship with Hortense Briggs, and becomes involved in a fatal car accident that forces him to flee Kansas City.
Chapter 2
I
The chapter opens in the Cataraqui County Courthouse where Coroner Fred Heit receives a phone call about a possible double drowning at Big Bittern Lake. He dispatches himself and his secretary, Earl Newcomb, to investigate, noting suspicious details such as marks on the woman's face and a letter addressed to Mrs. Titus Alden. The scene establishes the setting of the rural county and the beginning of the investigation into what may be a crime.
Chapter 3
Chapter II
The search for the missing couple at Big Bittern reveals Roberta's body with suspicious bruises, leading Coroner Heit and locals to suspect foul play. The discovery of a letter and the disappearance of the young man, Clifford Golden, intensify the investigation, with witnesses reporting a nervous stranger matching his description fleeing the area.
Chapter 4
Chapter III
Coroner Heit reports to District Attorney Mason about the suspicious drowning of Roberta Alden, detailing evidence such as marks on her body, a letter found in her pocket, and testimony from witnesses who saw a young man with her. Mason, seeing political opportunity, decides to investigate personally, sending his assistant Burton Burleigh to handle legal matters while he visits the Alden family.
Chapter 5
IV
District Attorney Orville Mason arrives at the Alden farm to inform Titus Alden of his daughter Roberta's death. Through questioning, Mason discovers that Roberta had been writing letters to Clyde Griffiths in Lycurgus, leading him to suspect Clyde of seduction and murder. Titus, devastated, demands revenge.

Free preview

99 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

99 more companions → free preview

Book I

I

Chapter II

Chapter III

IV