These Cliffs Notes provide no summary, but only an analysis for the book. It is very hard to follow if you have not read the book, which is the whole point of Cliffs Notes!

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It's a shame that more people haven't found Dreiser. He is truly one of the great American story tellers. From his first book "Sister Carrie", through a long listing of other works, as well as one trilogy, Dreiser shows what can happen when ordinary people make unordinary decisions. Although some of his books are rather long and descriptive, each one of them grips you and pulls you into the story. At first, American Tragedy starts off by following the trials and tribulations of the main character. Where Dreiser excels is in his ability to have the reader know not only what the characters are doing, but what they are thinking at the same time. It's as if the reader was inside the story, knowing all of the choices the character has to think through. This makes the characters all the more lifelike and real. American Tragedy makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you mad, and finally makes you feel that the ultimate outcome of the main character was brought about solely by his actions. England has Charles Dickens. Here in America, we have Theodore Dreiser. If you never read his works, start now. And start with Sister Carrie before this book. They were written years apart, and the knowledge Dreiser gained in the interim is very evident in this work. After reading these two books, you will certainly have the desire to read more of his works.