An Analysis of Naturalism as Reflected in Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy

Abstract

This thesis entitled An Analysis of Naturalism as Reflected in Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy analyzing about naturalism, a literary term which states that there are powerful forces that control an individual. This novel tells about a man who failed to achieve his dream and ended up tragic because his inability to control the forces both from within and from outside of him. This thesis analyzes about the characteristics of naturalism that found in the novel. This thesis also analyzes about tragedy that happened to the main character as the effect of naturalism. The method of the analysis is descriptive qualitative method. As the result of the analysis, there are three characteristic of naturalism in the novel; those are determinism, frankness, and pessimism. The tragedy happened to the main character because his inability to control his nature and by the social circumstances that he cannot overcome.

This thesis entitled An Analysis of Naturalism as Reflected in Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy analyzing about naturalism, a literary term which states that there are powerful forces that control an individual. This novel tells about a man who failed to achieve his dream and ended up tragic because his inability to control the forces both from within and from outside of him. This thesis analyzes about the characteristics of naturalism that found in the novel. This thesis also analyzes about tragedy that happened to the main character as the effect of naturalism. The method of the analysis is descriptive qualitative method. As the result of the analysis, there are three characteristic of naturalism in the novel; those are determinism, frankness, and pessimism. The tragedy happened to the main character because his inability to control his nature and by the social circumstances that he cannot overcome.