The American Novel’s Effect on Sociological Progress
Over the course of the United States' two hundred and forty-some-year history, the way American citizen's perception, morals, and outlook on societal norms have changed quite a bit. So, in order for novels written by American authors to gain recognition with American citizens and become ingrained in the mind of what Americans think American Literature is, the novel must coincide with what American values are. This includes the idea of the American dream, as well as America’s troubling truths that over the course of time have been exposed to the public in large part due to literature in the 19th and 20th century, as well as digitally in more recently. The importance of Literature, specifically fictional representations of America throughout its history cannot be undersold. The author’ abilities to write truthfully and capture real issues and injustices in their novels have had a direct correlation to the shaping of American perception and how social and political issues are dealt with in the modern-day. The development of the American novel has a direct correlation to the development of American society specifically ideas of American social class mobility (or lack thereof) and constant development of human rights.
When focusing on how the American novel has developed over time it is important also to realize how American novels incorporate values and themes that are strictly American. The most well-known American theme that is apparent in many American novels throughout American history is the idea of the American Dream. One online Literature Criticism defines the American Dream as “ The belief that individuals have the freedom and opportunity to achieve their goals through hard work” (Shestakov). America has been viewed as the land of opportunity where migrants could come and achieve social and religious freedom as well as educational opportunities and material success. This American experience has been reflected and explored in many different American literary pieces. From Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to Walt Whitman, all recognize that America was a land of unprecedented opportunity for those who were willing to work diligently (Shestakov).
Yet despite all of the literary works that cast America in a positive light for those who wanted a better life for themselves and their families, some American author's works stressed the downside of the American Dream. These works would focus on those on the margins of society such as women, immigrants, minorities, and those in poverty. For many of these subgroups in American society, the American dream was elusive. No matter how hard they worked. A few novels that touch on the counter to the American Dream would include Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), Anzia Yezierska’s The Bread Givers (1925), and Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun (1959) (Shestakov). These novels among others such as Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (1976), Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man (1952), and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). In all of these novels downside of the American Dream for immigrants, woman, and African-Americans were explored.
It is novels like these that provided a foundation for the American public’s understanding of some of our countries social and structural flaws. If not for American school systems use Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, or Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry or other titles that stress the terrors of racism in America, many young people would be ignorant to the gruesome facts about racism in America and how bad it was.
During this time period, America was roiled by industrialization, labor unrest, economic and social inequality, and resentment of immigration. American writers reflected the country’s growing disillusionment with the myth of the American Dream. People began to believe that crime or get-rich-quick schemes were more appealing than hard work because it would yield the material success they craved at a higher, quicker, rate than hard work. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) meditated on the corruption and failed promise of the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s characters were imbued with cynicism, greed, and self-absorption. The novel provides a great symbol of the mental state of many Americans during the 1920s before the Great Depression. Critics have identified the theme of the American Dream and the recognition of the elusiveness and ultimate failure for most Americans to attain that dream as central to the American experience and to American literature (Shestakov).
The American Dream is a myth that has since been exposed and hung out to dry by many American authors. Yet the idea of the American Dream has remained prevalent over time. Why is that? It could be because, despite all of the warnings and accounts of those who fall victim to oppression in America, there are still success stories. These success stories no matter how few, give people hope. Immigrants still come to the United States in search of a better life for themselves and their families. And even though social class mobility is difficult, it is still possible.
When I think about famous novels that have shaped America into the country it is today I think of novels that have the ability to captivate readers with themes and plots that force readers to think. If a novel has relatable characters and a conflict that the reader can presume plausible than its message will hopefully be analyzed by readers and hereafter applied when making their own ethical decisions.
Texts such as Susan Rawson’s Charlotte’s Temple (1791), Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables (1851), and Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of the Slave Girl (1861) all do this. Rawson’s ability to tell the unfavorable story of a young lady who is coursed into leaving her family and moving to America with a British soldier provides a powerful message about ethical decisions making for a young woman. She often addresses her readers as “my dear girls” hoping that this tale of Charlotte’s unfortunate circumstances can be used as a warning to any woman thinking about jumping into a serious committed relationship with someone who they barely know. Hawthorne’s tale is one that can leave the reader with many takeaways. One of the most prevalent however is Hawthorne’s ability to expose those in the power to their wrongdoings. Judge Puncheon’s backward-ethical approach is one that readers could assume is present in a lot of White men in power in the United States. Both during the time period, it was written and still today. As for Harriet Jacobs, the memoir-esque stories of her life as a slave provide important historical context about the mistreatment of slavery in America. All of these texts can provide readers with important information as to how to deal with conflict. Whether the novel’s characters deal with their conflict well or not, the reader should be able to disassociate himself or herself from the character and ask what they would do in that situation.
Dwight L. Burton’s studied the use of Literature in Social Development and found that “Units of teaching in literature can accomplish an important dual purpose in the field of human relations.” He argues that literature if taught correctly in secondary education relieves group tensions by stressing the universals, the basic similarities in life as it is lived at many different levels and under many different conditions in our American society. In a nutshell, Burton believes that literature should not be taught at just face value. Making students take tests on the plot of books they were assigned to read is not only frivolous but disservices the students in their exploration of the works of literature's deeper meaning (Burton).
As the United States has aged, its literary lens has developed and matured as time has gone on. American authors have written many novels both crediting and discrediting ideas around the American Dream. American citizens and immigrants have been marginalized at times based on age, gender, religion, and race among other things. This marginalization is not always easy to overcome. But with the help of American novelists social norms and the overall ethics and morals of the United States as a whole have become more accepting and willing to accept change for the better. And this is in a large part thanks to the development of the American novel.
Works Cited
Burton, Dwight L. “Literature for Social Development.” The English Journal, vol. 43, no. 5, 1954, pp. 231–243. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/809866.
Shestakov, Vyacheslav P. “American Dream and American Culture.” Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, edited by Thomas J. Schoenberg, vol. 210, Gale, 2009. Literature Criticism Online, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/LRSWSV224793583/LCO?u=bryn4396&sid=L CO&xid=c59cc54b. Accessed 16 Feb. 2019. Originally published in The Origins and Originality of American Culture, edited by Tibor Frank, Akademiai Kiado, 1984, pp. 583–590.
