An American Dream Introduction

If you want to find out why Norman Mailer is one of the most controversial writers of all-time, then look no further than An American Dream.

Published in 1965, Mailer's fourth novel is anything but conventional. Even the writing process was unusual: Mailer wrote one chapter per month, releasing it in serialized form in the pages of Esquire. Although Mailer was inspired by the serialized literature popularized of writers like Charles Dickens, his predecessors typically wrote the whole novel beforehand—not a little bit every time they tore a page off their calendar.

If you think the writing process is unusual, though, then just wait until you see what actually happens in this book. The novel follows Stephen Rojack, a former congressman who currently hosts a talk show. Although his life seems amazing from the outside, there are some serious issues bubbling beneath the surface—his often-hostile relationship with his wife Deborah high among them. When Rojack tries to solve his marital problems in the most awful way (seriously), we realize just how far this former hero has fallen.

When all is said and done, An American Dream isn't for everyone. In fact, feminist scholar Kate Millett used An American Dream as a prominent example of literary misogyny in her famous book Sexual Politics. If you can look past the icky stuff, however, you'll come to find that there's a lot worth reading in An American Dream. It might not be the most heart-warming read in the world (okay, it definitely isn't), but sometimes the most difficult books are also the most worthwhile. And hey—you won't know if you don't read it.

 

What is An American Dream About and Why Should I Care?

Are you someone who just lets their feelings out, sharing them freely with the world? If you are, then An American Dream will constantly reaffirm just how right you are to do so. But if you're someone who prefers to keep their cards close to their chest, emotionally-speaking, then An American Dream is nothing short of a cautionary tale when it comes to you and your ways.

See, every character in the novel tries to repress something about themselves. Rojack is trying to hide the fact that he's unhappy despite all of his success; Deborah is shoving down the anger she feels toward her father; and Detective Roberts is trying to hold back all of the anger he feels from working as a police officer.

Here's a spoiler for you, though: They all fail. We won't ruin how for you here (though we'll totally get into it later on in this learning guide), but suffice it to say they do so miserably. Like, their pictures could illustrate the "failure" entry in a dictionary.

Basically, repression is like shaking up a can of soda and putting it back in the pack. It doesn't matter if you completely forget about it—that thing's going to explode as soon as you open it. And the same goes for repressed feelings. So if there's anything you should take away from An American Dream, it's that you should always be honest with yourself. It might not solve all of your problems, but it'll certainly keep things from exploding when you least expect it.