An American Dream Themes

If the American Dream is all about moving on up, then Mailer's An American Dream is about coming back down. From the outside, Rojack has it made: He's a war hero, ex-congressman, distinguished prof...

In An American Dream, Rojack is so obsessed with death that we're pretty sure this is his favorite song. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course—he had a harrowing experience with de...

For a hardboiled crime novel, An American Dream sure features a lot of bizarre and supernatural happenings. Some characters can read minds; others can predict the future; and some are just supersti...

Here's a pro-tip: If you murder your wife, sleep with her maid, and cover it all up as a suicide, you're going to end up telling a lot of lies. It's just a fact. In An American Dream, Rojack is cau...

Rojack is one violent guy. Let's run down the list quickly: He murders his wife, throws a man down a flight of stairs, and hits his father-in-law in the face with an umbrella. And that's not even g...

Like most misogynistic dudes, Rojack in An American Dream only hates women because he fears them. To be honest, Rojack probably has reason to be afraid—he married a wealthy, world-...

In An American Dream, Rojack is bummed out but he doesn't know why. By all counts, this guy's got it made—he's a former congressman-turned-professor-turned-television host, and things are going s...

Some people have a lust for life—others simply have lust. Without a doubt, Rojack in An American Dream can count himself among the latter group. No matter the situation, no matter the time, no ma...