Abstract

This research paper is an attempt to highlight the American society by treating fragmented associations and alienated characters as a social process in Theodore Dreiser’s Trilogy of Desire (1972). Fragmentation and alienation refer to the process of separation of self from others in various categories such as emotional detachment, social impartiality and mental objectivity. The result is isolation from the rest of group through set of behaviours. After the study it appears that heredity, desire, environment, and emotional attachment played a significant role in formation of crime and shaping the psychological scars of the main characters. Associations, Fragmentation and alienation are applied correctly for describing social problems in American Literature. All these clarify the notion of disjointed families as well as fragmented associations along with social surroundings. Much has been written about Theodore Dreiser and his works but it seems that less attention is paid to fragmentation and alienation. The Characters of Theodore Dreiser shape their objectives by violating social, religious and legal ethics for economic stability which is beyond their control. Various relations are destroyed for emotional satisfaction and search for personal benefits. The family of Theodore Dreiser is also fragmented and represent the same broken families in his novels. Frank Cowperwood’s first association with Lilian Semple is destroyed as she remains alienated due to his unstable nature. Aileen Butler fragmented her family through the emotional attachment with Frank Cowperwood through which she remains alienated at the end. Berenice Fleming also shows her loyalty as mistress of aged man, Frank Cowperwood, which is a source of alienation for her. Marx's theory of alienation as my framework is applied to describe the historical transformation of society and the ensuing structural conditions, namely capitalism, which bring fragmentation and alienation in Trilogy of Desire (1972) (Fictional world) generally and specially in the entire world (real). The present research is conducted in line with the qualitative research method. It is hoped that this study would help to motivate the future researchers to delve into the motivational and consequential effects of the same.