Guilt Will Prevail

Norman Mailer’s novel An American Dream was very different. Many times I found it difficult to read. Personally, I did not enjoy the novel. My opinion is that Mailer went into far too much detail instead of getting to the point. By the time I would make it to the “action” scene, I would have already forgotten what I read beforehand. "Mailer intends this novel to be a fiery chisel working its way into all the dull lairs of American guilt and malaise" (Bufithis, 66).

The novel revolves around the main character, Stephen Rojack. He is a war hero, he is a former Congressman, and he has his own television show. He strived to be on top of everything. Much of his achievements were because of his wife, Deborah Kelly. However, they did not have the perfect marriage. They were, in fact, separated. I am curious as to why they did not divorce. Norman Mailer, himself, was married six different times throughout his life, and he had nine children. Maybe Mailer was ashamed about his inability to have a successful marriage so he expressed this through Rojack. Their marriage was out of pure selfishness as to what each could get out of the other. They both believed each was superior to the other. Out of anger and hatred one night, Rojack murders Deborah and makes an attempt to make it appear as suicide. At times I wonder if Rojack suffered from Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) from being a war hero. I think Rojack has had a lot of rough times in his life, and maybe that is what causes him to be so angry. I am not saying that murdering his wife was the answer, and I am not making excuses for him; however, I do not believe Deborah was innocent through all of this. She used Rojack just as much as he used her. There was not any love in the marriage; after all he did see many women after he murdered his wife.

The way that Rojack escaped capital punishment is ironic to me. After Deborah had already been dead for a few hours and was then pushed out the window, how were they able to confirm it was suicide? And when Rojack made up the story of his wife having cancer, and it turned out she really did, that was shocking! I think he got away from punishment all by chance and coincidence. If any one aspect of the story would have been different, we may have seen a different outcome. Violence seems to be a theme in not only this novel, but Mailer’s personal life. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Mailer) states that in 1960 Mailer stabbed his second wife with a penknife at a party and that this incident has become a focal point for feminist critics of Mailer.

After researching Norman Mailer, I found many similarities between him and his character, Stephen Rojack. I also found a few things that Rojack did differently than Mailer. Mailer was also a war veteran and was involved in politics. Even with all of this said he is a very popular author today. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Mailer) mentions that he has appeared on and references have been made to him in many popular sitcoms.

I found this to novel to be against everything ethical. He murdered his wife, lied about it, and escaped punishment. He committed adultery and he was an alcoholic. He led a life of lies and it did not seem to bother him like it should have. He was a man with a mind of a criminal who thought he could get away with the worst of things, and he did. However, he did not and will not ever escape the guilt of his actions. This will follow him for the rest of his life, and I hope it eats him alive!

Bufithis, Phillip H. Norman Mailer. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1978. 65-74.