An American Tragedy is the story of Clyde Griffiths, a young man raised by penniless religious fanatics. Clyde falls into a life of crime, flees his hometown, and becomes a foreman in the factory of his wealthy uncle. His uncle, though, does not permit him access to rarified social circles. Isolated and forbidden from interacting with the workers, Clyde begins clandestine romances with a poor worker and with a bored socialite. Eventually he murders the pregnant worker in an attempt to join high society, but he is caught and executed.
Sister Carrie is a novel by Theodore Dreiser about innocence, the allure of wealth, love, and disillusionment. The novel tells the story of Carrie Meeber, who moves from the country to Chicago. After living in poverty for some time, she enters a relationship with the wealthy Drouet. Eventually she begins an affair with Hurstwood, with whom she runs away after the affair is revealed. Settling in New York, the couple become alienated, Carrie leaving Hurstwood to become homeless and commit suicide as she becomes a successful yet disappointed actress.
The Cay is a novel about Phillip Enright, a boy who is stranded on an island with Timothy after his ship is torpedoed during World War II. Phillip has been blinded from an injury and must rely on Timothy to help him. However, Phillip is is prejudiced against Timothy, who is black. Over the course of the book, they develop a strong friendship, surviving on their small remote island. In the end, Timothy dies in a hurricane, Phillip buries him and is rescued, receiving surgery to repair his eyesight.