An American Tragedy

The classic 1951 film A Place in the Sun is based on this groundbreaking 1925 novel which is both a compelling criminal story and a sad critique on the American dream. This novel about an ambitious socially awkward young man who finds himself stuck between two very different women—and two very different ideals of what his life may be—was inspired by a true story. Clyde Griffiths was born poor and illiterate but when he is offered a job by a wealthy uncle who owns a shirt factory his chances begin to brighten. He quickly rises through the ranks of management and despite being instructed to stay away from the ladies he supervises he falls in love with Roberta a poor factory worker. Simultaneously he falls for Sondra the attractive socialite daughter of another factory owner and begins to ignore his boyfriend in order to woo her. Clyde's plans of marrying Sondra are jeopardized when Roberta informs him of her pregnancy so he devises a desperate strategy to save his dream.