An American Tragedy

An American Tragedy Summary | Book 1, Chapter 1 Summary

The Griffiths family is introduced on the streets of Kansas City, as they perform the daily evangelism. Asa, the father, is a fifty-year old man preaching the gospel to strangers on the city streets. His wife, though plain in appearance, is the only one in the family whose personality has any real strength. She spreads the Christian message and encourages the crowd to join in the singing. The daughter, Esta Griffiths, is fifteen, and her responsibility is to play a small, portable pump organ, while her parents encourage onlookers to sing. She is not conspicuous, and she sings along as she plays. However, she does not have a good voice. There are three more children, a boy, 7, a girl, 9, and another boy, who is twelve.

Clyde Griffiths, the twelve-year-old boy, is the main character of the novel. In the first chapter, Clyde is with his family, setting up on the street to proclaim the gospel. Clyde is forced to come to the "services" because of his parents, but it is obvious to anyone watching that he does not want to be there. He does not join in the proclamations of God's love and avoids eye contact with all around him. In fact, the older he gets, the more he recognizes that he is not like other boys. The few children that Clyde did know from his rare appearances in school often teased them, calling them the "Praise-the-Lord-Griffiths" because of Asa Griffiths' continual refrain, "Praise the Lord." Clyde is beginning to think of ways to escape from his parents and their beliefs. The service ends with Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths handing out religious pamphlets and announcing the time of their services and the location of their mission.

The Griffith family runs an independent mission called "The Door of Hope." The mission is an old, run-down building five blocks from where they set up the organ and preach. The family lives in the back of the mission.