Towards Moralizing Capitalism

Theodore Dreiser is a prominent 20th century American novelist who has elaborately articulated the intricacies of capitalism and the need for reforms in his Cowperwood trilogy. To this effect, this study entitled ¿Towards moralizing capitalism: A Study of Theodore Dreiser¿s The Financier, The Titan and The Stoic¿, examines the predicament of the masses in the American capitalist space. It should be noted that capitalism has infiltrated into our economy, politics and even our psychology to the extent that it has become part and parcel of our Cameroon/ African culture. The study also investigates the arrogance and affluence that the bourgeois live in, against the backdrop of the misery of the proletariat. Using Alfred Adler¿s individual psychology and the Marxist theoretical approach, this study is based on the premise that in the Cowperwood trilogy, Dreiser castigates the excesses of modern capitalism and in the process, suggests means of moralising this ideology. The study also revealed that capitalism could be reformed through spiritual revivalism, the strengthening of family ties, and a rethinking of the American Dream.