A master of gritty naturalism, Theodore Dreiser explores the corruption of the A
merican dream in "The Financier". Frank Cowperwood, a fiercely ambitious busines
sman, emerges as the very embodiment of greed as he relentlessly seeks satisfact
ion in wealth, women, and power. As Cowperwood deals and double-deals, betrays a
nd is in turn betrayed, his rise and fall come to represent the American success
story stripped down to brutal realities - a struggle for spoils without conscie
nce or pity.
