Character Clues
Character Analysis
Location
The locations of our characters' homes tell us a lot about them—and more importantly, their statuses within the social hierarchy.
For example, Cherry's apartment isn't exactly the fanciest place in the world. Located in an old tenement building, it features "bruised rotting wood" and "garbage […] out on the landings" (5.1). This place—and the story behind it—helps establish sympathy for Cherry as character. In fact, this is the first time that we actually see Cherry as a human being, rather than merely an object for Rojack's affection.
In contrast, Kelly's luxurious penthouse at the Waldorf Astoria makes us understand just how high-class this guy is. Even the lobby is over-the-top, complete with "a giant chandelier of crystal" and "granite pillars" (8.3). That's some fancy stuff. At a certain point, this luxury becomes almost stifling to Rojack, emphasizing his often-contradictory relationship with the upper-class lifestyle.
Occupation
Stephen Rojack has had more jobs than pairs of underwear, and discards them just as quickly.
The dude used to be a politician, after all. After earning a medal for service in World War II, Rojack was swept up into the world of politics and elected a congressman. For most people, this would've be a dream come true, but Rojack had bigger aims: the presidency. He even thought that "the road to President might begin at the entrance to [Deborah's] Irish heart" (1.2), but that proved to be woefully misguided after his political career fizzled out. Regardless, his brief time in Congress shows us just how ambitious and cutthroat Rojack can be.
After this failure, Rojack tries his hand at being an intellectual. First, he becomes a professor of existential philosophy, "with the […] thesis that magic, dread, and the perception of death were the roots of motivation" (1.11). Light reading, we're sure. Rojack even manages to become a talk show host thanks to this minor success, although truth be told, he actually hates his show. After all, it only reminds him of how high his ambitions were, and how far short he's fallen.
Sex and Love
Let's just be blunt about it, shall we? The entire cast of An American Dream could use a few meetings of Sexahaloics Anonymous.
Rojack, the protagonist, has an unhealthy relationship with sex. It doesn't matter if he's just killed his wife or been interrogated by the police—dude is always ready to get it on. As you might imagine, Rojack has some twisted views about sexuality, namely that he "rarely felt as if [he] were making life, but rather as if [he was] a pirate sharpening up a raid on life" (4.280). This emotionally detached, yet obsessive, view of sex reflects Rojack's view of women in general. To really dig into this, check out Rojack's page in the "Characters" section.
Rojack's just the tip of the iceberg, though. Ruta confesses that she "goes out to look for men who will beat" (2.67) her when she drinks, making it clear that her desire for social power is, to say the least, complicated. Most horrifying, however, is the revelation that Kelly seduced Deborah "when she was fifteen, and […] never ended the affair" (8.438). Kelly might be ridiculously wealthy, but he's clearly morally bankrupt.
The one thing that every character has in common in this book is that they all have secret, repressed desires. This idea of repression is one that shows up throughout the novel—not merely where sex is concerned. But every time sex is on the page, we're reminded.