The Big Money Summary
John Dos Passos

Everything you need to understand or teach The Big Money by John Dos Passos.

The Big Money Summary & Study Guide

The Big Money Summary

John Dos Passos's The Big Money (1936) argues that the pursuit of the American dream ends in corruption. No matter what good intentions the characters possess, the desire for big money tarnishes, and eventually destroys, their authenticity. Dos Passos illustrates this idea by detailing the personal journey of each character and providing a sketch of an actual public figure whose life parallels, frames, or comments on the fictional characters' lives. For example, Dos Passos...

(read more from the Study Guide)

Study Pack

The The Big Money Study Pack contains:

The Big Money Study Guide

Themes

Criticism

John Dos Passos Biographies (4)

John Roderigo Dos Passos

1,321 words, approx. 5 pages

The reputation of the American novelist John Roderigo Dos Passos (1896-1970) is based chiefly on his early work, especially the trilogy "U.S.A."John Dos Passos was born in Chicago on Jan. 14, 1896, th... Read more

John (Roderigo) Dos Passos

13,014 words, approx. 44 pages

For readers in the 1930s and 1940s the career of John Dos Passos had its puzzling aspects, but the image of the man seemed to possess a certain clarity. He was, according to the dust jackets, "Chicago... Read more

John (Roderigo) Dos Passos

2,128 words, approx. 8 pages

John Roderigo Dos Passos, social and political chronicler, was born John Roderigo Madison in a Chicago hotel. His father, John Randolph Dos Passos, a prominent attorney, and his mother, Lucy Madison, ... Read more

John Roderigo Dos Passos

13,747 words, approx. 46 pages

Biography EssayFor readers familiar with his work in the 1920s and 1930s, John Dos Passos's public image seemed clearly defined. His friends and colleagues were expatriate writers such as Ernest Hemin... Read more

Download the Study Pack

BookRags

The Big Money SummaryJohn Dos Passos