Mary French

I am reading the third novel in the U.S.A. Trilogy by John Dos Passos titled The Big Money. This is an extremely well written novel that captures the introverted aspects of human behavior.

The novel is experimental and features many different characters who collectively represent American culture from just before 1900 to around 1929.

The Big Money is about the industrialization of America prior to the crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. The main character is Charley Anderson who has returned from WWI and is undertaking a career in business by entering the newly forming aircraft industry with an innovative idea for engine design.

Charley Anderson reminds me very much of Hugh McVey the main character of the novel Poor White written by Sherwood Anderson around 1920.

Mary French, initially an unrelated character in The Big Money, is the daughter of a Medical Doctor who is a bit down on his luck having lost a great deal of money in stocks just after WWI. Mary's mother is a cold society woman more interested in giving speeches to various groups of women than attending to family needs.

Mary grows up and attends Vassar College for several years but does not graduate.

The story of Mary French is sensitive and depicts the deep thoughts and feelings of a young woman. It is extremely well written.

The Big Money might be the best of the U.S.A. Trilogy. All are well worth reading to gain a fictionalized view of American culture around 1900. The various stories and other information communicated through experimental techniques reminds me of stories passed down in my family about the time around 1900. The U.S.A. Trilogy has special meaning for me.