Sara Sollofe - the Magnificent Ambersons

Sara Sollofe The Magnificent Ambersons

Booth Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons describes the decline of the Amberson family from wealthy high-class people to poor low class people. In this time of age cars started to appear. Some people were driving cars while others were still riding buggies. This was the time when everyone was changing from horses into cars. The Ambersons were the richest and most well known in their city. In this essay I am going to explain how the automobile changed modern America into what it is today.

Most people thought that cars are exciting and new and that they had to have one, but not George Minafer. He thought the complete opposite. At the party for George that his mother makes for him on upon coming home from collage, he meets a friend named Lucy. George told Lucy that he thinks that cars are a complete failure. Even though her father was in the business of cars.

During this time, cars are starting to be invented and they are being seen on the streets more than ever before. Cars have good purposes. They get you places fast, when its raining or snowing you're safe, and more people could fit than a buggy. But cars could be so dangerous. If you get hit you could die. They are moving time bombs. George says that he thinks that a law should be placed preventing cars from being sold. One reason for this is could be because they are so dangerous and would not want to risk people driving in them.

Towards the end of the book, Uncle George and Aunt Fanny invest all their money into the headlight company. They do this thinking that it will be very successful, not knowing that it won't. Towards the end of the novel the headlight only worked if you were going 50 miles or above. Since they placed all their money into the headlight company they lost everything when it failed. This made the Ambersons poor.

The most ironic thing in this novel is that while George was crossing the street he thought that someone in a car coming toward him was Lucy and it was not. He got run over by that car. George hated cars and degraded them all the time. The ironic thing was that he never thought that he would be run over by one.

George does not have any shame he will just say whatever is on his mind, even if it offensive. When the Amberson's were having dinner with Eugene Morgon. George stands up and embarrasses his family and says that he thinks that cars are nonsense and that theirs is no reason to have them be invented. George did know that Eugene was inventing a horseless carriage and still had the guts and shame to tell him that.

Through out this novel you see the increase in automobiles. In the beginning of the novel you see that only the wealthy people have cars and the poor has horse and buggies but then it changes. Just like George got hit by a car, in a way the Amberson's also got ran over