The American Prison System In An American Marriage By Tayari Jones

The American prison system is often criticized for how effective it is at rehabilitating their convicts and if it is truly effective at preventing future crime from occurring. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones shows how ineffective the American Prison system is and how it can damage and destroy relationships. The novel will also discuss how it can cause the convict to become social disadvantage when released and have little change to recover from the drastic setbacks due to being convicted, causing them to return to what caused them to be convicted in the first place.

An American Marriage was based on a real-life experience Tayari Jones had. While she was in a mall, she experienced an argument that would later create this novel, “Then, home

The woman said to the man, ‘Roy, you know you wouldn’t have waited on me for seven years,’ and he said, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about because this wouldn’t have happened to you in the first place. At that moment, Jones had her novel: how wrongful incarceration affects both people in a relationship and how their different perspectives are both valid.” (Hoffert) and in a later interview Tayari Jones will that Roy and Celestial Relationship would be the main theme of the novel, “Most of the novel is about whether or not he will be able to resume his life with his wife. That’s the main thing.” (Jones)

When Roy was incarnation due to being falsely accused of raping someone it caused his life to come to a screeching halt. Roy was forced to leave his career as a rising executive and with no change of building it back up after his conviction since he would have a class A felony on his record and listed as a felon. Tayari Jones will say in an interview that Roy and Celestial Relationship would be the main theme of the novel, “Most of the novel is about whether he will be able to resume his life with his wife. That’s the main thing.” (Jones)

“Even though he is innocent, he must accept that his life is altered beyond recognition because of his experience.” (Hall) Being convicted made Roy more violent to others as seen when he would not hesitate to break Celestial’s car windows and attempt to cut down her tree when he found out she does not love him anymore. He would later get into a fight with Andre over him starting a relationship with her during his time in prison. He would fight Andre in a brutal manner fueled by his own rage. Andre would describe the fight with Roy, “Have you ever stared fury in its eyes? There is no saving yourself from a man in its throes. Roy’s face was haunted and wild. The cords of his neck muscles were like cables; his lips made a hard gash. The unceasing blows were fueled by a need to hurt me that was greater than his own need for oxygen or even freedom. His need to hurt me was greater even than my own desire to survie. My efforts to protect myself where ritualistic, mannered, and symbolic, while his fists, feet, and needs were operating from a brutal code.” (Jones 277) This shows how much Roy as changed as a man and had lost sight of his morals and ability to hold back his rage. Roy being convicted showed how ineffective prison is at rehabilitating the convict and preventing the crime from occurring again. Even though Roy went in prison innocent he would come out as if he was rapist. Roy would tell