Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser is a novel that accurately shows the progress of the United States over the time period. Progress was in the air and ideas were germinating. The citizen of Martin's day wanted the next big thing. The Robber Baron of this time period has similarities and differences with Martin. Martin tried to succeed, but he did it the right way. Also notable was Martin's desire for the latest technological advances. Millhauser accurately represents the hustle and bustle of the business world during this time period. Martin lived in a time of economic prosperity. Businesses were booming. However, one of the major problems of the time was the formation of monopolies. Some of these businessmen or “Robber Barons” include John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Jay Gould (Enotes). Robber barons often gained wealth by exploiting workers. In contrast, Martin managed to achieve success without exploiting workers. Martin even offered his good friend Emmeline a job. The “desire to closely supervise the management of the new restaurant” led Martin one day to offer her the job of cashier, which she accepted with passion” (Millhauser 128). Martin wanted to keep an eye on his company and knew he could trust Emmeline. The robber barons had similar goals with Martin; however, they tried to reach them in different ways. Martin was an exemplary model of a self made man. Martin's career began as a delivery boy and never regressed. He continued to climb the ranks of the hotel industry before briefly getting involved in canteen construction. Martin wasn't willing to work in a field he wasn't cut out for. Martin “looked, and...... middle of paper ...... so big. Martin Dressler was a character who was very similar to the people of his time. His dreams, ambitions and hopes were all exemplary traits of the American citizen of the early 1900s. Martin was so absorbed in technological innovations that he didn't know exactly what he wanted. Steven Millhauser did an exceptional job of portraying the American businessman of the time, while also connecting the novel to many iconic objects and technological advancements of the period. Works Cited Millhauser, Steven. Martin Dressler: The Story of an American Dreamer. New York: Vintage, 1997. Print. “Economics and Business: What is a Robber Baron?: Historical Fact Finder.” ENotes: Literature study guides, lesson plans, and more. Network. 19 September. 2011. .