American Literature Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

85147 total results

The Failures of Abigail in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller (853 words, 3 pages)

The Crucible EssayAbigails Failure Throughout Arthur Millers The Crucible, Abigail Williams attempts to gain John Proctors admiration and love. She incessantly tries to generate fear amongst the citizens of Salem which she believes will give her power in the community. Abigail is under the impression that John Proctor does not ... Read More

A Personal Analysis of I Am Legend, a Book by Richard Matheson (339 words, 1 pages)

One of my favorite books of all time is I Am Legend, and if you dont know what that is I urge you to remove your self from the safety of the cave you reside in and face the sun. Its not that painful I promise. The book talks about ... Read More

A Critique of Moon Over Buffalo, a Play by Ken Ludwig (553 words, 2 pages)

Moon Over BuffaloThe play Moon Over Buffalo is about a kooky family who make a living out of performing in plays. The play starts with one of the main characters, Roseland, coming to her parents theatre to tell them she is engaged to Howard, a weatherman. And she never is ... Read More

A Review of Johnny Got His Gun, a Novel by Dalton Trumbo (1478 words, 4 pages)

Johnny Got His Gun is a disheartening story about the post World War I era. Its about Joe Bonham. He was a military enlistee that went out and fought in the War. Joe was unfortunate enough to be caught in a major blast from an artillery shell where he lost ... Read More

A Comparison of the Similarities and Differences Between the Characters of Huckleberry Finn from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and John Grady Cole from All the Pretty Horses (606 words, 2 pages)

The characters of Huckleberry Finn and John Brady Cole had many similarities and many differences throughout the book. The two characters motivations for leaving home were very different but had some similarities. Huckleberry Finn and John Brady Coles family situation was similar but there were also differences between them. Another ... Read More

Jefferson in Romulus Linney’s A Lesson Before Dying, an Adaptation of a Novel by Ernst J. Gaines (1347 words, 5 pages)

Jefferson in Romulus Linneys A Lesson Before DyingIn Romulus Linneys, A Lesson Before Dying, Linney highlights the abounding inequalities and obstacles African American people faced on a daily basis in society and government in the South during the 1900s. Romulus Linney was a white man born in 1930, in Philadelphia, ... Read More

The Resemblance Between Modern America and the Fictional City in The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, a Novel by Ursula Le Guin (485 words, 2 pages)

Modern America resembles the fictional city of Omelas from Ursula LeGuins The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas because there are so many luxuries that Americans are not willing to give up regardless of a suffering child or a dying earth. This makes America similar to Omelas because the people ... Read More

The Painting of Iris Fisher in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a Novel by Gregory Maguire (790 words, 3 pages)

In the novel by Gregory Maguire, titled Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a character named Master Schoonmaker painted a portrait of the protagonist, Iris Fisher. In this painting, known as Girl with Wildflowers, she sees herself as a simple, plain, and unattractive girl. Iris had never seen herself as beautiful, ... Read More

Lies, Revenge, and Witchcraft in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller (1023 words, 3 pages)

The Crucible Analytical Essay Lies, Revenge, and Cries of WitchcraftIn 1692, Massachusetts was swept by a wave of witchcraft hysteria. It was inevitable as it was an age of theocracy when the government was based on religion. When citizens were met with misfortunes, they blamed them on the Devil. Salem, ... Read More

The Motif of Eyes to Criticize American Corruption and the Failure of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (635 words, 2 pages)

The Eyes of Providence The American Dream states that everyone, regardless of race, gender, or social status, has an equal opportunity to succeed in life through hard work and perseverance. The 1920s was an age when people believed in and blindly chased after this American Dream. It was an age ... Read More

The Use of Archetypes in The Scarlet Letter, a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1069 words, 4 pages)

Embodiment of Symbols- The Scarlet LetterSinning along with the consequences of ostracization are embraced in The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne constructed around the Puritan society. Told from the perspective of an unknown narrator, Hawthorne implements several archetypes to further the meaning of this tale such as The ... Read More

The Significance of Pearl and Her Effect on the Characters in Paragraphs 2-3 in The Scarlet Letter, a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (472 words, 2 pages)

Key Passage Analysis The Scarlet LetterIn Chapter 6 of The Scarlet Letter, paragraphs 2-3 focuses on the significance of Pearl and her effect on the characters in the novel by utilizing the literary and rhetorical devices such as imagery, diction, and syntax. Nathaniel Hawthorne creates the idea that despite Pearls ... Read More

A Critical Review of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a Novel by Gregory Maguire (792 words, 3 pages)

The Unseen. In the novel by Gregory Maguire, titled Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a character named Master Schoonmaker painted a portrait of the protagonist, Iris Fisher. In this painting, known as Girl with Wildflowers, she sees herself as a simple, plain, and unattractive girl. Iris had never seen herself ... Read More

The Complicated Character of Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1059 words, 4 pages)

The Great CarrawayThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is great prose which depicts the character of people in the New York City area in the nineteen twenties. The narrator, Nick Carraway, is one of these people. Nick is a character who, when you first read the book, doesnt really ... Read More

Mental Illness in Catch-22, a Novel by Joseph Heller (1057 words, 5 pages)

The Psychological Ramifications of the Catch 22s in Catch 22If the people who declared you insane are not sane, does that make you the sane one? Then are you really insane? Catch 22, by Joseph Heller is a brilliant novel spilling over the brim with irony and realism that are ... Read More

The Prevalent Power Dynamics in Antiquity in Ancient Greek Love Magic, a Book by Christopher A. Faraone (595 words, 2 pages)

In antiquity, one major power structure that was prevalent was between men and women. This is most apparent when studying love spells and the distinction between eros and philia. For starters, it is important to note that men where seen as more dominant and aggressive in society where women where ... Read More

The Mysterious Event in Schrodinger’s Cat, a Short Story by Ursula K. Le Guin (878 words, 3 pages)

Ursula K. Le Guins Schrodingers Cat begins with the narrator informing the reader of mysterious events taking place.These mysterious events involve the entire surroundings heating up, including stoves that turn on and are unable to be turned off, cars become unbearable to ride in, the tires melting to the asphalt. ... Read More

Erotic Magic Strongly Reflects Gender Roles in Antiquity in Ancient Greek Love Magic, a Book by Christopher A. Faraone (987 words, 3 pages)

Erotic Magic in the Modern WorldIn Faraones Ancient Greek Love Magic, he holds the position that erotic magic strongly reflects gender roles in antiquity. Although Faraone provides compelling evidence including various spells performed by both men and women, it is interesting to think about how those same spells would have ... Read More

The Special Case of Emily in a Rose for Emily, a Novel by William Faulkner (839 words, 3 pages)

William Faulkners A Rose for Emily begins at the huge funeral for Miss Emily Grierson. Nobody has been to her house in years, except for her servant. The town had a special relationship with Miss Emily ever since it decided to stop billing her for taxes in 1894. But, the ... Read More

The Truthful Characteristic of Writing of Langston Hughes (1543 words, 5 pages)

Characteristic EssayThe author Langston Hughes is regarded as the voice of the Harlem Renaissance, although there are many more poets who have written about black struggle and the black experience, it is Langton Hughes who is the most prominent and transcends literature as it was known. Hughes became a writer ... Read More

The Truthful Nature of Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, a Book by F. Scott Fitzgerald (842 words, 2 pages)

The Great Gatsby Chapters 2 and 3In this section of The Great Gatsby you see more of Nicks blatant truthfulness. His stories are told in a way, not to flatter anyone, or deceive people. He tells it like it is, even if it includes something that most other people would ... Read More

The Importance of Ethics in Sand County Almanac, a Book by Aldo Leopold (2137 words, 8 pages)

Embracing Ethics, Loving Land There exist unspoken rules in human society, instincts deep in the human mind that affect civilization as a whole. For example, individuals must choose between the urge to competeto fight to get aheador to work for the benefit of their community. This group-benefit mindset serves as ... Read More

The Character of Daniel in The Pleasure of My Company, a Novel by Steve Martin (577 words, 2 pages)

The Pleasure of My Company Entry 4A lot happens in this last section. You see perhaps the greatest change ever in Daniel. He loosens up a bit and hes not so strict about all his restrictions. At the beginning of the section you can still see Daniel the way hes ... Read More

A Brief Summary of Wine on the Desert by Max Brand (333 words, 1 pages)

The short story Wine on the Desert by Max Brand takes place in the desert. Its about a man named Durante and his friend Tony. At the very beginning we find out that Durante is running from the sheriff, because he killed a man. Tony lives far out in the ... Read More

The Importance of Companionship in Humanity in The Catcher in the Rye, a Novel by J.D. Salinger (1944 words, 7 pages)

Humanity A Dependent SocietyAccording to countless scientific studies, it is unquestionable that emotional trauma hinders the development of the human brain. Specifically, emotional trauma inhibits the process of maturity. Throughout the entire novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character, Holden Caulfield, struggles to develop mentally and is unable ... Read More

The Life and Political Works of Arthur Miller (418 words, 2 pages)

Arthur Miller Audiences have been captivated by Arthur Millers characters for over sixty years. His productions convey his profound political and moral convictions with characters that struggle with power conflicts, the consequences of past actions, and personal and social responsibilities. Millers connection with real world situations and the trials of ... Read More

Outsider Religion and the Ways of Showing Christianity in Roadside Religion, a Book by Timothy Beal (724 words, 2 pages)

Tim Beal, author of Roadside Religion, takes us on his journey across parts of the U.S. exploring different works of outsider religion and their ways of expressing Christianity. To Beal, the thing that makes these seemingly strange attractions so spiritually authentic, is the amount of creativity put in and also ... Read More

The Concept of Solitude in Of Mice and Men, a Novel by John Steinbeck (1374 words, 5 pages)

SoledadThe word soledad directly translates to solitude in the Spanish language. Soledad is also town in which Of Mice Men takes place. The entire novel displays the idea of solitude. Along with the presence of loneliness in this story, John Steinbeck also ties in the idea of companionship through the ... Read More

A Review of Remainder, a Novel by Tom McCarthy (2087 words, 7 pages)

A Crack A Symbol of Trauma in McCarthys RemainderIn Tom McCarthys complex and unusual 21st century novel Remainder, a man whose name is never disclosed wakes up from a coma with severe amnesia. The only thing he knows is that his coma was caused by some kind of unknown accident. ... Read More

The Concept of Reality and Truth in the Literary Works Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges, Diary of a Madman by Lu Hsun, and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1016 words, 3 pages)

Truth and Reality One in the Same?Truth is defined as the real facts about something and the property of being in accord with fact or reality. Reality is defined as the true situation that exists the real situation. It is assumed that because truth and reality coincide rather perfectly with ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples