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

85147 total results

The Picture of a Southern Belle in a Streetcar Named Desire, a Play by Tennessee Williams (2066 words, 7 pages)

The South has always had a unique culture. Authors have constantly made an effort to portray this culture and have created the Southern belle. The Southern belle is a woman that is characterized by a collection of Southern beliefs. Some of these beliefs include courtesy, charm, and overall, the Southern ... Read More

An Analysis of a Moral Decision in Hills Like White Elephants, a Short Story by Ernest Hemingway (812 words, 2 pages)

Some relationships evolve only because of a physically intimate phase. After this passionate and adventurous phase, reality jumps in and the couple is faced with the decision as to whether they are to have a baby, or abortion. In this way, many morals kick in and these people are faced ... Read More

The Pain of Grieving in Annabel Lee, a Poem by Edgar Allan Poe (930 words, 3 pages)

Everyone copes with the death of a loved one in different ways. Some celebrate, some send their belongings with them through fire, and some grieve. Grievance for a loved one can be so strong at times, that even life can seem like it is taunting them. Their sadness becomes so ... Read More

The Use of Colors in the Classic Literature Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst (850 words, 3 pages)

"The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us throughthe mystic realm of color." These valuable words, once said by HansHofmann, are an excellent explanation as to why authors apply colors totheir literature. The authors of the two classics, Of Mice and Men and TheScarlet Ibis, both use ... Read More

The Role of Nature in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and A White Heron by Sarah Orne Jewett (1197 words, 4 pages)

The role of nature is essential in every story across time. Nature has the ability to alter any situation and create a whole new mood in the scene. Nature becomes a symbol with a deeper meaning that travels through the story allowing the reader to relate to the character and ... Read More

The Immaturity of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, a Novel by J.D. Salinger (534 words, 2 pages)

The Catcher in the RyeHolden Caulfield should not be allowed to reach an emancipated status due to his imbalanced thoughts, reckless way in life, and bouts of depression. Mr. Caulfield does not have a steady lifestyle and is not mature enough to make his own decisions as an adult should. ... Read More

The Use of Subtle Word Choice, Imagery, and Character’s Action in Expressing the Emotions of Joan in the Short Story White by Joy Williams (761 words, 2 pages)

Joy Williams, through her collection of short stories in The Visiting Privilege, manages to transform even the simplest of stories into loud messages about life and how impactful the most trivial things can be. In her short story, White, Williams tells a story through the perspective of an unhappy, and ... Read More

A Comparison of the Views of Joseph Tussman and John Mueller on How Human Nature Affects Citizenship (602 words, 3 pages)

Both Joseph Tussman and John Mueller have very similar views on human nature. However, both have very contrasting views on how human nature affects citizenship. While Tussman argues to reshape human nature to produce the ideal citizen, Mueller looks to work with flaws. I believe that human nature cannot effectively ... Read More

The Different Obstacles in the Final Chapters of Invisible Man, a Novel by Ralph Ellison (646 words, 2 pages)

In the final chapters of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man, the reader may encounter many different obstacles, all of which lead back to the on-going issue of race and white supremacy in the 1930s. Specifically, in chapter 20, an issue is presented that, fifty years later, is still is a major ... Read More

The Purpose of the Wilderness in Into the Wild, a Book by Jon Krakauer (722 words, 2 pages)

Properties of the WildernessThe wilderness is composed of a variety of landscapes that are both captivating and treacherous in nature. Such environments inspired Chris McCandless to substitute his life of conformity for spontaneity, and to trek across the country unto his death. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer retraces McCandless ... Read More

The Use of the Literary Element Irony in The Crucible, a Play by Arthur Miller (1015 words, 2 pages)

Crucible Timed WriteThe crucible is a wonderfully articulated play that contains riveting dialogue and emotion. Arthur Millers use of various literary elements has allowed him to construct a piece that excites a variety of responses from the reader audience. One of these literary elements, irony, impresses the full emotion of ... Read More

The Different View of Race in Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin, Theme for English B by Langston Hughes, and The Lynching by Claude Mckay (1043 words, 4 pages)

The Root of EvilRace has a tight grasp on our daily lives whether we realize it or not. The control it has over our world and society stays quite elusive. It slowly creeps into our thoughts and actions without warning. The construction of race has changed and evolved over time, ... Read More

The Red Scare as the Reason for Writing The Crucible (1542 words, 3 pages)

Crucible Social CommentaryThe crucible was a wonderful piece written by Arthur Miller about the Salem witch trials. However, Arthur Miller never intended for the play to be solely about witches and magic. Arthur Miller wrote the crucible for something much bigger, but not at all different from the witch trials ... Read More

The Views and Values of Transcendentalism in Into the Wild, a Book by Jon Krakauer (741 words, 2 pages)

Into the Wild on Demand EssayTranscendentalism reflects on one's connection with nature and their view that society corrupts people and that people should live as simply as possible. Both Krakauer and McCandless represent this view of the world very well. Krakauer and McCandless are both prime examples of transcendentalist thought ... Read More

The Switch between the Sentimental and Cynical Reflection on American Culture of the 1920s in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (839 words, 3 pages)

The Age of IgnoranceIn The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shifts from sentimental to cynical using artful diction, consistent juxtaposition, and profound imagery, proving that American culture in the 1920s is ignorant of nature and has a faulty perception of reality, but maintains an unyielding optimism for its orgastic future.American ... Read More

The Gloomy and Crude Characteristics of Society in The Scarlet Letter, a Novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1137 words, 4 pages)

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Puritan society is constantly described in opposition to the wilderness around it. One symbol of nature, the rose-bush, stands in stark contrast to the dark nature of society. This is demonstrated by the placing of the rose-bush next to the gloomy prison ... Read More

Religious Prejudice in The Crucible by Arthur Miller (394 words, 2 pages)

Religious Prejudice in CrucibleThe Crucible follows multiple characters in the town of Salem during the 17th century who are persecuted for religious reasons. Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey, and so many others are killed because they are targeted for being outsiders outsiders did not just refer to people who did ... Read More

An Analysis of the Pub in Swept Away by T.C. Boyle (505 words, 2 pages)

In Swept Away by T.C. Boyle, the texts mood towards the pub seems to be that the pub is welcome and community oriented, but paradoxically, also a lonely place for all the townspeople to be able to drown their sorrows. At the start of the story after Robbie saved Junie ... Read More

The Three Characters’ Social Conditions in The Misfits by Arthur Miller (460 words, 2 pages)

In The Misfits by Arthur Miller the three characters social conditions are reflected in how they develop with one another because their isolated occupations and lives without love lead to them needing one another more than anything else. In the beginning of the story Gay thinks about his wife cheating ... Read More

The Reach in Do the Dead Sing, a Short Story by Stephen King (559 words, 2 pages)

Author's Work "Do the Dead Sing?" In Stephen King's short story "Do the Dead Sing" a 95 year old sicklywoman named Stella Flanders starts to realize her cancer that she has beenliving with in secret is approaching it's final stages. She lives on Goatisland and has never crossed the reach, ... Read More

The Theme of Children’s Ignorance in Mudlavia by Elizabeth Stuckey-French (606 words, 2 pages)

In "Mudlavia," by Elizabeth Stuckey-French, the first person point of view narration by the main character, Mathew, illustrates his ignorance about many of the things going on around him which seems to reinforce a central theme of the story of childrens ignorance and how it affects them later in life. ... Read More

A Valuable Lesson in Inherit the Wind, a Play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee (783 words, 3 pages)

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.(Lawrence and Lee 67) This quote is an allusion to the bible said by Matthew Brady to remind people of the town the consequences of their actions. Someone who brings trouble into their own life, will inherit nothing. In the play, ... Read More

A Comparison of Flannery O’Connor and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Beliefs about Family (1156 words, 4 pages)

The messages of family and relationships in Young Goodman Brown and A Good Man is Hard to Find reveal each authors opinions about family. Young Goodman Brown, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is about a man named Young Goodman Brown who comes from a Puritan background. When tested by the devil, ... Read More

The Struggles with Support and Discrimination Because of Health in the Movie Philadelphia and in the Book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (903 words, 2 pages)

The Challenges of Atticus and Andrew Beckett.Discrimination is a disease! Roger Staubach, NFL hall of famer. Discrimination is a sensitive topic that very few people really know a lot about as it is often confused with racism and simply taught that it is a rare case in modern society, sadly ... Read More

The Meaning of Maturity in Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor (1164 words, 4 pages)

The idea of measuring maturity has often proved to be a challenge forphysicians, educators, and developmental scientists. A human brain can befully mature, the body fully developed, yet some immeasurable part of thepsyche remains far from mature. Despite depicting characters ofdrastically different backgrouds, both Dr. Heidegger's Experiment byNathaniel Hawthorne and ... Read More

A Scene Analysis in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (552 words, 2 pages)

The Great Gatsby Scene AnalysisIn the novel The Great Gatsby, the main character, Nick finds that his neighbor, Jay Gatsby has many parties over the course of a summer. The first time that Nick experiences one of these parties is in chapter 3 when he is invited by Gatsby himself. ... Read More

A Review of Insurgent, a Book in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (523 words, 2 pages)

Insurgent Book ReviewIn a post-apocalyptic society, factions are put in place to help things function smoothly. There are five factions. Candor, for truth and honesty, Amity, for happiness and peace, Abnegation, for selflessness and charity, Erudite, for knowledge and technology, and Dauntless, for bravery and protection. When a person turns ... Read More

Escapism in Where I Lived, and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau (943 words, 3 pages)

The EscapistsExpectations and standards rise up like mental bile, contributing to the mess of stress and confusion. Reality tends to lose its appeal when charred with anxiety and peppered with self-destruction. The bittersweet battle continues as the mind fights to cease its distortion complex against reality. In Where I Lived, ... Read More

Character Analysis of Curley in Of Mice and Men, a Book by John Steinbeck (927 words, 2 pages)

Essay on Of mice and Men-Curley One of Curley's main features that very conscious about his size,'he wore high-heeled boots.As well as conveying his consciousness of his height, it also highlights a lot of what Curley is such as his arrogance, condescension which is also agree with the line,'his elbows ... Read More

The Theme of Hope in the Road, a Novel by Cormac McCarthy (1284 words, 3 pages)

Hope in The RoadIn the novel The Road, there are plenty of depressing themes that jump out at a reader right away despair, struggle, and adversity to name a few. The novel follows a man and son struggling to survive in a seemingly post-nuclear apocalypse. This does not save much ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples