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

85147 total results

The Influence of Color in the Literary Works, Typee, Moby Dick, Bartleby, and Bily Budd by Herman Melville (710 words, 3 pages)

Within the works of Typee, Moby Dick, Bartleby, and Billy Budd, Herman Melville incorporates color as an overarching influence in grasping the significance beyond the exterior. The depth of color is contradictory and ambiguous in align with Melville's lack of an explicit opinion of his subjects. In Moby Dick, the ... Read More

The Value of Informal Education in the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (896 words, 3 pages)

To Kill a Mockingbird and Informal EducationTo Kill a Mockingbird is a novel of many themes. It discusses several valuable ideas and subjects, to different degrees and with different ranks of importance. One theme discussed by Lee throughout this novel is the theme of education. To Kill a Mockingbird presents ... Read More

The Life and Works of the Profound Christian Writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne (494 words, 2 pages)

Nathaniel HawthorneNathaniel Hawthorne, a writer who was influential in the development of the American novel due to the quality of his works, is considered among the best writers of the United States. He wrote several notable novels, of which The Scarlet Letter is the most famous. Besides of being regarded ... Read More

The Definitions of a Hero in the Novel The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (1006 words, 3 pages)

Over the course of history there have been many different tales written and told about heroic men and women. Across different cultures these takes tend to differ, and there seems to exist no singular definition of what creates a hero. However, as a point of reference, Joseph Campbells Novel The ... Read More

The Validity of Emotions and the Expectations of Women in the 1970’s in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (2361 words, 8 pages)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath was written semi-autobiographically to verify and express the validity of emotions and to bring a contemporary view of the expectations of women in the 1970s. The Bell Jar has had such a wide range of meaning from the time it has been published until ... Read More

Violence, Madness, and Guilt in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe (1092 words, 4 pages)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman who is slowly slipping into madness because her doctor husband will not acknowledge that she has postpartum depression. Conversely, The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe is another short story about a man who seems to ... Read More

The Traumatizing Experience of Goodman with a Stranger in the Woods in the Short Story Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne (760 words, 3 pages)

"Young Goodman Brown" is Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story about ayoung man's traumatizing experience with a stranger in the woods. Thestory focuses on how the events this man goes through change his life forthe worse. The events that are depicted make him doubt and question thepurity of the people in his ... Read More

The American Dream as Expressed in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1735 words, 6 pages)

The American Dream as expressed in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The American Dream means to live life to the fullest and have as muchfun within legal boundaries. However, this definition of the American Dreamhas changed over time. The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of theAmerican Dream. The ... Read More

Death in the Characterization of Emily Grierson, a Character in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner (783 words, 3 pages)

To expire, to pass away, to push up daisies, to take one last breath.These are some of the words synonymous with death - a subject sensitive tomany. Although, many human beings might find that when one dies, they arestill alive in the hearts of others. Looking at "A Rose for ... Read More

The Sheepish Nature of Humans and the Absolute Power of the Government in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut (1316 words, 6 pages)

The Sheep and the Machine Government is the manner in which a class, group, state or nation is ruled or controlled. Some governing groups serve to help the people they govern, while other exist simply to suppress the common man and feed those in power. Governments have been the reason ... Read More

The Theme of Violence in the Book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (1734 words, 5 pages)

In Max Brookss World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War, he explorers a variety of scenarios occurring before and during the global Zombie War. Most of his fictional report deals with the spread of zombies and humanitys efforts to survive against the living dead. However, a running ... Read More

The Tragic Story in the Novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1695 words, 5 pages)

Tragedy, but Hope Although The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925,the saga is still relevant today. The main characters in The Great Gatsbyare Nick the narrator Daisy and Tom Buchanan the rich East EggersJordan Baker Daisy's pro-golfer friend and Myrtle the lower classmistress of Tom. I ... Read More

Nihilism in the Book Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor (916 words, 3 pages)

Flannery OConnors Good Country People, published in 1955, is a short story set in the farms of rural Georgia. It deals with the tendency of people to deceive others by putting on a mask to hide their true forms such a phenomenon is one that anyone can see for themselves ... Read More

An Analysis of the Theatrical Classic Death of a Salesman (790 words, 3 pages)

Death of A Salesman, a theatrical classic that has been recreated time and time again. A riveting play that rips apart the American Dream and dissects the dysfunctional American family is coming back, this time better than ever to an off Broadway theatre near you. Asgard Viking Productions is bringing ... Read More

An Introduction to the Character of Gary in the Novel Monster Island by David Wellington (1045 words, 4 pages)

Does He Know?David Wellingtons Monster Island opens relatively normal enough for a zombie novel. However, the second chapter introduces a character named Gary. While it is not immediately clear to whether or not Gary is a Zombie, it eventually does become clear Garys chapters are told from the perspective of ... Read More

A Comparison of Two Characters Portrayed by Bryan Cranston (627 words, 3 pages)

Bryan Cranston Killer Drug Lord vs. Goofy, Harmless DadIn my mind, the first and most important quality of truly great actors is whether they can successfully take on totally different roles in their careers. When I think of an actor and associate him or her with a caricature, a type ... Read More

Local Color in the Novel Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (496 words, 2 pages)

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck is a regional piece. Steinbeck captures and personifies the rough, yet accurate spirits of the port town of Monterey, California. Steinbecks specialty is his ability to have his writing embody a genuine representation of the everyday man, also known as local color (1). Generally, the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Usage of Good Characterization in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find (2020 words, 7 pages)

Why do we read fiction? Some may read to further the never-ending illusion that humans call time. Some read because they have nothing better to do. But most people read fiction for the experience they feel emotionally gratified when they connect to the characters. You may say it is for ... Read More

The Symbols of the Eyes of T.J. Eckleberg in the Novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (496 words, 2 pages)

The Eyes of T.J. Eckleberg are a dominant symbol in The Great Gatsby. Although the eyes are on a billboard that was used to promote an optometrist, they symbolically signify the loss of spiritual values in America (1). The billboard, like the spiritual values of America, are derelict But his ... Read More

The Theme of Motherhood in the Awakening, a Novel by Kate Chopin (1060 words, 4 pages)

Looks and MotherhoodMotherhood is one of the major themes in The Awakening. Most of the female characters seem to notice its existence and the responsibilities that come with it, but how they view it makes the difference in the novel. A persons suitability to be a mother is demonstrated in ... Read More

The Role of Women after World War Two in the Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (493 words, 2 pages)

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates examines American sociology of the time period after World War II. Most probably think that women would be more independent and equal to men. It seems that the feminists succeeded in allowing women to enter the work force and live without a husband providing money. ... Read More

A Comparison of the Road Not Taken by Robert Frost and the Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike (709 words, 3 pages)

Concerning literature, journalist Rex Huppke states, By looking beyond just business books, you might foster unexpected connections or create a deeper understanding among different people. Literature is important to understand people and the decisions that they make, whether it is the process of making a decision in the case of ... Read More

The Portrayal of Death in Slaughterhouse-Five, a Novel by Kurt Vonnegut (894 words, 3 pages)

The author Simon Travaglia once said Death is inevitable, but life - thats the tricky bit where things happen. Within our world, in the great scheme of things, death is but a small, inevitable part of life. Similar to the quote by Travaglia, the author of Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut, portrays ... Read More

An Analysis of Articles on the Writings of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a Short Story Author (758 words, 3 pages)

Gough, Val. "Review Reviewed Work "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Selected Stories of Charlotte Perkins Gilman by Denise D. Knight, Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Review. Journal of American Studies n.d. 107. Print.This article starts off by outlining Charlotte Perkins Gilmans writing style, not just in The Yellow Wallpaper but four of her ... Read More

A Plot and Setting Analysis in A&P, a Short Story Written by John Updike (765 words, 4 pages)

The 50s Grocery Store in Middle Class SuburbiaJohn Updikes AP is nothing if not a commentary on prevailing social values. Cashiers and customers alike cannot help but stare at the apparent sexuality of three young women in bathing suits. A store manager cannot bare to have scantily-clad shoppers. A young ... Read More

The Life of Chris McCandless in into the Wild, a Book by Jon Krakauer (1728 words, 5 pages)

Unwise and Reckless Chris McCandlessInto the Wild is a riveting book by the author Jon Krakauer about the veryunfortunate travels of Chris McCandless. Throughout the story he interjectswith his own comparisons of other voyagers and dream chasers such as youngMcCandless. All along he uses stories and facts about McCandless's travelsto ... Read More

An Analysis of the Symbolic Significance in the Novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (449 words, 2 pages)

The Symbolic Significance of a Truly Awkward MomentEdith Whartons novel, Ethan Frome, contains a scene abundant in tension and uneasiness that serves to both characterize Mattie and Ethan and provide insight into their feelings about each other. This scene, in which Ethan and Mattie dine and spend their evening together ... Read More

The Role of Time in the God of Small Thins, a Novel by Arundhati Roy (998 words, 3 pages)

Its Always ten to two SomewherePerception of time plays a peculiar role in The God of Small Things, serving both as linear force, dragging the plot along with it, and as a proverbial tar pit, ensnaring and preserving a moment and time. The entire Kochamma family seems stuck in the ... Read More

An Analysis of the New Student’s Expectations and Dreams Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Famous Line (322 words, 1 pages)

F. Scott Fitzgerald's line 'Here was, a new generation- grown up tofind all God's dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken' is veryfamous. At some point in 1920s, there was a kind of revolt round a newmagazine that was arising known as The New Student, but unfortunately, ithad ... Read More

An Analysis of a False Tradition in the Lottery, a Short Story by Shirley Jackson (1284 words, 5 pages)

TraditionThe Passing Down of IgnoranceTradition is defined as the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice (Definition). In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, readers are exposed to a fatal tradition with no true purpose other than ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples