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

85147 total results

Youth as a Capsule for Emotions in the Short Story, The Love of My Life by T.C. Boyle (1309 words, 4 pages)

Between love and sorrow, the age of youth is a capsule for emotions that result in a cycle of actions and other emotions. Such a case is shown in the short story The love of my life, by T.C. Boyle. The story involves two high school lovers who are described ... Read More

The Idea of a Dystopian Society and the Negative Effects It Has in Ray Bradbury’s Novel Fahrenheit 451 and the Film Gattaca (912 words, 3 pages)

Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451 published in 1953 and the 1997 film Gattaca directed by Andrew Niccol both extrapolate the idea of a dystopian society and the negative effects it has. Ray Bradburys novel warns of the effects of technological advancements and how heavy we rely on it. It also ... Read More

An Autobiographical Description of the Mental Instability of Sylvia Plath in the Novel, The Bell Jar (509 words, 2 pages)

In the novel, The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood represents the autobiographical description of author Sylvia Plaths own mental instability. Esther seemly lived ideally, having won a job as an editor in New York and obtaining many academic achievements. However, Esthers childhood trauma of the death of her father at age ... Read More

Edna’s Dehumanization in The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1947 words, 6 pages)

The Awakening by Kate Chopin centers on Edna Pontellier, a 19th century woman struggling to break free from the stifling gender roles of society. In her quest for freedom, Edna Pontellier pushes beyond societys limitations-- ultimately leading to the largest sacrifice of all death. Chopin utilizes change of setting in ... Read More

An Analysis of the Lincoln and Booth in the Short Story Topdog Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks (863 words, 3 pages)

At first glance, Booths character from Suzan-Lori Parkss short story TopdogUnderdog, appears to be fairly shallow and flat, nothing more than a common card hustler. Upon deeper inspection, however, it is evident that there is a lot more beneath the surface of his characters dubious appearance, although it is not ... Read More

Invisibility, Epiphany and the Narrator’s Ideology in the Epilogue of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (970 words, 3 pages)

The most prominent theme seen by the reader in Invisible Man is invisibility. The first line off the novel is I am an invisible man. In the prologue, the narrator expresses a sense of defeat and hopelessness. The novel begins with him in his man hole recalling the beginning of ... Read More

An Analysis of Situational Irony in a Map of Home, a Novel by Randa Jarrar (738 words, 3 pages)

In the novel A Map of Home, author Randa Jarrar uses situational irony to help readers understand how something as catastrophic as war can actually create positive opportunities for people on the wrong side of it, such as nations being invaded. The novel tells a story about the coming of ... Read More

An Analysis of the First Chapter in the Novel Of mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1035 words, 3 pages)

In the first chapter of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author presents Lennie and George as extreme opposites, who, despite their colossal differences both physically and mentally, rely on each other for everything. They share a dream of freedom as the book is set in the Great ... Read More

An Analysis of the Characters in the Catch-22 Novel by Joseph Heller (1579 words, 5 pages)

In his work Catch-22, Joseph Heller tells the fictitious tale of John Yossarian, a bombardier in an unorthodox Air Force unit during World War Two. The entire squadron is a joke, yet the humor it provides is offset by the war and the deaths in the unit. Yossarian is obsessed ... Read More

The Theme of Maturation in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (1004 words, 3 pages)

One of the major theme presented in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is maturation ,psychologically. Invisible man, the narrator, moves from the south to the supposed-to-be liberating North after being tricked by the president of his college. In New York, he found himself being dragged into the Brotherhood, an organization similar ... Read More

The Portrayal and Use of Sex in Slaughterhouse Five,a Novel by Kurt Vonnegut (674 words, 3 pages)

Sex can be used to explain many concepts. In science, Freud, the famous creator of psychoanalysis, used sex to explain relationships between parents and their children. Psychoanalysis can be used to challenge biological principles that explain social behavior. In movies, Marilyn Monroe, a well known actress, used sex to explain ... Read More

An Analysis of the Yellow Wallpaper Essay (1615 words, 5 pages)

In modern American culture today, one of the most dominating social problems that is actively fought for is the balance between men and women in society. Gender equality today has a large impact on matters ranging from politics to economics and can be analyzed at a macroscopic level the country ... Read More

An Analysis of the Watcher in A Watcher at the Gates by Gail Godwin (1000 words, 3 pages)

In Gail Godwins article A Watcher at the Gates, she addresses her inner critic,the Watcher, and how he tries to hinder her creativity by distracting her from writing. She informs the reader of ways to stop their Watcher from bothering them such as writing whatever comes to their mind at ... Read More

The Common Negative Personality of Characters in the Novel, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald and the Play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller (852 words, 3 pages)

Robert C. Edwards once said You are only what you are when no one is looking. By saying this, Edwards meant that people act differently in public then they do in private. Edwards is certainly correct in his statement. In each the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ... Read More

A Psychological Analysis of As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner and To Room Nineteen by Doris Lessing (3300 words, 11 pages)

Towards the beginning of the 20th Century, major breakthroughs in the studies of psychology and sociology came to define the preceding industrial boom. An emergent school, that of Analytic Psychology, began to question the drives and desires of human beings. Along with his contemporaries, Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, Carl ... Read More

A Reflection on a Reading Series Featuring Lev Grossman and Rebecca Dinerstein (1351 words, 4 pages)

As I entered the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House on 58 West 10th street, many people already settled down waiting for the series to start. This was the first reading series that I had been to and knew nothing what to expect. When novelty hits me, I look for the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Naturalist Writer Stephen Crane’s Work (1509 words, 5 pages)

During the late 1800s and early 1900s a multitude of American writers began to create their novels, short stories, and poetry. One of the most prominent was Stephen Crane. Born six years after the war had concluded, Crane wrote a myriad of narrative stories about the Civil War (Universitat 4). ... Read More

An Analysis of the Character of Jim in the Novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (947 words, 4 pages)

Huckleberry Finn Essay Analysis of JimThe historians who believed that Jim in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was an unrealistic runaway slave of the 1840s looked only at the superficial characterization of Jim when they made their claim. It is almost obvious that Mark Twain (some unfortunately) characterized Jim as ... Read More

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel The Scarlet Letter Should Mainly be Used for the Study of Psychology Instead of as a Reflection of Human Nature (1428 words, 6 pages)

The Scarlet Letter Test Essay TwoThe Scarlet Letter should mainly be used for the study of psychology instead of as a reflection of human nature. Many of the actions of the characters and the events that occur in The Scarlet Letter are due to the characters reactions to the stimuli ... Read More

The Conflict Toward Conformity and Inward Questioning of Tim O’Brien in the Novel, The Things They Carried (704 words, 2 pages)

2005 - In Kate Chopins The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions. In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who conforms outwardly while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you ... Read More

An Overview of the Novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (1256 words, 4 pages)

SettingThe Things They Carried is set during the Vietnam War. It takes place primarily in Vietnam, with portions taking place in the United States. It follows a group of soldiers called the Alpha Company on their missions in Vietnam.The location and time period are very central to the plot. The ... Read More

An Overview of the Novel, The Road by Cormac McCarthy (1013 words, 4 pages)

SettingThe Road is set in post-apocalyptic America. It has been several years since whatever unspecified disaster has destroyed nearly all life on Earth. There are very scant, if any, wild plants or animals left in the aftermath. It is unknown how many people were killed as a result of the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Character of Huck in the Novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1308 words, 4 pages)

Huckleberry Finn Essay Analysis of Huck Finn CharacterIn Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, at first glance, Mark Twain characterized Huck as a rebellious and cowardly twelve year old. However, Huck was also depicted as an intelligent, resourceful, and independent child who through the experiences of his adventures on the Mississippi River ... Read More

An Analysis of the Settings in A View From the Bridge by Arthur Miller (845 words, 3 pages)

In A View From the Bridge, Arthur Miller effectively uses different settings in the play in order to make allusions, characterize characters, and set moods. Millers allusions to the 1950s culture characterize Eddie, the main character, as a stereotypical closed-minded male during the decade. The two most important place settings, ... Read More

The Story Truth and the Happening Truth in the Novel, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (777 words, 3 pages)

In our world, there are two ways of telling a war story, the story truth and the happening truth. Story truth is something that is made more real and is not how it actually happened. Happening truth is the exact truth and nothing different. In the book The Things They ... Read More

A Character Analysis of Owen in A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (854 words, 3 pages)

Owen Meany is by far the most complex character that John Irving characterizes in A Prayer For Owen Meany. From the exposition, Owen Meany is perplexed by society's standards and this conflict builds his entire character. Owen Meany's insight and contrasting points of view from the traditional society of rural ... Read More

The Setting, Characters, Style and Themes in The Natural, a Novel by Bernard Malamud (1005 words, 4 pages)

SettingThe Natural takes place in the United States in the early to mid 20th Century. The bulk of the story takes place in New York CityThe New York Knights are a baseball team that has been in a perpetual losing streak for a long time. It is the arrival of ... Read More

Flannery O’Connor’s Use of Religious Themes and the Use of Character Names and Objects to Signify the Concept of the Story in Revelation (1386 words, 5 pages)

Flannery OConnor was born in 1925 in Savannah, Georgia. The themes that OConnor often used in her work are religious, probably influenced by her Catholic parents. Even though, her parents influence her in Catholicism, her devotion to Catholicism is likely stronger than her parents devotion to it. Furthermore, she is ... Read More

The Most Significant Symbol in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (886 words, 3 pages)

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne gives the letter A of the scarlet letter five different meanings Adulterer, Angel, Arthur, Able, and Apostle. But there are numerous meanings that can symbolize the letter A that Hawthorne did not mention in the book whom of which include adamant and abandoned. Adamant, ... Read More

An Examination of the Narrator, Montresor in the Short Story, The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe (3007 words, 10 pages)

The Cask of Amontillado is a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe, and unlike most stories, the narrator may or may not be reliable with the facts that he presents. The story is about the narrator, Montresor, who vengefully deceives his poor friend (Poe 109) Fortunato into following him ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples