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

85147 total results

Character Analysis of Hester in the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (591 words, 1 pages)

The Scarlet LetterIn almost every story, there is at least one hero the reader admires for their smart decisions. In the story, The Scarlet Letter, the real heroine is Hester. She understands the true value of being a hero and follows her heart rather than the law. She stuck with ... Read More

An Evaluation of the Author’s Message in the Poem Asphodel, That Greeny Flower by William Carlos Williams (645 words, 2 pages)

The poem Asphodel, That Greeny Flower by William Carlos Williams ties into our humanities and literature class this semester. I believe the message from this excerpt that Williams is trying to send is that poetry and literature are still important today, and there is no replacement for what poetry and ... Read More

Reshaping the Perceptions of War Through the Main Characters of Tim O’Brien’s Novel “The Things They Carried” (1072 words, 5 pages)

Reshaping Perceptions of WarAlthough the main characters of Tim OBriens stories in The Things They Carried are the male soldiers of Alpha Company, many of the stories also involve a female character who is close to one of the soldiers. These soldiers actions are influenced by their relationships with these ... Read More

The Allegorical Portrayal of the American Slaves’ Struggle on the Road to Freedom in A Worn Path, a Short Story by Eudora Welty (970 words, 3 pages)

Eudora Weltys short story A Worn Path follows the journey of an old, black woman as she traverses the countryside in quest of some medicine for her chronically ill grandson. Although the story indisputably describes a grandmothers dedication to her grandson, a secondary interpretation can be uncovered by comparing the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Pervasive Malfeasance in Society in The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton (664 words, 3 pages)

In the novel The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton, the illicit actions of ordinary citizens in Victorian London were commonplace. Mid 19th century English society was marred by pervasive malfeasance. The types of unlawful activities ranged from petty pick-pocketing to full scale mastermind plots, such as the one the ... Read More

An Analysis of the Journey of Huck Finn and Jim as t+They Navigate the Mississippi River (778 words, 3 pages)

Huck Finn EssayThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain details the journey of Huck Finn and Jim as they navigate the Mississippi River. The tale of their journey is told from Hucks point of view as he recalls encounters that took place either on shore or on the river. ... Read More

The Portrayal of the Romantic Struggles in Herman Melville’s Novel “Moby Dick” (1640 words, 6 pages)

The Romantic Struggle in Moby-DickIn Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville, the struggle between the Romantic intent of characters and their reasonable nature creates the complexities faced on the Pequod, the ship captained by Ahab. This competition sharpens with the believed influence of God in the issues of man, shown by the ... Read More

The Influence of Spoken Words in Directing the Plot of Huckleberry Finn (1295 words, 3 pages)

'No poet will ever take the written word as a substitute for the spoken wordHe knows that it is on the spoken word, and the spoken word only, that his art is founded'Lascelles Abercrombie Spoken Words in Adventures of Huckleberry FinnDespite much controversy that has arisen about a particular word ... Read More

An Analysis of the Themes of Love, Ignorance and War in the Novels by Kurt Vonnegut (2393 words, 7 pages)

Contradictory Counterculture Opposing Opinions in Kurt Vonnegutaposs WorkKurt Vonnegut Jr. was called by The New York Times the countercultureaposs novelist. It is clear from this title that his works often provided opposing or controversial viewpoints to the socially accepted viewpoints of his time. As David Meyers, professor at University of ... Read More

The Transformation of Phineas’ Character in John Knowles’ A Separate Peace (658 words, 2 pages)

A Separate Peace Essay As the world transforms drastically outside the confines of the tranquil Devon campus, so do the major characters in John Knowles A Separate Peace. Specifically, the reader follows one of the main characters named Phineas, who is first introduced as an enigmatic and blissful individual that ... Read More

An Analysis of Albert Bierstadt’s Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point Trail (692 words, 2 pages)

The viewer's gaze is initially drawn inward and upward. Beams of intense yet soothing afternoon sun beat down warmly upon the muted tones of the cooler granite mountainsides which line the edges of the mural. The mountains gleam proudly as they bask in the waning yellow rays and provide symmetry ... Read More

An Analysis of the Bike Lanes in the American City of Los Angeles (1483 words, 5 pages)

Integrating Bike LanesThe city of Los Angeles is a city of cyclists. When one looks around a small town or city, it is clear that bikes contribute to the culture within the society, from the presence of bike lock stations to bike riders on the road. Bicycle riding has become ... Read More

Greed, Lust and the American Dream in The Great Gatsby, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1487 words, 5 pages)

Acclaimed author F. Scott Fitzgerald has earned literary renown for his novels chronicling the American ideal and experience during the Jazz Age. Out of all his works, his most famous is the novel considered his masterwork, The Great Gatsby, a tale about greed, lust, and the classical American Dream. However, ... Read More

An Analysis of the Theme of Wealth and Corruption in “The Great Gatsby”, a Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (949 words, 3 pages)

To an outsider of the wealthy, prosperous lifestyle of the high-class American, personal opulence, grand abodes, and fancy cars may seem like the ideal. However, all that glitters is not golden. In his acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald delves into the theme of wealth and corrupting its ... Read More

The Effects Death Has on a Community in John Wideman’s Our Time (524 words, 2 pages)

In John Wideman's Our Time he expresses the effects death has on acommunity. Several narrators interject throughout the essay, leaving anemotional footprint on the reader. Wideman brings forth two AfricanAmerican brothers, Robby and John they are compared to one another on morethan one occasion. Robby's behavioral issues surface once his ... Read More

The Use of Literary Elements in Peter Meinke’s The Cranes (762 words, 3 pages)

On the surface of "The Cranes" by Peter Meinke it appears to be anelemental love story told by an old reminiscing couple. When the readerlooks closely at the text, one can decipher the starless dark component oflove. The story begins with the older couple overlooking the Gulf andwatching the birds. ... Read More

An Analysis of the Myriad of Significances Behind The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1347 words, 5 pages)

The Myriad of Significances behind the Scarlet LetterAn examination of the messages portrayed in the infamous Letter A in the Scarlet LetterOn the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth, surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter A (Hawthorne, 50). In the ... Read More

The Sexual Needs of the Character Yossarian in the Novel, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (372 words, 2 pages)

In Joseph Hellers Catch-22, sexual intercourse is a central indicator of the main character Yossarians state of mind. Just as How to Read Literature Like a Professor claims, sex in literature is generally not explicitly about sex, but as a device to reveal more about characters. Depending on the situation, ... Read More

Understanding the Stages of Schizophrenia in The Bell Jar, a Novel by Silvia Plath (1058 words, 5 pages)

The Bell Jar The Stages of SchizophreniaThe Bell Jar, written by Sylvia Plath, can be viewed as a literary depiction of the symptoms of a person suffering from a psychological disorder, namely schizophrenia. Throughout the novel, Esther Greenwood has high emotions, as well as, low ones. This fluctuating array of ... Read More

An Analysis of Writing Styles of Edgar Allan Poe in the Tell-Tale Heart (866 words, 3 pages)

In the short story, Tell-tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, the author uses many writing styles to put the reader in shock and being horrified. The story begins with an obvious madman telling his story of an old man whose eyes resembled that of a vulture. Because of this, the ... Read More

Difference and Similarities Between the Characters of Antonio and Felix in the Short Story Amigo Brothers by Piri Thomas (487 words, 1 pages)

ComparisonContrast EssayIn the short story "Amigo Brothers" by Piri Thomas two boys, Antonio andFelix, are forced to fight for the golden gloves that they both want. Bothboys are best friends and train together almost every day. Only one can winthe golden gloves and advance to become a bigger boxer. The ... Read More

The Significance of Hope in the Novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (507 words, 2 pages)

The importance of hope is one of the most important aspects from the novel Of Mice and Men, as without it, the characters of George and Lennie would not suffice during that barely inhospitable time period. Hope is what kept the two men going through all the hardships they had ... Read More

The Change of the Southern Lifestyle in William Faulkner’s Sound and the Fury (432 words, 2 pages)

In William Faulkners Sound and the Fury, Caddy marries Herbert Head after discovering her pregnancy. The plan was to marry Herbert so Caddys child would not be a shameful illegitimate child, but a child of marriage. Caddys wedding and consequent departure hurt all of the Compsons, especially after her divorce.Caddy ... Read More

Beauty in Nature, Solace in Death and Mystery in Choice in the Echo in Robert Pack’s To an Empty Page (361 words, 1 pages)

In his To an Empty Page, Robert Pack casts an unknown voice speaking into emptiness, his only response being his echo. The echo repeats some part of the last word, creating an ask and response situation where th e voice questions beauty, death, and emptiness and its echo answers all ... Read More

Chaim Potok’s Use of Symbolism and Characterization in the Novel, The Chosen (527 words, 2 pages)

Throughout The Chosen, Chaim Potok displays to us the struggles that the world faces such as Dannys hardships. Whether it concerns his faith, his friendships, or his family, Danny looks to himself to solve these problems. Chaim Potok uses characterization and symbolism to illustrate to us that whatever problems occur ... Read More

Character Analysis The characters in King Arthur The Sword in the Stone by HudsonTalbott and the characters in Disney's King Arthur story are very differentfrom each other and also have many similarities. In both stories Arthurgoes to London with his father and brother and forgets his brother's sword.Arthur then goes ... Read More

The Mother Figure is a Hindrance to Those Around Them in The Bell Jar and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1224 words, 4 pages)

Motherly LoveMotherly love is an affection that everyone has experienced in one way or another. In fact, a biological mother is not always needed to give out maternal love because this type of love is engraved in the nature of most women. Each novel that we have read so far ... Read More

Quentin’s Running Away with Jason’s Stockpiled Money in William Faulkner’s Sound and the Fury (425 words, 2 pages)

In William Faulkners Sound and the Fury, Caddys daughter Quentin runs away from her guardian Jason, taking his money as she leaves. Quentin did not like her namesakes and never appreciated the house staff, and Jason took advantage of his neices payments from Caddy. Quentin is an embodiment of the ... Read More

The Moral Development of Captain John Yossarian in the Novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (394 words, 2 pages)

In Joseph Hellers Catch-22, Cpt. John Yossarian faces turmoil within himself after witnessing a member aboard his crew, Snowden, die all over him. Faced with the possibility of sudden death, Yossarian protects himself by as many means as possible. Through his existential crisis, Yossarian develops morally, changing from keeping guarded ... Read More

The Tragic Hero of Dick Diver in the Novel Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (928 words, 4 pages)

Dick Diver A Tragic HeroAristotle is regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of all time. The main focus on this essay will be on his writings about a tragic hero and how they comply with Dick Diver from Tennessee Williams tragic tale, Tender is The Night. First, we ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples