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

85147 total results

The Journey of Huck and His Runaway Slave Companion Jim on Their Quest for Freedom in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (603 words, 2 pages)

Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follows an adolescent Southerner, Huck, and his runaway slave companion, Jim, on their quest for freedom. Twain intricately interweaves the conflicts of the aforementioned characters, causing one to depend on the other to achieve liberation. Huck seeks to escape from the moral decadence ... Read More

An Analyis of the Harsh Reality of War in The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers (1255 words, 3 pages)

When I think of successful war novels, I tend to think of stories of epic heroism on the part of soldiers fighting to defend our country. Furthermore, I would expect the majority of the book to take place in war, taking the reader through heroic battles that would turn the ... Read More

Taking the Gothic Notion of Excess in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of the Usher (626 words, 2 pages)

Taking the form of insanity, the gothic notion of excess permeates throughout Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wallpaper, and Edgar Allen Poes The Fall of the House of the Usher. Gilmans text serves as a grievance against social constructs revealing the product of a patriarchal society. Poe delves into the ... Read More

The Rise of Television and Fear of the Future in the Book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (2022 words, 8 pages)

Television Balancing Free Thought and Pleasure Fahrenheit 451 is set in a dystopian society where knowledge is kept from the citizens through the burning of books. Free thought is frowned upon so the citizens go about their lives without questioning the ethics of the society that they live in. One ... Read More

An Analysis of the Motif of Courageousness in the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (619 words, 2 pages)

In the excerpt from Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author meticulously employs a paternal relationship to contend the common misconceptions pertaining to courageousness. Lee adamantly believes that courageousness is not just apparent in the physical realm, but the mental as well. She delivers this message through Atticus, ... Read More

The Positive Development of Narrator’s Complex Character in A Woman Like Me (877 words, 3 pages)

Moving Away from Fate in A Woman Like MeThe narrator in A Woman Like Me is a complex character that develops positively throughout the story. In the beginning, while she is sitting in the coffee shop waiting for Xia, she blames fate for her problems. She claims that she is ... Read More

A biography of the Popular Modern Author F. Scott Fitzgerald (645 words, 3 pages)

Modern AuthorPopular modern author F. Scott Fitzgerald rose to popularity during the Jazz Age, and kept that momentum to this day. He became an extremely famous author after his first novel, "The Side Of Paradise" and his third novel, "The Great Gatsby" is hailed as one of the greatest literary ... Read More

Comedy in John Dies at the End by David Wong (1652 words, 5 pages)

John Dies at the End is a terrific book that I think every comedy fan should at least read some pages of in their lifetime. Although I think John Dies at the End is hilarious, a reader who isn't into offensive or shock value humor might not enjoy it very ... Read More

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart: The Narrator’s Insanity (813 words, 1 pages)

In Edgar Alan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" the narrates shows several clear signs of insanity. This short story could be described as a man who kills someone and then vents by writing down what happened to convince himself he is sane. In the story he feels the need to explain ... Read More

An Analysis of the Struggle of the Female Protagonist in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and A Sorrowful Woman by Gail Godwin (1242 words, 5 pages)

24 February 2014A Feminist View in the Sorrowful WallpaperThe place and view of women in our society has been in flux in the last century. The advent of womans suffrage, the rise of feminism as a sociological and political force, and the availability of contraceptives and family planning tools have ... Read More

The Influence of Social Mores on Americans of the 19th Century in Mark Twain’s Novel The Adventures of huckleberry Finn (597 words, 2 pages)

Mark Twains novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn delves into the pervading influence of social mores on Americans of the 19th century. Throughout the text, Twain illustrates the effect social mores have on commonly upheld American values pertaining to a slew of moral issues such as religion and slavery. He ... Read More

The Importance of Positive Reinforcement as Opposed to Negative Reinforcement in Wang An-Yi’s Story Between Themselves (692 words, 3 pages)

Critical Analysis of Between ThemselvesWang An-yis story, Between Themselves can be used to demonstrate the importance of positive reinforcement as opposed to negative reinforcement. Along these lines, it can be argued that Teacher Zhang was interested in forming a personal relationship with Wang Qiangxin, which fostered positive development within Wang ... Read More

An Analysis of The Story of an Hour by Kaate Chopin (641 words, 2 pages)

The Story of an Hour AnalysisAfter discovering the death of her husband Brently, Louise Mallard is filled with grief and sorrow. Louise out of instinct, stumbles upstairs to her bedroom and sits down to be alone and cry. However what soon awaits her is an open window. Louise peers out ... Read More

An Analysis of Gogol Assimilating Into Two Cultures in The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (1030 words, 3 pages)

The Namesake IdentityIn Jhumpa Lahiris The Namesake, Gogol was caught between two cultures, American and Bengali. He was assimilated into these two cultures and was hesitant in choosing one. At a young age, he was exposed to problems that were a lot more difficult to deal with than he had ... Read More

An Analysis of the Interconnectedness in the Story Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket (576 words, 2 pages)

Contents of a Dead Mans Pocket is a story that, in the end, shows that you have to balance your time between your work and your family. You have so little time on this Earth that you have to make the most out of it. The main character, Tom Benecke, ... Read More

A Short Summary and Critique of Veronica Roth’s Book Insurgent (1200 words, 4 pages)

The book Insurgent, by Veronica Roth, is a sequel to the first book in the series, Divergent. This book takes place in the near future, around a time which we are unclear. Something unimaginable has happened to the earth as we know it, or we are put in the position ... Read More

An Analysis of the Novel The Fountainhead (735 words, 3 pages)

The Purpose of the Stoddard TempleThe Fountainhead is a novel full of scheming, plotting, and power struggles. Howard Roark, after avoiding the public eye for some time, leaves the sanctuary of the granite quarry and heads back to New York after being discovered by Roger Enright, a businessman, to design ... Read More

An Analysis of the Unfortunate Loss of Identity in The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1273 words, 4 pages)

Unfortunate Loss of Identity The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne is not a typical story in todays world written in the nineteenth century, the narrative holds a poetic intricacy within its phrasing and word choice that creates an atmosphere of mystery. The complex tale tells the story of a scientist named ... Read More

A Summary and Interpretation of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (698 words, 2 pages)

Bombing of DresdenWorld War II was a horrific war that cost several hundreds, if not thousands, of people their lives. Through a multitude of bombings and attacks, many people were forever scared for the rest of their days. There are many books and novels that talk about World War II, ... Read More

A Comparison of John Updike’s A&P and Langston Hughes’ Thank You M’am (1060 words, 2 pages)

Compare and Contast Essay John Updikes APLangston Hughes and John Updike are very different writers. They are from very different backgrounds Langston Hughes mother couldnt make enough money to pay for rent, so they had to live with Langstons grandmother. John Updike was not rich, but his family lived in ... Read More

An Analysis of the Concept of Courage in the Book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (737 words, 3 pages)

TKAM Theme Essay- The definition of courage, according Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the ability to do something you know is difficult or dangerous. Harper lee offers a slightly different concept of courage in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. This is best captured in her own words, through her character Atticus. ... Read More

A Theme and Plot Analysis of Place Where the Sea Remembers by Sandra Benitez (642 words, 1 pages)

Theme and Explanation of the Sea in A Place Where the Sea RemembersA Place Where the Sea Remembers is a book that includes many different characters experiences that all intertwine in the end. Because of the many different characters and plots, many themes are expressed and relevant to the story. ... Read More

An Analysis of the Literary Elements in the Short Story Premature Burial (575 words, 2 pages)

In the short story, Premature Burial, many different literary elements the author used affected the story. Some of these elements include the authors use of the narrative method, imagery, and symbolism. These affect the plot, conflict, mood, and theme of the story in many ways. The story is about a ... Read More

An Analysis of Billy Pilgrim’s Secrets and Reasoning in Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (611 words, 1 pages)

Billy Pilgrims Secrets and ReasoningThe story Slaughterhouse Five is a novel that is very different. A book that most people would just pick off of a shelf and read would not even come close to the complexity or originality of Slaughterhouse Five. Billy Pilgrim, the main character, has a lot ... Read More

A Comparison and Contrast of Characters in the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (1596 words, 5 pages)

Topic 1 Explain the similarities and differences between the characters of Dominique Francon, Steven Mallory, and Gail Wynand. How does eachs view of life and its possibilities differ from Howard Roarks? How does this issue relate to the theme of the novel?The Fountainhead has a plethora of characters who originate ... Read More

An Analysis of The Struggles in High School in the Bronx Masquerade and Quad (386 words, 2 pages)

Literature has always been used as a way to express ones feelings and, naturally, everyone has feelings about high school. For some, high school was a fun time and for others it was anything but fun. In the novels The Bronx Masquerade and Quad the authors deliberately debate both sides ... Read More

An Analysis of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (438 words, 1 pages)

Scarlet Letter EssayOn 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 45). Within his book, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the tale of a puritan woman guilty of adultery and her life ... Read More

The Symbolism of Irony in Good Country People by Flannery O’Connor (342 words, 1 pages)

In the short story, Good Country People, by Flannery OConnor the reader experiences irony from the very beginning. In fact, the title of the story is more ironic than the events that occur within Good Country People. Though OConner uses irony in multiple forms, such as characterization, the most obvious ... Read More

Disortion in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard (737 words, 3 pages)

The Art of Distortion1989 In questioning the value of literary realism, Flannery OConnor has written, I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I am coming to believe that it is the only way to make people see. Write an essay in which you make a good ... Read More

The Chosen by Chaim Potok: Danny Malter and Psychology (481 words, 2 pages)

Becoming Your Own PsychologistIn the novel The Chosen by Chaim Potok, Danny Malter is raised in such a way that he is to take his fathers position as tzaddik and lead his Hasidic community. As Danny matures, he is able to create his own judgment about becoming the tzaddik while ... Read More

American Literature Essay Examples