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short story Essay Examples

2391 total results

The Dangers of Society in the Lottery, a Short Story by Shirley Jackson (570 words, 2 pages)

It was a beautiful bright day in which one unlucky winner would be awarded the prize of death. Shirley Jackson, in her short story The Lottery, intertwines the ceremonious images of celebration with the dullness of aging tradition in order to build up to a shocking finish. By doing this, ... Read More

An Analysis of Guilt in the Tell-Tale Heart, a Short story by Edgar Allan Poe (870 words, 3 pages)

In the short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, author Edgar Allen Poe combines elements of dramatic irony, situational irony, and disturbed syntax to reveal the narrators instability. By doing this, the author outlines the greater universal theme that guilt cannot easily be hidden. Throughout the piece, Edgar Allen Poe employs dramatic ... Read More

The Different Themes in a Good Man Is Hard to Find, a Short story by Flannery O’Connor (658 words, 2 pages)

A Good Man Is Hard To Find In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", O'Conner uses different themes toshow in his story. These are Good vs. Evil, Religion, Society and Class,Family, and Manipulation. The theme Good vs. Evil is a standstill between agrandmother who seems to be innocent and ... Read More

The Credibility of the Author in the Short Story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (385 words, 2 pages)

As many people have responded with outrageous criticism to Shirley Jacksons short story The Lottery, I think it is my turn to jump onto the bandwagon. Jackson executes a well written horror story that baffles our human intelligence as people question if such a tradition and evil human behavior really ... Read More

A Personal Response on the Yellow Wallpaper, a Short Story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (405 words, 1 pages)

The Yellow Wallpaper Personal ResponseThe Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman that follows a woman who is confined to live in a certain house and do nothing for months on end in order to cure her mental illness.What spoke to me about the story was the ... Read More

The Representation of Modern Culture in Each of the Character in the Short Story, A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor (1986 words, 6 pages)

OConners short story A Good Man is Hard to Find introduces the reader to a handful of distinct characters. Each character represents characteristics of modern culture that OConner wants to comment on. Such characters include the grandmother, Red Sam, the two children, Bailey and his wife, and the Misfit. One ... Read More

The Meaning of Life and Death, and Body and Soul in the Short Story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar by Edgar Allan Poe (1548 words, 6 pages)

So much of the human experience concerns itself with death, the afterlife, and the legacy of our actions. As much as scientific study and research has made headway in our understanding of life, humanity today is no closer to understanding death than were the first Homo sapiens. It may seem ... Read More

A Comparison between Dee and Maggie in Everyday Use, a Short story by Alice Walker (461 words, 2 pages)

Sisters Contrast PaperSiblings can be alike in many ways, and yet the story, Everyday Use by Alice Walker, features two sisters who could not be more adverse. Each area that one excels the other lacks in. Due to the characterization of humble Maggie, this does not forge a rivalry but ... Read More

Character Analysis of Leonard in the Pedestrian, a Short Story by Ray Bradbury (366 words, 1 pages)

Leonard MeadLeonard Mead is the protagonist in the story The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury. He is not all that different than society today, but he is a radical compared the the society he lives in. The year is 2053 and with everyone infatuated with their televisions to the point of ... Read More

The Irresponsible Father in the Short Story Paul’s Case by Willa Cather (590 words, 3 pages)

Within Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" story, Paul's unnamed father comesout as an irresponsible character Paul's father neglects his due duties tohis son in two major ways. For example, not willing to provide thenecessary monetary support to Paul, Paul's father advises Paul to ventureinto the career of ushering at a theater ... Read More

An Analysis of the Short Story The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara (640 words, 2 pages)

The LessonThe narration of the story The Lesson is done by a young girl Sylvia. The story begins just after Miss Moore a woman who is not centered moves in the block where Sylvia lives. Miss is said to be black as hell, usually dresses formally, and attends educational events ... Read More

The Tragic Tale of Selflessness in the Short Story, The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde (727 words, 3 pages)

The Nightingale and the Rose is short story by Oscar Wilde. It is a tale of selflessness, but I believe we can dig a little deeper into this tale. I believe this tale also to be one about the failings of so called wise men. The story of The Nightingale ... Read More

The Topic of Nature Versus Nurture in the Short Story Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (847 words, 3 pages)

Nature vs. Nurture People have different ways of dealing with certain events throughouttheir lives-for Sachi, in the short-story of Haruki Murakami's BlindWillow, Sleeping Woman Hanalei Bay, it was finding peace through nature.After her son died drowning from a shark attack while surfing in HanaleiBay, Sachi started embracing the nature of ... Read More

A Comparison of the Short Story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates and the Play Fences by August Wilson (727 words, 3 pages)

Did you know mental illnesses can affect any persons of age, religion, race, or religion? This pertains to the stories of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been and Fences because Arnold Friend and possibly Troy cant think clearly throughout most of the book. Where Are You Going, Where ... Read More

An Analysis of the Dychotomy Between Apathy and Sympathy in the Short Story A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver (1041 words, 4 pages)

A Small, Good ThingWhen pondering the daunting uncertainties of life, a man can only be sure that it will be filled with suffering. The tranquil and pleasant periods of life may give it the semblance of congeniality, but a person will always be forced to face the onerous trials of ... Read More

The Search for One’s Identity in the Short Story The Green Grave and the Black Grave and the Play Translations (1784 words, 7 pages)

Writing often explores where individuals find their own identity, whether in their Country, their language, or their culture. Where a character finds his or her identity has a powerful effect on their existence and where they choose to place value. The short story The Green Grave and the Black Grave ... Read More

An Analysis of the Short Story Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne (508 words, 2 pages)

The short story, Dr. Heideggers Experiment, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a clear example of the literary time period of romanticism because of the abstract concepts that it contains. In this story, Dr. Heidegger proposes an intriguing experiment to four of his old friends, to which his friends immediately agree. He ... Read More

The Life of Little Chandler in the Short Story, A Little Cloud by James Joyce (1159 words, 4 pages)

In James Joyces A Little Cloud Little Chandlers life is characterized by his potential, his disappointment and his shame. Throughout the story we see Little Chandlers shy timid nature holding his future back, and the progression of events that follow as his life moves on without him. In the last ... Read More

The Cause of Greediness in the Short Story The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence (348 words, 2 pages)

The Rocking Horse Winner Journal ResponseFrom a political (Marxist) perspective, Lawrence reveals in The Rocking Horse Winner the problems with British societys class. Although the family in the short story was part of higher and more elite class in British society, they did not actually have the money typically associated ... Read More

Men’s Contempt for Women Highlighted by Irony in the Book, La Paix du Menage and Short Story, That Pig of a Morin by Guy de Maupassant (782 words, 4 pages)

Irony Highlights Men's Contempt for Women in "La Paix du Menage" and "That Pig of a Morin" Within Guy de Maupassant's "La Paix du Menage" play and "That Pig of aMorin" story, irony illustrates that men typically treat women withcontempt. To this end, Count de Sallus ironically offers to pay ... Read More

The Effects of the Racial Discrimination in the Short Story No Witchcraft for Sale by African American Author Doris Lessing (699 words, 3 pages)

The Love is Lost With the Innocence Racial Discrimination Effect on PeopleThroughout the short story No Witchcraft For Sale by Doris Lessing, Gideon, an African American, is perceived as a humble cook who loves his job, which is one of his masks he portrays. Gideon has a special bond with ... Read More

The Happiness of Thousands and the Misery of One Child in the Short Story, The Ones Who Walk Away from the Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin (573 words, 2 pages)

RR Dystopia (The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas)SummaryIn this short story, a utopian city named Omelas is described as a place of peace and happiness. There are very few laws, no tyranny of religion as there are no priests, no slaves, and general welfare and happiness. However, the people ... Read More

The Pessimism in No More Buffalo Song by Author James McMurtry and the Nostalgia in the Short Story No More Buffalo by Zac Reed (1265 words, 4 pages)

ComparisonContrast Essay No More BuffaloHave you ever listened to that song where one makes an image of the theme in his or her head? Or, maybe you have even read a story that has similar meanings to a song you really enjoy? No More Buffalo are two different pieces of ... Read More

An Analysis of the Fantasy World in Willa Cather’s Short Story Paul’s Case (599 words, 2 pages)

In Paul's Case, Cather characterizes a young boys over-obsession with an insular fantasy world as a deadly portal of escape from the mundanities of middle-class life. Cather equates Pauls incongruity in society and corresponding weaknesses to the life cycle of the red carnations that he adores. The author marks Pauls ... Read More

Paul’s Struggle in the Short Story Paul’s Case by Willa Cather (616 words, 2 pages)

The oppression of mediocrity in all its guises and the narrowness of Pauls surroundings in Pauls Case leads Paul to hurl himself away from Cordelia Street and reality. Cather implies the difficulty of achieving happiness for Paul, analogizing Pauls struggle to that of a train. Cather writes, The eastbound train ... Read More

An Analogy of the Passage of Time and a School Day in Half a Day, a Short Story by Naguib Mahfouz (695 words, 3 pages)

People vs. CivilizationProgress can be defined as movement in a direction, either positive or negative. Progress of people affects only a select few, whereas progress of civilization affects an entire population. However, the growth of people often sparks change that influences a society. Half a Day by Naguib Mahfouz is ... Read More

An Analysis of the Character Quentin Compson in The Sound and the Fury, a Short Story by the American Author William Faulkner (1322 words, 5 pages)

Quentin Literary AnalysisQuentin senses the lofty shadow that his ancestors cast on him, recognizing the present as an even more pathetic version of the past . Faulkner uses shadows to open Quentins meditation of time as a critical and destructive agent in his life. From the onset of his day, ... Read More

An Analysis of the Short Story The Swimmer by John Cheever (1463 words, 5 pages)

The Swimmer The short story "The Swimmer" by John Cheever is a tragictale that depicts the journey of a man whose life crumbles to pieces ashe floats through time in an inebriated fashion. Ostensibly, NeddyMerrill has embarked on a pool-hopping adventure to return home, butthe trip becomes a quest for ... Read More

The Gradual Decline of the Narrator into a State of Insanity in the Short Story, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (718 words, 3 pages)

Throughout the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte PerkinsGilman, the author displays the narrator's gradual decline into a state ofinsanity by changing the syntax, structure, and tone of her writing.Beginning with long and descriptive sentences, the author shifts herwriting to shorter and less detailed sentences in order to reinforce ... Read More

Short Story Comparison Essay In the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe and theradio broadcast show "The Wailing Wall" starring Boris Karloff, there arenumerous similarities and differences pertaining to the motive, the victim,and the psychological state of the main character leading up to and afterthe murder. One ... Read More

Published: Friday 25th of January 2013