Essays and Research Papers on (All) Literature

A 9 page paper discussing The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare and The Fable of the Bees by Bernard de Mandeville. The paper shows how the development of capitalism has had roots in distinctly non-capitalist values. No sources except books.

A 6 page paper which examines two frontier novels of the mid-nineteenth century, Mark Twain's "Roughing It" (1872) and James G. Swan's "Northwest Coast" (1857) to consider the authors' depiction of the American Indian. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

In five pages this paper examines the importance of how Agatha Christie uses the setting of weather to develop her plot in her famous murder mystery. Four sources are listed in the bibliography.

An 11 page research paper that examines the work of Indian novelist Anita Desai. Using her novel Fire on the Mountain as representative of Desai's fiction, the writer argues that when Desai's work is examined in light of the historical development of Indian nationalism, it becomes readily apparent that the emotional dilemma of her protagonist ...

A 7 page paper looking at the way Leslie Silko’s protagonist Tayo is reassimilated back into the Indian community and the Indian mindset following traumas suffered in war. The paper argues that Tayo is only able to sustain his psychic health by seeing the world in an Indian way. No additional sources.

A five page paper looking at James Fenimore Cooper's novel in terms of its ending, in which the noble Indian Uncas is killed by another Indian. The paper suggests that Cooper's readers would not have been able to deal with the truth: that the Indians were actually being exterminated by the white man. Bibliography lists ...

This is a 6 page paper discussing Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies”. Jhumpa Lahiri (1967- ) wrote “Interpreter of Maladies”, a collection of nine short stories, in 1999 which since has been critically acclaimed in addition to having received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Although this was Lahiri’s first major publication, the cross-cultural, -gendered and ...

This 5 page report discusses Raja Rao's 1938 novel “Kanthapura,” a fictional but realistic account of how the great majority of people in India lived their lives under British rule and how they responded to the ideas and ideals of Indian nationalism. The book has been considered by many to be the first classic modern Indian writing in English and ...

This 5 page research paper reviews Sherman Alexie's 1996 novel, Indian Killer by examining the life of central character, John Smith, who has gone on a killing rampage in his attempt to reclaim his Indian heritage from the white man. The supporting protagonists, each with his own anger and motivation against white society are ...

A 5 page analysis of House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday and Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie, in terms of the authors’ theme of alienation. The paper argues that whereas House Made of Dawn shows that there is a way back from the brink of spiritual and personal disintegration, Indian Killer shows ...

A 4 page paper on Leslie Marmon Silko's novel about Indian heritage. The paper argues that the function of the folktales in this novel is to reconnect the protagonist with his Indian heritage on a subconscious level, treating his psychological symptoms by reindoctrinating him into the culture of his people. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A twenty-five page paper looking intensively at the themes of this contemporary Indian novel by Arundhati Roy. Using many quotes from the novel itself, the paper looks specifically at Roy's treatment of love, death, and the Indian caste system, as well as suggesting a meaning for the enigmatic title. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the book "Indian Givers" by Jack Weatherford, and his idea that many of the basic concepts of non-Indian society were given to us by the native peoples of North and South America. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page essay that examines Anita Desai's novel In Custody. The writer argues that the author addresses the construction of Indian nationality and how this perception is influenced by the past while affecting the present. In so doing, Desai addresses literary and academic illusions. Desai's protagonist, Deven, is a professor of Hindi, who idealizes ...

This is a 6 page paper discussing form and content in works of N. Scott Momaday. N. Scott Momaday, a Native American writer who first won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 has a unique presentation within his works. In “House Made of Dawn” (1968) Momaday relates the story of Abel, a young Jemez Pueblo Indian ...

3 pages in length. Jose Ruben Romero's "Mi Caballo, Mi Perro Y Mi Rifle" delves into the lurid history of Western European conquest over the Mexican Indians. Clearly portrayed throughout the pages of Romero's historical account is the white man's opinion that if one was not a of European descent, one was not ...

A 5 page analysis of the book by Native American writer, Linda Hogan. This novel tells the story of what happened in the 1920s when oil was discovered on Native American land. Through the eyes of two Indian families, the reader learns how whites coerced the true owners of the land through brutality and murder ...

A 3 page essay that discusses Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony, which is a novel that draws its meaning from symbolism that is grounded in the Pueblo Indian tradition and the culture of these Native Americans. A deeply psychological novel, it can be addressed on a number of layers of meaning, but it basically concerns the ...

Was Mark Twain prejudiced? This 5 page paper explores Twain's depiction of women, Blacks, Jews and Indians in an attempt to answer that question. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 7 page essay/research paper that offers an analysis of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's 1995 short story collection, Arranged Marriage. This examination demonstrates that the underlying theme of the collection extends far beyond the limited scope implied by the title, as these stories encompass the various ways in which Indian girls and women adapt to a ...

A 4 page essay that contrasts and compares "A Sermon Preached at the Execution of Moses Paul, an Indian" by Samson Occom and "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. The writer argues that these sermons demonstrate how these two eighteenth century men adhered to similar theological perspectives and themes. However, ...

A seven page paper analyzing the degree to which Kip’s identity as a Sikh soldier fighting on the side of the British contributes to his sense of isolation in Michael Ondaatje’s novel. The paper argues that Kip’s role as a Sikh may have been a significant one in India, and one from which he derived ...

This 4 page report discusses R.K. Narayan's (1906-2001) major undertaking with his "shortened prose version of the Indian epic" of The Ramayana, or (in translation) the "Tale of Prince Rama." Issues of colonialism, struggle, and empire are also considered. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper provides an analysis of Ernest Hemingway's short story entitled Indian Camp. The fact that the themes are vital to the plot is demonstrated and the beginning and ending are stressed as elements which serve to magnify them. The father and son relationship between the main characters is explored. No additional ...

5 pages in length. These two interesting books that depict the First Nations People of Canadian descent are "The Loons" by Margaret Laurence and "Borders" by Thomas King. While the settings in each story are different at the same time they have the same agenda, and that is the problems faced by Indians ...