Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This 4 page paper discusses the innocence of the character Nora, in Ibsen's A Doll's House. Examples are given from the text. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page research paper that, first of all, summarizes Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour." Then the writer offers a brief survey of the problems of detecting heart disease in women before going back to the narrative to discuss how this information affects the story. The writer argues that while heart disease ...

10 pages in length. That Philip Caputo, son to a middle class family from Westchester, Illinois and Pulitzer Prize winner (Sweet, 7-8), was no different than any other red-blooded American off to war and ready to defend his country is made quite clear from the outset; what takes the reader by surprise, however, is the ...

A 4 page paper which examines Nathaniel Hawthorne’s use of language and setting in the short story “Young Goodman Brown.” No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper looks at Upton Sinclair's work The Jungle that exemplifies the negative working conditions of the early twentieth century. The plight of immigrants of the time is discussed. Marxism is viewed as a solution to the problems of the period. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4 page paper discusses the theme of freedom as exampled by the life of Chris McCandless in Jon Krakauer's book, Into the Wild. Quotes cited from the text. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 2 1/2 page paper which summarizes Michael Crichton’s “Five Patients.” No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

A 2 1/2 page paper which examines the character of Christine in Dorris’ novel “A Yellow Raft in Blue Water” as she relates to the theme of acceptance. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines aspects of violence in the novel “Fight Club” by Chuck Palahniuk. Bibliography lists 7 additional sources.

A 3 page paper which examines how Louise Edrich’s novel “Love Medicine” is, in many ways, a genealogy for the character of Lipsha. Bibliography lists 5 additional sources.

A paper which considers the role of poetry in relation to high and low culture, and looks at the importance of structure in Eliot, Yeats, and Crozier's poetry and Eminem's lyrics. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses the use of humor and its function in To Kill a Mocking bird, as well as explains the meaning of the symbolism of the mockingbird. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This is a 4 page paper discussing Updike’s short story “A & P” and Sammy’s transition from adolescence into adulthood. John Updike’s short story “A & P” (1962) tells the story of a teenage boy named “Sammy” who works as an A & P checkout clerk. Throughout the story, readers experience Sammy’s slow transition and ...

This 4 page paper compares and contrasts Porter's Rope to Wasserstein's The Man in a Case in regard to relatinship errors. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 7 page paper which examines the character development of Ishmael in “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. Bibliography lists 5 additional sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the political ethics and morals in Joe Klein’s novel “Primary Colors” and Edwin O’Connor’s novel “The Last Hurrah.” No additional sources cited.

A 5 page review of two of Poe’s most riveting works. The author of this paper addresses the them of the darkness of the human soul which is so often visited in Poe’s work. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 3 page discussion of the life and literary contributions of this nineteenth and early twentieth century Native American woman. A noted lecturer and writer, Zitkala would take many aspects of the white world to task. Her most resented target, however, was Christianity itself. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 3 page paper examines the way in which Raymond Carver portray s relationships between men and women by looking at four stories; Gazebo, Fat, Vitamins and Cathedral. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

A 4 page research paper/essay that examines how Miller's Death of a Salesman is patterned is in the classic pattern for Greek tragedy, which was defined by Aristotle based on Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. This examination of Death of a Salesman demonstrates how Miller's play follows the Greek template, making it an American tragedy in the ...

A 5 page review of the Pulitzer Prize Winning play by August Wilson. The author of this paper presents the contention that although the emotional fences in the play are constructed as defense mechanisms against racism and prejudice, in reality their construction facilitates the continuation of that same racism and prejudice as major elements ...

A paper which looks at the ideology and practice of slavery in the South, as depicted in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, with reference to the different persectives on slavery which are presented by the various characters.

This 3 page paper compares and contrasts two war stories, one of which is by Ernest Hemingway. The theme of fear in these stories is discussed. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 4 page paper looks at the theme of hunting in this compilation that explores the view of life through the eyes of animals. The ways in which animals and man communicate is also highlighted. Quotes are included. No additional sources cited.