Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 6 page paper which discusses the theme of evil in humanity as seen in Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

A 5 page paper which analyzes the work of Edgar Allen Poe. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 9 page discussion of the different views taken in these works in terms of nature and human nature. This paper ties in the impacts of industrialization in the formation of those views. No additional sources are listed.

A 12 page essay, which discusses the work of Katherine Anne Porter, an American writer from the first half of the twentieth century who is primarily famous for her finely crafted short stories. While Porter's short fictional works stand alone as self-contained narratives, the characters she creates tend to appear in multiple stories, forming, collectively, ...

A 4 page analysis of Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People.” No additional sources cited.

A 9 page essay that discusses Anne Tyler's novels Celestial Navigation and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. Anne Tyler's novels have been described as "songs written in the key of hardship" (Patrick 24). In many of Tyler's narratives, her female protagonists are isolated, divorced from the company of other women, which denies them the sort ...

This 5 page paper argues that no one who went to Vietnam in any capacity remained unchanged by the experience. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper briefly examines Bartleby and why he can be considered an existential hero. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the short story in terms of plot, characterization, symbolism, and also evaluates the overall quality of the text. No additional sources are used.

A 3 page paper which examines the significance of the story “Black Water” by Joyce Carol Oates. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page essay on the short story, "The Things They Carried," in which author Tim O'Brien offers a complex psychological portrayal of the combat experience. O'Brien's writing style is not chronologically oriented, that is, one episode does not lead directly into the next. The abrupt starts and stops in the narrative mirror the ...

A 3 page paper which examines the representation of family in William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury.” Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 3 page research paper that argues that Gilman's life constitutes an example of heroism. Heroism is often equated with fighting in battle. While this is certainly brave, the soldier receives tremendous societal reinforcement and approval for such bravery. Heroism is also shown by those who go against the dictums of society and face social ...

A 5 page research paper that answer 4 specific topics taken from John Steinbeck's class novel The Grapes of Wrath. Topics addressed include the significance of the federal migrant camp; the characterization of Ma Joad; the characterization of Tom Joad and the way that the Joad family handles loss and demonstrates strength throughout the novel. ...

A 3 page paper which examines the unreliable narrators in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how the family is dysfunctional in Myla Goldberg’s novel “Bee Season.” Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A paper which looks at Cassie as the narrator of Roll of Thunder, and the reasons why the author chooses to present events from the child's perspective. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page paper which considers how the issues Hemingway addressed in his 1937 novel are still relevant today. No additional sources are used.

A 4 page paper which examines elements in the short stories that are found in Ernest Hemingway’s work “Men Without Women.” No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper discusses John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" and Sydney Pollack's 1969 film "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" and argues that while the novel could work in 2006, the movie is anchored in the 1930s and would not translate well to the present. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper examines the well known work and points out how cameras are used today and how that relates to the book. Orwell's intent is examined in respect to communism and totalitarianism. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses Michael Adas's book, "Machines as the Measure of Men." Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page discussion of “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper. No additional sources cited.

This 3 page paper uses Thoreau's comments in Chapter 6 of "Walden" to discuss the war in Iraq. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the theme of courage in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.