Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

This 3 page paper discusses the symbolism of the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg, a billboard advertisement, in "The Great Gatsby." Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page paper which examines the American Dream as it relates to Walter Mosley’s novel Devil in a Blue Dress. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

An 8 page paper which analyzes Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” as it tells the story of a woman living a life in reverse, beginning as an elder and moving towards a return to the womb. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the attitudes of Emily in William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily.” No additional sources cited.

A 10 page analysis of short stories in Mary Gaitskill’s “Bad Behavior.” No additional sources cited.

A 6 page essay that discusses the short story classic. The writer argues that Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" can be understood as offering a multifaceted reflection of Victorian patriarchal, imperialist sensibilities as a whole. The narrative deals with the journal entries of an unnamed female protagonist, a wife and mother who ...

A 6 page essay that looks at T.C. Boyle's novel The Tortilla Curtain and Lawrence Kasdan's film The Grand Canyon, each of which picture male middle-class, white protagonists who undergo a traumatic and life-altering event that has racial overtones. In Boyle's novel, trauma substantiates Delaney's nascent racism into something concrete and compelling, which ...

A 5 page paper which provides examples of possible monologues of the protagonists in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited,” William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning,” John Cheever’s “The Swimmer,” Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People,” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” No additional sources cited.

A 3 page essay that discusses the nature of sin in Hawthorne's most famous work. Hester's punishment for adultery--the wearing of the scarlet letter that symbolizes her ostracism from Puritan society--constitutes a principle feature of the narrative. However, beyond this surface meaning of sin equaling adultery, there is a deeper interpretation that indicates Hawthorne's perspective ...

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts Desiree, in “Desiree’s Baby” and Mrs. Mallard in “The Story of an Hour,” both by Kate Chopin. Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

This 3 page paper consists of abstracts for two of Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays, "Self-Reliance" and "The American Scholar," and Henry David Thoreau's "Walden." Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 4 page paper examines the book "The Red Badge of Courage" and the life of its author Stephen Crane. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines the humor in John Kennedy Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 7 page paper explores Ernest Hemingway's use of rain as a symbol of death in "A Farewell to Arms." Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 3 page paper which discusses allegory in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 5 page paper which analyzes aspects of Henry James’ novel The Turn of the Screw. No additional sources cited.

A 19 page research paper/essay that explores the question of whether or not a line of descent can be traced from Emily Dickinson to twentieth century poets Marianne Moore and Elizabeth Bishop. Examination of literature shows that the preponderance of scholarly opinion supports the idea that a line of poetic descent can be found that ...

A 5 page paper which analyzes and discusses Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises.” Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses the two mothers in the short stories "I Stand Here Ironing" and "My Mother Never Worked." Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page analysis of the book Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page essay that offers a brief discussion of the experience of immigration for two of the principal characters from Cristina Garcia’s novel Dreaming in Cuban. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper discusses some examples of the symbolism in the book, "Spiderwoman's Granddaughters". Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper examines James Joyce's short story The Dead. Many quotes are included. This thesis paper includes an outline. The primary source is the only one used.

A 3 page paper which examines the satirizing of do-gooders in Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” No additional sources cited.