Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 5 page paper which examines the condition of family in Anne Tyler’s Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 4 page essay on John Updike's short story "The Rumor." Through the processes of setting, symbolism and characterization, Updike demonstrates how the theme of the contextual nature of human relationships can lead to new interpretation of the self and a changed view of reality for the story's protagonist. No additional sources cited.

This 4 page paper discusses Steven Johnson's ideas about the value of pop culture forms such as video games and television in regard to the intellectual stimuli they provide. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 3 page paper which compares and contrasts the characters in D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner” and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” No additional sources cited.

A 4 page exposition of this poem by Gwendolyn Brooks. "To An Old Black Woman, Homeless and Indistinct" is a homage to a life of promise, beauty and talent that has been wasted and discarded by society, like a piece of rubbish. The juxtaposition of the very rich against the very poor suggests the class-based ...

This 6 page paper summarizes three chapters of Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, "No Ordinary Time," about the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the life at home during WWII. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page paper which reviews the novel House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. No additional sources cited.

A 7 page paper which examines how Arthur Miller’s work is important and powerful and should be, as standard practice, part of today’s literary canon. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 3 page paper examines Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle" and what it says about the worst experiences of Jurgis and Ona's life. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 7 page paper which examines George Orwell’s novel 1984, parallels aspects concerning present day conditions, and discusses how social workers could help prevent the conditions in the novel. No additional sources cited.

This 6 page paper examines Joel Millman's book "The Other Americans" and argues that his position—that immigrants are a vital component for revitalizing America's cities—is sound. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 4 page essay that discusses O'Connor's short story "Good Country People," which illustrates how O'Connor expertly crafts characterization, imagery, symbolism and irony in order suggest how divine grace will can plant the seeds of redemption in what seems like the most unlikely of circumstances. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 3 page paper which examines the theme in Cynthia Ozick’s story The Shawl. No additional sources cited.

This 4 page paper discusses the way “Mercerism” works in Philip K. Dick’s novel, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 3 page essay that examines Ernest Hemingway’s protagonist in his short story “Soldier’s Home,” Harold Krebs, a young man who has been traumatized by his wartime experience. He returns home physically to a small town in Oklahoma only to discover that he can no longer return home mentally. He no longer fits in. ...

This 4 page paper discusses Annette Lareau’s book “Unequal Childhoods” and argues that although it is compelling, it also has some flaws, especially the fact that her sample is very small. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper discusses Barbara Ehrenreich's attitude toward the situation she describes in her book "Nickel and Dimed," and argues that she is deeply and lastingly angry. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that discusses four short stories by O'Connor in terms of style. These are "Good Country People," "Everything That Rises Must Converge," "Revelation," and "Greenleaf." Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 3 page paper which argues how Douglas Couplant’s novel Generation X is a narcissistic and apolitical novel. Bibliography lists 1 additional source.

This 4 page paper is a review of and reaction to David Blight’s book on the Civil War, “Race and Reunion.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An 8 page research paper/essay that examines Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death.” This short story has been extensively interpreted as an allegory by scholarship. Situated within a canon that is renowned for its chilling effect on the reader, as well as Poe’s often enigmatic plots, “The Masque of the ...

This 4 page paper discusses Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” and argues that the narrator represents all women who are trying to get out from behind the pattern on the wallpaper—that is, who are trying to escape from a society that tells them what they can and cannot do. Bibliography lists ...

In three pages this paper compares and contrasts conformity and individuality as they are depicted in Ray Bradbury’s futuristic science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451. There are no other sources listed in the bibliography.

This 4 page paper analyzes the character of Grandfather in “Everything is Illuminated” by Jonathan Safran Foer. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 9 page paper which examines how the element of setting, in William Faulkner’s short story A Rose for Emily, relates to the theme of the story. Bibliography lists 5 sources.