Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 5 page essay discussing the question posed by the narrator at the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story: have all these events been a dream, or were they real? The essay discusses the ramifications of both possibilities, and presents in the end a third explanation: that they were the graphic portrayal of an unbalanced ...

A 3 page essay analyzing the relevance of the forest motif to the plot of the story. It concludes that the forest symbolizes the unconscious, and because Goodman Brown was too self-righteous to to accept with tolerance and grace the visions he would receive there, he was changed for the worse. No additional sources cited.

In this 2 page essay, the writer argues that even though the meeting of the witches in 'Young Goodman Brown' seemed like a very realistic occurrence, Hawthorne meant for it to be interpreted as a dream or an illusion of the devil based only upon bits and pieces of reality. This idea is explained in ...

A 5 page analysis of 'The Birthmark'-- one of Hawthorne's short stories. The writer contrasts the non-spiritual Aylmer with his spiritually sound lab assistant Aminadab. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story 'The Birthmark.' The paper analyzes the way Hawthorne's dichotomy between the natural state of humanity and science's interference with it typified basic tenets of the Romantic era. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper on Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story. The writer pinpoints Hawthorne's distrust of technology as the basis for this story, in which a scientist obtains what he thinks he wants, but only by sacrificing the thing he most loved but took for granted. No additional sources cited.

A 5 page analysis of Hawthorne's House of 7 Gables. The writer discusses the various Gothic features of the story, as well as Hawthorne's usage of other literary devices. No additional sources cited.

A 7 page critical analysis of what a number of nineteenth-century critics said about Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel. The paper argues that Hawthorne's book was generally misrepresented and undervalued in the nineteenth century because critics read it in the light of the Realist movement. Bibliography lists ten sources.

A 5 page paper discussing the symbolism in Hawthorne's short story. Discusses how the veil not only symbolizes the darker side of our being and how we keep it hidden, but how it is also symbolic of our tendency to look only at the surface of another person. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper looking at the question of why Hawthorne based this unattractive character in The Blithedale Romance on one of the leading feminists of the nineteenth century. The paper chronicles their acquaintance through Brook Farm and the transcendentalist movement, and shows how this was reflected in Hawthorne's book. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper analyzing the relationship of the religious imagery in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story to the story's treatment of the conflict between the individual and society. The paper argues that through the framework of a 'quest,' the protagonist learns he has what it takes to make it on his own. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

In 5 pages, the author discusses Nathaniel Hawthorne while presenting a summary of significant events in the American author's life. 'The Scarlet Letter,' 'The House of the Seven Gables,' and 'Twice-Told Tales' are summarized as three of his best works. Bibliography lists five sources, with more than ten additional reference sources.

5 pages in length. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a man whose writings dug deep to reveal the truth of the human heart. His classic works reflect a writer concerned with the darker, more disturbing aspect of humanity, while at the same time they also represent the benevolent side of mankind. Throughout all of his ...

A 6 page paper looking at four of Nathaniel Hawthorne's stories -- 'The Celestial Railroad,' 'The Devil in Manuscript', 'Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe', and 'Mrs. Bullfrog.' The paper analyzes the different types of humor used in these works and show how they work in the context of the story. All citations are from works of Hawthorne ...

An 8 page paper on Nathaniel Hawthorne, his life & works, etc; The writer analyzes Hawthorne's technique, use of symbolism, and sources. Numerous works of Hawthorne are used as illustrative examples to support the writer's points.

A 5 page analysis of two short stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne -- 'Rappacini's Daughter,' and 'The Minister's Black Veil'. The paper looks specifically at the question of whether Hawthorne felt the world is really the dark, frightening place we glimpse in our nightmares, or the sunny place we want to believe it to be. Bibliography ...

A 5 page essay in which writer contrasts the two writers in life and work and discusses their legacy to American culture. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper discussing two statements: In comparing Hawthorne's statement of 'what we did had a consecration of its own—we felt it so' and Emerson's 'society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members,' there is guilt present, either in barely perceptible tones or in crashing waves that color ...

A 5 page paper discussing two stories of Poe's : 'Ligeia,' and 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' and Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Minister's Black Veil' in light of the Gothic tradition of the nineteenth century. The paper concludes that Poe's stories are Gothics and Hawthorne's is not because Hawthorne is trying to influence the ...

An 11 page paper on this theme present in the works of Hawthorne and Faulkner., The writer explores various novels by these two authors and points to the common thread found in each of their novels. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

A 4 page paper on Hawthorne and Faulkner's perception of women. The writer discusses how these two authors portray goodness and sin in their characters in the works, Light in August, Sound and the Fury and The Marble Faun.

A 5 page exploration of the female characters in four of William Faulkner's works : The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, The Unvanquished, and Sanctuary. Bibliography lists four sources in addition to Faulkner's own books.

An 8 page examination of the characters and their familial relationships, their strengths and weaknesses. Bibliography lists six additional sources.

A 5 page paper discussing Darl as a tragic hero in William Faulkner's novel.

A 4 page paper in which the writer explores family relationships in this Faulkner novel. The narrative of the novel is seen as indicative of the theme of the fractured family. No additional sources cited.