Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 7 page research paper that examines three of Flannery O'Connor's short stories--"A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "Everything That Rises Must Converge," and "Good Country People." The writer argues that the underlying message for much of O'Connor's fiction is that while one may endeavor to avoid self-examination and the "deeper questions" of life, these ...

A Jury Of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell is written from the perspective of the women who make up an 'informal' jury of the wives of the prominent men of the town who accompany their husbands to the farm where a murder has taken place. The wife of the victim is in jail, being held for suspicion of ...

Morrison and Salinger have both chosen to have the plot revolve around the misconception of the community and the need for adolescents (innocence) to find acceptance. A loss of that innocence results in a need to escape to somewhere or something that is able to fill the void. This 5 page paper argues that the character of ...

5 pages in length. Examines the plots of "Young Goodman Brown" by Nathaniel Hawthorne and "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. The differences and similarities in the plots are explained in this interesting paper. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the significance of the setting in John Steinbeck's 1945 novel, "Cannery Row." Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which illustrates how Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," was a book which illustrated, like many of his other works, how the death of youth was often the death of enlightenment and free thought, thereby presenting us with a society that was ignorant and essentially wrong in many ways. Bibliography lists 4 additional sources.

3 pages in length. As children, we are always curious and not a little scared of the vast mystery surrounding death. In James Joyce's book Dubliners, in "The Sisters" we find a story that is a valid portrayal of a young man's first encounter with death. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 5 page paper which examines the general standard of behavior expected of middle-or upper-class Southern white women, Miss Rosa Coldfield in Faulkner's "Absalom, Absalom!", Mrs. Caroline Compson and Miss Quentin Compson in William Faulkner's "The Sound & the Fury." Specifically considered will be how these standards compare and contrast with the way they actually behave in their ...

This 5 page report discusses “Charms for the Easy Life,” Kaye Gibbons 1993 novel about three generations of Carolina women in the years during the Great Depression and World War II. Each of the three women presented in the story have the strengths and attitudes other women hope are someday credited to them while also understanding ...

This 5 page report discusses David Michael Kaplan’s 1985 short story titled “Doe Season.” Kaplan uses the setting of the winter woods to underscore a young girl’s encounter with a threatening and potentially dangerous environment. Every aspect of her experience is more intense because of the world in which it takes place. In ...

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts how single women are depicted in Tennessee William's "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Toni Morrison's "Sula." For the most part, William's tale has one primary character who is single, that being Blanche. And, in this character we are presented with a very lost woman who finds herself alone. She is essentially useless ...

A 5 page paper (4 pp. + 1 pg. outline) which examines how Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) uses the Mississippi River as a motif in his classic novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

The character of Caddy Compson in The Sound And The Fury by William Faulkner plays a significant role in the establishment of plot and the process of developing identities for the other characters in the novel, specifically her brothers Quentin, Jason and Benjy. This 5 page paper explores the roles that her brothers had assigned her to and argues ...

The family in America has many definitions and connotations, the most prevalent being 'dysfunctional'. In William Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury and Absalom! Absalom! the family plays a significant role in the plot development as well as the characterizations of the family members. This 5 page paper argues that the dysfunctionality of the Sutpens is seen as ...

This 5 page paper considers the role of Tom in Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie. This paper outlines the basic components of Tom's role and the importance for the play as a whole. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

The major theme of Edward Albee's most prominent play, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, seems to be that cruelty and violence are not only inherent in the nature of Man but that they also play a significant role in some relationships. This 5 page paper explores the characters of George and Martha as well as their relationship as portrayed ...

10 pages in length. Ernest Hemingway placed himself in all of his works; however, it can readily be argued that none were as personal as A Farewell To Arms. The poignant love story set in the backdrop of World War I is more of an autobiography of the author's own war experience than ...

A five page paper looking at the allusions to Dante, Homer, Aristotle, and the Arthurian Grail cycle in Bernard Malamud's novel about an egotistical baseball player. The paper argues that Malamud chose to use these mythological references to show that even when one has been given a gift or talent that has been denied to ...

A five page paper on this classic American short story. The paper focuses on the characterization of the man as a creature of intellect and the dog as a creature of instinct. Bibliography lists five sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses the books "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert and "Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger and illustrates how the main characters are dissatisfied with the world around them to the point where their lives become somewhat meaningless. No additional sources cited.

A 10 page research paper that has as its focus how Betty Smith's novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn reflects teenage depression through the character of Francie. The writer first examines Smith's novel, and then looks at how depression is reflected in Columbia University's Health Education Program's guide book, Go Ask Alice, before addressing teenage ...

3 pages in length. The writer discusses Chopin's use of simplistic symbolism as a means by which to address a more expansive underlying message in "The Storm." Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 5 page paper looks at the post modern novel 'White Noise' by Don Delillo. This novel's main characters are preoccupied with a fear of death and take measure to alleviate the fear which themselves may become the catalyst of death. The failure to accept death appear to aggravate and it is only with final ...

A 3 page paper which compares Phoenix Jackson from 'A Worn Path,' by Eudora Welty, and Emily Grierson from 'A Rose for Emily,' by William Faulkner. Both of these women are generally misunderstood and seen as outsiders to the rest of the society within the town they visit or are somehow a part of. They are looked at and ...

In 5 pages, the author discusses Kate Chopin's, The Awakening, and the manner in which Robert Lebrun, Léonce Pontellier, and Alcée Arobin all bring about different emotions such as excitement, rebellion, and irresponsibility within Edna, which helps one understand the complexity of her relationship with these male characters. No other sources are cited.