Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A five page paper looking at this 1992 novel by Ken Kesey in terms of the way the symbols introduced in the opening chapter set the stage for the book as a whole. The paper demonstrates how Kesey's use of the grotesque reflects his emphasis on mutation and environmentalism. No additional sources.

A 6 page paper which discusses how the power of laughter is a very important theme, or element, in Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." A one page outline is provided as well. No additional sources cited.

(5 pp) The House on Mango Street (1989) is a deceptive work. It is a book of short stories-and sometimes not even full stories, but character sketches and vignettes-that add up, as Sandra Cisneros has written, "to tell one big story, each story contributing to the whole-like beads in a necklace." Conversations ...

A seven page paper comparing the journey of self-discovery described in J.D. Salinger's novel with that of the paper's writer. Tutorial notes are provided to assist the student in making analogies regarding the book's theme and that of his own life. Bibliography lists two sources.

A six page paper looking at the nature and presence of evil as demonstrated in both these stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne emphasizes that although both protagonists feel they are deeply religious men, their faith is ultimately false because they focus on evil and sin instead of the goodness of God. Bibliography lists three sources. ...

A five page paper which looks at the character of Victor Frankenstein in the early chapters of Mary Shelley’s novel, and considers whether the character is presented in a sympathetic light in terms of his psychological development and motivation. Bibliography lists 1 source.

6 pages in length. The writer discusses how Twains novel addresses the issue of southern values. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page paper considers the post modernist work Pinocchio in Venice by Robert Coover and then analysis the work by looking at the first chapter, The Entrance, in both he context of the work as a whole as well as the meaning it has within itself. The bibliography cites 1 source.

A 5 page research paper that examines the criteria for determining a 'tragic hero' and then argues that Willy Loman fits this concept and that Loman the common man's tragic hero. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A five page paper looking at Stephen Crane's novel Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning" in terms of the effect family values have on the youthful protagonists. The paper demonstrates that in both cases, the main characters were raised with extremely negative family values, but while Faulkner's character ...

A 3 page paper which discusses the story "The Farm," written by Louis Bromfield, and how it depicts the 1800's. Bromfield wished to portray this century to his daughters, and further emphasize how important the simple life was, and perhaps still can be. The paper also discusses the general intent of Louis Bromfield's story. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page paper explores the racial interactions in Helen Hunt Jackson's novel, Ramona. No additional sources are listed.

A 5 page research paper that argues that Chopin's finely crafted characterization of her main protagonist, Edna Pontellier, in The Awakening is the factor of the novel around which everything else revolves. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page analysis of Herman Melville's short story "The Lightning-Rod Man." The writer examines how Melville contrasts the point of view of the unnamed protagonist with the lightning-rod salesman. No additional sources cited.

A 6 page paper examining five of the Hemingway codes in this novel. Hemingway assigned life to a series of codes by which individuals lived, either serially or concurrently. He saw lives as compartmentalized with bits and pieces fitting into neat categories but never attaining more than only momentary joy. A Farewell to Arms is alternately ...

A 5 page paper which examines how the theme of love is used in Ernest Hemingway's final novel as a redemptive force, and how the types of love are categorized among the book's major characters. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the major and minor themes of Herman Melville's final novel, evaluates whether Billy Budd is an allegorical Christ figure or a Christ-like man, and determines whether Melville is expressing hope or lack of in his portrayal of Billy's final fate. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page report discusses the few female characters presented in James Fenimore Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans” (1826) and Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” (1819). The few clues the authors present demonstrate the near facelessness of women in these two literary works of the early 1800s. No other sources.

This 5 page report discusses two short stories by African American women. Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” both tell stories of Black women’s reality and the ways in which they deal with the world. Both also have an “understory” of the changes faced by African Americans in 20th century America. Bibliography lists 4 sources. ...

(6 pp) Anzia Yezierska's novel Bread Givers(1975) is an extensive observation of relationships in an immigrant family of early 20th century America. All the characters fight their own battles to find in their place between the New Worlds struggles, and the Old World's history. The clash is epitomized in the ...

A 5 page paper discussing Tobias Wolff's memories of his time in Vietnam in the time of the Tet offensive. One of the themes evident throughout the book is the death of illusion. Wolff joined the Army for the wrong reasons, and he is disillusioned when he hears veterans fearing their return to Vietnam. He ...

A 10 page paper which analyzes the story "Sula" by Toni Morrison, and then discusses it in context of her novel "The Bluest Eye." Bibliography lists 8 additional sources.

8 pages in length. The short story Everything That Rises Must Converge focuses on the relationship between Julian, who is a young man who has recently graduated from college, and his mother. The two main characters, Julian and his mother, are such well-rounded and full bodied characters within the text of the plot that one can almost focus on ...

A 6 page paper discussing Willy Loman's wife Linda. She is not a bad person, but she decidedly is a controlling one who seems to use her control of others as a means of controlling herself. With Willy's death and Biff's plans to leave, she is rapidly losing targets for that control, bringing her ever closer ...

This 6 page paper posits that Hemingway presents the character of Harold Kreb in Soldier's Home as a man in conflict. He is torn between what he feels is right and what he believes others either expect of him or how they perceive his actions. This internal and external opposition makes for the central theme of the story and ...