Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 5 page paper which discusses Mary Shelley's original work of "Frankenstein" and the 1931 film production of "Frankenstein" by James Whale. The paper presents a discussion of each and then compares the two. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 6 page review of the fictional scenario of the events which impact the owners, crew, and cargo of an Eighteenth Century ship, “The Liverpool Merchant”. Unsworth uses the traditional sea story to provide an interesting view of the historical factors which made slavery an accepted part of white society. He takes tradition ...

A 6 page research paper that, first of all, examines the factors that make up what is known as the Hemingway style. Then, the writer discusses how these factors apply to Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A five page paper which looks at the way in which Chestnutt uses the extended bi-racial family as a way of commenting on injustice and inequality in a racially divided society, and the way in which moral and ethical behaviour is defined in terms of the attitudes of the main characters. Bibliography lists one source.

A 5 page paper which compares the short fiction of Raymond Carver, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love," to the poetry of Sharon Olds, "Sex Without Love." Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses the characters who tried to help Holden in J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye.' No additional sources cited.

A five page paper which compares the socio-cultural and religious settings in Miller’s The Crucible and Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and demonstrates the importance of these backgrounds to the development of the narratives and the interaction of the main characters. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which applies one of Fromm's theories to one of the characters in Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club." The theory applied is that which applies to the marketing orientation and the character it is applied to is Lena's husband Harold. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

5 pages in length. John Updike's A&P addresses a very fundamental instinct of every human being: individualism. That this quest for uniqueness asserts itself in every aspect of one's existence is paramount to the extent of prosocial behavior an individual like Sammy might demonstrate. The author acknowledges the fact that altruistic tendencies ...

This 6 page report discusses the 1968 novel written by Dick that tells the story of a human bounty hunter who seeks out androids to destroy because such creatures so closely resemble human beings that they have proven to be a threat. In the process, he has to deal with his own understanding of what it means to be human ...

A 5 page paper which examines how Faulkner’s themes and ideas are developed in each short story. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A six page paper which looks at the way in which Thoreau treats the concept of time in ‘Walden’, the importance which he attaches to the notion of time in relation to the cycle of the seasons, his criticism of the superficiality and time-wasting of urban dwellers and the importance he attaches to the relationship ...

This 5 page paper considers this story by Julia Alvarez about four sisters growing up in 1960's America after leaving behind their native culture. The paper is written in the style of a letter from an editor to the author. The bibliography cites 1 source.

A 5 page paper which the novel in terms of background, author, its intended audience, and how the novel addressed important historical issues of the time. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

5 pages. John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is reviewed and the allegories within the book are explained, as well as whom the author is directing his thoughts toward. Discussion included as to the religious worldview that John Bunyan's work represents. Comments are made as to some of the characters in the book, as well as ...

A 6 page paper which provides an overall analysis of the novel, including the significance of the characters, their actions, symbolism, and the meanings of events. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

Faulkner views the idea of community from a transcendental perspective, with a view inclusive of the inherent dignity of the individual, their lives, choices and meaning to the world around them. This 5 page paper argues that Faulkner was able to question the realities of life as well as the relationship of man to society ...

A 5 page comparison of the ethnically specific language, or dialect, used in "Manhattan Transfer" and "West Side Story." Both stories present us with the dialect that is commonly known as American and both also touch on various ethnic dialects. No additional sources cited.

A five page paper which looks at the concepts of civilisation and savagery in Melville’s ‘Typee’, with particular reference to the way in which the main character reacts to both types of culture, and the association of the Typees’ society with the Biblical Garden of Eden. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page essay that examines Ambrose Bierce's use of point of view to manipulate time his short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." The writer analyzes how Bierce makes time "stand still" for the story's chilling conclusion. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page paper provides an overview of the classic work as well as an investigation into the relevance of several minor characters. Sandy, Candy, Mr. Turkel, Old Rawler and the lifeguard are each discussed. No additional sources cited.

5 pages. One way to see White Noise is to see it as a book that is about the difficulty of finding stability and authority in our lives. To explore this idea, DeLillo spends a lot of time discussing systems such as belief systems, institutional systems, technological systems and more. This paper examines how ...

This 5 page paper argues that Stowe has chosen to use symbols and, or characterizations, associated with good, evil and, or, the conflict between the two as a way of making the point of the novel: slavery is evil and should be abolished. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

An 8 page examination of Raymond Carver and his works. The paper focuses on "A Small Good Thing," but also discusses other works in illustrating the style used by Carver. Bibliography list 4 sources.

An 8 page examination of Flannery O'Connor's recurring themes as seen in three stories. The stories summarized and analyzed are "Revelations," "Greenleaf," and "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Bibliography lists 10 additional sources.