Essays and Research Papers on American Literature

A 5 page paper which examines George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” The paper presents a summary, a brief analysis of conflict, and Orwell’s view of human nature as well as the communist state. No additional sources cited.

This 5 page report discusses the ways in which Twain’s Huck and Jim’s relationship is similar to that of Eva and Tom. It also explores the ways in which it is the children’s whiteness that emphasizes and defines the adult men’s blackness. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the Hemingway code hero in “The Sun also Rises” and “A Farewell to Arms.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page research paper about Jackson's short story "Trial by Combat." The writer argues that this story dramatizes the issue of identity and the ease that identity can be stripped away as the course of modern life tends to place people in anonymous contexts, where there is little to distinguish one person from another. ...

This 14 page paper considers this modern story by John Nichols, of a big corporation being opposed by small towns folk. This story encompasses the use of water and the way that the land is being changed. In this story of good verses bad and native verses gringo there is a much strong theme which ...

This 14 page paper considers this modern story by John Nichols, of a big corporation being opposed by small towns folk. This story encompasses the use of water and the way that the land is being changed. In this story of good verses bad and native verses gringo there is a much strong theme which ...

A paper which looks at the patriarchal systems in Edith Wharton's 'The House of Mirth', the way in which these are maintained by both the male and female characters, and the effect which the social structure depicted in the novel has on the life of Lily Bart.

A 5 page research paper that examines the intergenerational conflict in her short story "Two Kinds" from The Joy Luck Club. "Two Kinds" features American-born daughter Jing-mei's struggle for identity against the hopes and dreams of her Chinese-born mother. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page research paper that summarizes and analyzes John Updike's The Beauty of the Lilies. In this novel, Updike finds similarities between the decline of interest in religion in the twentieth century and the increase in the popularity of cinema, as he tracks a single family through four generations. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 6 page report discusses specific passages from Bruce Chatwin's Songlines," Jamaica Kincaid's "A Small Place," and Paul Theroux's "The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific." Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This is a 5 page paper discussing some of the general similarities and differences found in the James Patterson novels “Along Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls”. The first two novels in the series featuring detective and psychologist Alex Cross have similar characters such as Cross’ partner and his children. Introductory chapters tell the ...

A 5 page paper which examines how the character of Ahab, in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” is a man who challenges the very order of creation and nature in his obsessive pursuit of Moby Dick. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A five page paper which looks at race and gender relationships in Ellison's 'Invisible Man', with particular reference to the protagonist's experience of the 'Woman Question' during his time with the Brotherhood. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This is a 5 page paper discussing two works of comedy which manage to overcome the obstacle of death. In David Ives’ “All in the Timing” and Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22” both considered dark comedies, several elements are used in order for the obstacles of death to be overcome. In “All in the Timing” which contains ...

This 4 page paper discusses the role which immorality plays in this novel. Furthermore, immorality is discussed in relation to The American Dream. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

This 8 page paper discusses the role which women play in the novel The Diviners. Furthermore, this paper considers how women influence the other characters in the novel. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses the novel "Love in the Time of Cholera" and exposes the love story. Furthermore, this paper discusses the use of magical realism to highlight the love story in this novel. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 6 page paper dicusses the similarities and differences between Thomas Volgy's "Politics in the Trenches", and Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone". This paper analyzes these authors in terms of their views on the participation of American citizens in the political process. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines the presence and importance of art and the artist in Willa Cather’s novel “The Song of the Lark.” No additional sources cited.

a 5 page book review of Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees, which is book that combines elements of both Southern and Western literature. The writer offers a brief synopsis and discusses the basic themes of the book, which revolve around the meaning of family, which is brought out in the relationship between the protagonist ...

A 6 page essay that compares Josiah Joyce's novel The Feud of Oakfield Creek (1887) and Maria Ruiz de Burton's The Squatter and the Don (1885). The author argues that these nineteenth century novels largely substantiate each other in the manner in which they represent "rapacious Anglo Saxon land hunger" (Royce 468). ...

A 6 page paper which examines the various perspectives of marriage found in “Madame Bovary” and “Far From the Maddening Crowd.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how Hemingway presents the husband in his short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” Bibliography lists 2 sources.

An 8 page paper which examines the claim, made by Claudius in “Hamlet,” which argues that nature’s common theme is the death of fathers or father figures. The paper addresses other pieces of literature as it involves the search for one’s identity in the face of the death or absence of a father or father figure. Bibliography lists 8 ...

A comparison between the two short stories, with particular reference to the way in which they deal with mental illness and the psychological relationships between men and women. Bibliography lists 3 sources.