Themes in American Novels Essay Examples and Topics

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald pays attention to the relationships between both Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan. Scott Fitzgerald's book is mainly focused on the relationship of Daisy with Gatsby and Tom, [...]

The beliefs and norms of the people in Panem are centred on the self-interest; they are obsessed to acquire the comfort and lifestyle of the affluent people.

Also, it is a tragedy of the society the influence of which can be too devastating to heal."The Paper Menagerie" teaches the audience how ungrateful and cruel a child can become under the pressure of [...]

Perhaps that is clearly illustrated by the quote that presupposes that whoever can control the past, has power to control the future; while whoever has the ability to control the present, wields the right to [...]

He gives the money to his brother who purchases a corsage for Sally and a new black shoe for the dance.

This essay discusses the rhetoric devices George Orwell uses to convince the audience of the credibility of his arguments regarding the ambiguity of political language.

Judging by the way the short story handles the themes, plot, and literary tools, The Last Leaf is a literary masterpiece.

The first evidence to support their ignorance of McCandless is his lack of knowledge and experience to understand and survive the wilderness.

The present work thus seeks to elaborate the reason behind Hong's valuation of 'Bad English' as featured in the book 'Minor Feelings.' The valuation of 'bad English' by Hong partly purposes to celebrate and appreciate [...]

The story reveals a Western culture, where the narrator exhibits freedom and openness in her conversation with other characters of the story. This is depicted in the conversation of the narrator with her mother in [...]

Jimmy Cross, a lieutenant enlisted to take care of the other soldiers is the victim of the guilt burden. Collectively, these soldiers experienced different forms of emotional torture, which boiled down to emotional burdens as [...]

The misunderstanding between An-Mei Hsu and Rose Hsu-Jordan occurs due to their differences in the views on the roles of females in the family.

The population had to work hard to pay taxes to the state and various fees required by the Church that assured them of the importance of that.

In the short story, Faulkner portrays that the beginning of the 1900s was marked by great social and economic changes but many people fail to accommodate their life to new social relations and a new [...]

It is ironic in the sense that Abner is punished for his injustices to the wealthy yet the justice system does not consider the social injustices of the rich society to the poor.

The intense training depicts the importance of reward to the tributes. Further, the society is in touch with the preparedness of their tributes via media.

This was an indication that although his faith had started to change, he still had faith in God. He was able to come out of the holocaust with a stronger faith.

A breakdown of the symbolic significance of the concept of "doubleness" in the short story and its exciting aspect forms the basis of this paper.

Maus, through the comic, explains the Holocaust through his father's experience, and we see that it was not an easy place to come out because of the horrors and mistreatment in the concentration camps.

The paper will examine how Naylor manages to achieve this through an analysis of the main idea, stylistic devices and classification of the piece.

The insensitivity in this mistreatment and dehumanization of Black people is pervasive to the extent that Jim considers himself "property" and was proud to be worth a fortune if anyone was to sell him. To [...]

By showing how the stringent moral and religious standards of Puritanism can result in hypocrisy and the restriction of human freedom, The Scarlet Letter emblem relates to the concept of Puritanism.

The Back of the Bus by Mebane presents the American South during the era of racial segregation and complex black-white interactions.

A suitable passage to illustrate the author's use of the curtain as a device symbolizing and bringing forward the separation between the main characters is the excerpt when it is first introduced.

To be more specific, the consideration of actions and motivations of the protagonists of the stories so that to see what courage meant to them and to the authors.

In spite of the fact that the events depicted in Beloved take place after the end of the American Civil War, Sethe, as the main character of the novel and a former slave, continues to [...]

Given the nature of family structure and power, it is not surprising that Merricat wanted to rid herself of the oppressive traditions that her family held.

The narrator had ups and downs with Sonny, and through the story, there is a significant aspect of racism which is the main focus of this proposal.

The younger one is in a hurry to go home, the older one hesitates, he clearly does not want to leave, although it is already deep night. There are no human meanings in the world: [...]

The play is made by the author in the way representing the memories of the main characters through the flashbacks along with the real scenes of the play.

It is necessary to underline the fact that in the modern world the concept of racial profiling is considered to be common rather than unheard or unknown; the essay under analysis allows evaluating the author's [...]

Through the symbolism they pertain to, both pieces of work are an undeniably true reflection of the socio-economic and political struggles in the turn of the 19th century, as well as within the New Deal [...]

The book covers the mid-life of David bringing to the fore the events which he has contributed to himself and some he has not that are set in motion and lead to his near-total destruction.

Even without the name of the main character, the audience can tell how she behaves and relates with others, which brings out the imbalance of power that exists between men and women particularly when it [...]

After the release, Malcolm had the tools he needed to change his life and the lives of many others in America.

Through exploring the characters' lives, the author reflects on the notions of drug use, hopelessness, and escape in the context of the black community.

The book, The Maid's Daughter: Living inside and outside the American Dream, is a historical study and it covers the history of a woman, Olivia Salazar - the daughter of Carmen - an immigrant working [...]

Through symbolism, O'Connor was able to convey the characters' unique features with their names, connection to parents with Hulga's wooden leg, Joy's mindset with her glasses, and Pointer's non-religiousness with the hollow Bible.

Wishing to shed the fetters limited her freedom; at the beginning of the novel, Dellarobia fears not meeting the gender norms of the culture.

Towards the end of the story, Mathilde Loise decides to tell the truth to Madame Forestier concerning the necklace and the misery that she had undergone.

It contrasts the extravagant and luxurious lives of the wealthy characters in the East and West Egg with the struggles of individuals in it.

Thus, although it was a beautiful experience to see the motherly love, it was devastating to see the discrimination and bias faced by the Native American community whose feelings and rights were violated by the [...]

The themes of empathy and compassion are actively developed throughout the novel; at first, Lauren realizes that the world is cruel and she must learn to live in it.

The girl from the new family reminded Alvarez of her own plight when she had moved to the United States and had not yet been accepted completely by the community.

The essence of the latter is in the opposition of a person to society and its norms. Further, the second conflict in "The Story of an Hour" is the internal struggle and confusion of Louise.

Another major difference between the book and the film is the pace of the narrative account. The reason why Tris Prior turns out to be a sympathetic and relatable champion in the Divergent is because [...]

In this story, the protagonist, whose wife was Ligeia, tells of the happiness he found in his marriage to her before her untimely death.

The central tempter of the story is Tom Sawyer because he is ready to give something valuable to the other boy rather than paint a thirty-yard fence. The reason for the inability to withstand temptation [...]

Main idea 2: Social and historical difficulties of migration and slavery. Main idea 3: The search for the main character of identity and place in society.

The development of the American dream and its impact on the society of the United States is a pertinent topic of discussion for various authors.

The play shows the contrast between the representatives of American folk and Yankee on the basis of Jonathan's behavior and manners.

The narrative "Girl" is a piece written by Jamaica Kincaid concerning a mother's attempt to teach her daughter about a woman's role in society.

The novel presents the incompatibility of the "divine law" and human law, and the protagonist's, Joseph K, inability to understand the discrepancy.

Being the representatives of different literary genres, the chosen stories contributes to the promotion of home as the only place for hope, safety, and empowerment.

What is even more because of the story's allegorical clues, concerned with the author's portrayal of "Bacote nigger's" burning by the crowd of White Southerners, readers are hinted at what may be the ultimate consequence [...]

People are prone to hunger and starvation, the man and the boy, for instance, are at the verge of starvation when they come across an apple orchard and a well.

The fact that it specifies whose cry it is, "of a woman", draws specific attention to the incomparable nature of a human being and the sound that is made. There is the loss of all [...]

The reason why this is important to the main theme lies in the fact that passing is a form of deception that allowed Clare to obtain higher status and more freedom.

The beginning of the novel is quite inspiring and stimulates for reading in order to recognize the details of a true love story...

Without their knowledge, the meeting between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey marks the beginning of a relationship that is the center of attraction in the book by EL James.

This analysis would focus on the essay's Chapter 3 dedicated to fiestas in general and the Day of the Dead in particular, which reflect many national traits of Mexicans.

The main conflict of the novel is built around one of the main characters' awareness of the legacy of evil that he has inherited from his mother and his hesitation about whether he is destined [...]

In the novel Joseph is introduced as the sister of “the illustrious Pamela whose virtue is at present so famous”.

The sinister nature of the novel is inferred in the title which derives from the Hebrew word, Ba'al-zvuv which means god of the fly, host of the fly or literally the Lord of Flies a [...]

Another one is more of a humorous idea that there are spores in the sunlight that are essentially converting people into self-centered zombies.

The story's title represents the name of the conference that the main character takes part in. Instead, the story follows the main character's fictional journey across the minds of other people caught in the snowstorm.

Being the brain and the intellectual reason of the family, the husband wisely guides the ship of his matrimonial unit through all the possible mishaps and traps and takes the necessary precautions in order to [...]

In consequence, the book became a model source of reading that inspired people to further take on the issues of race in the USA and throughout the world.

The main idea of the book lies in upholding the Marxist belief of the inevitable collapse of capitalism and the accession of the proletariat, or industrial working class.

In the book, "The Song of Solomon" such an obsessive love is found in the passionate desire of Hagar and the friendly love of Guitar.

Characters and locations in the novel work as potent symbols that draw attention to the struggles experienced by the underprivileged and the monetization of violence as a sort of entertainment for the rich.

The story's central irony is that the protagonist is not a good boy. A passage that depicts the author viewing the character as pretentious is the one discussing Jacob's desire to rescue a dog only [...]

Ana brings out the pains of living in exile in America for most of the Cubans, some of whom had a life in their former homes. A new beginning in Miami is the fate of [...]

The theme of the struggle between a man and the sea as the power of nature can be traced even in the ancient literature, drawing on the example of Odysseus challenges and Poseidon, the formidable [...]

The events show that in the conditions of racism, the psychological deformation of a person occurs due to the formation of a feeling of inferiority in him or her and the cultivation of fear.

The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the novel from several points of view. The character is a picture of savagery and primitivism.

The Gift of the Magi tells the story of two lovers who sacrifice valuable things for themselves for the sake of their beloved. Love requires sacrifice and compromise, and the willingness to do this is [...]

Kindred is the story of a strong woman from a comfortable but not ideal 1976, who travels back in time to XIX on the estate of slave owner Tom Whalen. The novel shows the reader [...]

In the memoir "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" Bryson advances and proves the thesis about the necessity of childhood reminiscences in everyone's life.

Based on an examination of the book, it is the opinion of the reader that the portrayal of the brilliance and personality of John Forbes Nash, Jr.is to a certain extent fiction mixed with a [...]

This phrase is heard on behalf of the author at the end of the story, in the part where the description of the murderer of the protagonist's son is given.

Initially, in both stories, the authors emphasize the success linked to education and the necessity of school attendance. Back in time, education might create a delusion about one's intelligence, overstating the significance of existing knowledge [...]

There are a lot of products which cause foodborne illnesses in that time when innovative technologies allow to define the level of intoxication and the way how to destroy it, in that time when many [...]

This paper aims to briefly summarize the plot and the themes of this short story and relate it to the current problem of homelessness in the United States.

Its main theme is slavery but it also exhibits other themes like the fight by Afro-Americans for freedom, the search for the identity of black Americans and the appreciation of the uniqueness of African American [...]

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a novel telling the story of Esperanza, a young Latina who moves to Chicago and grows up in a community of Puerto Ricans and Chicanos.

Therefore, in a strict play of the private incidents such as the death of her father with gangrene and his German lineage are presented in the poem to actually demonstrate Plath's abhorrence for her ancestry [...]

In the beginning, the readers are exposed to the horrifying experience of Melinda being raped by Andy Evans. The little girl feels alone and has no idea how to deal with her anguish or let [...]

A possible thesis for an essay on this topic could be: "In 'The Wars,' Timothy Findley suggests that adversity plays a crucial role in shaping an individual's identity, as it forces the person to confront [...]

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is a coming-of-age novel that explores the issue of identity. A significant setting from the book is the beginning of the book.

However, no matter how important the physical map of the city and the wanderings of the heroes is. Nobility, loyalty to the word, decency, and dignity are the distinctive qualities of the heroes of The [...]

The setting is the poverty-ridden streets of Chicago and a realistic peep into the lives of the two brothers Lafeyette and Pharaoh.

He shouts his good fortune to his fellow divers, and before he reaches home, the news is already known to the inhabitants of the village and the town, including the priest and the doctor.

He also shows the way people responded to the opportunities and challenges of the new times. The girls seem to rebel against the system and conventions of the society, as they dare come into the [...]

To transmit the message, Faulkner uses three binary oppositions: death life, the old the new, and the North the South. In this passage, Emily is compared to the soldiers who fell in the Civil War [...]

The work was published in 1924, and one of the reasons for its triumph in America and the United Kingdom was the precision, with which the author portrayed the historical and cultural context.

He was a member of the Tammany Hall that was in power in the City of New York. He was a strong opponent of the civil service law; in fact, he called it the curse [...]

To begin with, the hunting practices of this native group, as well as the invasion of the European into their land, led to a great decline in the herds of the white-tailed deer in the [...]

In the literal sense, since Alaska's death reinforces the storyline, the first part of the book traces the events of her life, and the second, the aftermath of her death.

The surrounding atmosphere and cultural specificities influence the characters' personalities throughout the story and change their attitude towards the particular minorities and races.

The image of storm is used by Kate Chopin as a metaphor to describe the romantic feelings that explode in the hearts of the two people, Alcee and Calixta.

The next chapter of the book explores more on the main subtopics of the piece of writing. According to the author, the increasing depression amongst the people triggered the creation of a public warfare.

The Devil and Tom Walker depict a corrupted man named Tom Walker, who is eager to sell himself in exchange for the treasure that the devil has promised him.

The eventual fate of the rabbits serves as a metaphor for Robert's character, as their deaths reflect the loss of Robert's own moral values and the abandonment of his faith in humanity.

Missie May and Joe relay the themes through the roles issued to them as the protagonist and antagonist of the story, respectively.

I think that the irony, demonstrating how issues of the girl are directly related to the mother's relationship with her is, used effectively.

The extension of borders of the tropic, the contraposition between the life in LA and the life in Mexico, the change of events is a typical technique of Magical Realism, namely, hybridity that implies extensive [...]

The novel 'The Third Life of Grange Copeland' by Alice Walker is dedicated to the highlight of economical and racist oppression suffered by the society; it is a set of lives depicting gradual formation of [...]

Despite the fact that, throughout story's entirety, Cal is being presented to us as "progressive" educator, who seriously believed that endowing Donny with strongly defined sense of self-respect could have helped Daisy's son to straighten [...]

The story begins when the narrator, Amir, is supposedly 38 years old, and the tale he tells is essentially a flashback over the events of his life that have brought him to this point.

The main characters in Karen Russel's story The Bog Girl are situated on a mythical island somewhere in Northern Europe, where peat cut out of the bogs is the main source of fuel.

As for the statement that the power of nature is the symbol of renewal, it is connected to the concept of equality and justice.

The people in the districts forego the freedom of speech and expression so that they can live peacefully with the Capitol.

It appears that the suicide of the main character of the play "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller can be described within the framework suggested by Durkheim.

That demonstrates the sense of powerlessness and marginalization that the Greasers feel in comparison to the Socs and drives them to form a gang.

To Kill a Mockingbird, in its imperfection, is a testament to the march of progress in social justice and racial equality.

The primary purpose of Gary Soto's The Afterlife is to show the significance of human life and forgiveness from the perspective of those who lose it.

In the end by the end, Jeannette's aspiration was the opposite of her family, bringing to success and acceptance not only herself but also those close to her.

The author intentionally uses the first-person point of view in order to reveal their thoughts and highlighting the dread of the happening.

By exploring the notion and censorship and how it affects people, the author draws parallels with the modern world of his time and the increasing impact of government-led propaganda. Censorship is a recurring theme that [...]