Joseph Conrad took command of a steamship in the Belgian Congo in 1890 and from hs experiences came the outline for Heart of Darkness. This work provides a bridge between Victorian values and ideals of Modernism. The novel relies on traditional ideas of heroism, which are under constant attack in ...

Arthur Miller\'s \"A View from the Bridge\" is a modern tragedy set in 1950\'s Brooklyn, NY, about a man\'s obsession with his niece, and what that obsession ultimately brings about. Eddie Carbone, the protagonist of the play also happens to be the antagonist, because he ultimately is fighting agai...

Symbolism is a colossal part of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The symbols are often hard to distinguish. A lot of times you can tell what'll happen next by the symbols alone. The some of the time when the characters are in fast talking conversations behind them or in the background are somethin...

This artwork by Elwyn Lynn effectively represents the Biblical event of "Peter's Denial" in an evocative and relevant way to the modern world, through his piece "Betrayal". The biblical event this piece of artwork conveys the betrayal of Peter as he denies his knowledge of J...

Herman Hesse's novel Demian tells of a young boynamed Emil Sinclair and his childhood growing upduring pre-World War I. Emil struggles to findhis new self-knowledge in the immoral world andis caught between good and evil, which isrepresented as the light and dark realms. Hesseuses much symbolic dict...

All good authors use a variety of writing techniques to create unique and imaginative stories. Most often when an author takes a particular perspective it allows the reader a certain amount of insight. Another useful technique is flashbacks, which allow the reader to become more aware of the story l...

Strangers on a Train Motifs Alfred Hitchcock's, Strangers on a Train reinforces the duality of human nature and effectively transforms a highly improbable situation into a series of logical events, which lead to murder. Hitchcock has constructed most of the events in this particular movie ...

By interpreting Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray on the allegorical rather than the literal level, the portrait never physically changes, but rather it simply represents the progressive degeneration of Dorian's soul. Wilde creates several references and uses many symbols, so that ...

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a suspenseful novel about a 16 year old boy, Holden Caulfield, and his life changing experiences. The author uses humor and symbolism to make his points and defuse the pain Holden is going through in his struggle. As he wanders through the city the meaning...

Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is an allegorical novel dealing with a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island, who gradually adapt to their isolated society. As time passes, the society crumbles. Whatever order, organization, and moral integrity were established during the b...

The Inferno The Inferno, written by Dante, is a poem that deals with the afterlife. It deals with the ideas that actions and practices taken up in this life will determine the punishment or salvation attained in the next. In the poem, Dante describes circles of hell of which these levels ar...

Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck is an intriguing and realistic tale about the lives of two men, George and Lenny, who travel together. Through their journey they experience many obstacles while trying to achieve their dream. Unfortunately they are not able to do so due to unexpected circum...

Dante's use of allegory in the Inferno greatly varies from Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in purpose, symbolism, characters and mentors, and in attitude toward the world. An analysis of each of these elements in both allegories will provide an interesting comparison. Dante uses allegory to relate th...

The Old Testament is about preparing for the coming of Jesus. There are many things that happened before Jesus was actually born, such as Passover. In addition, many people had the duties of spreading the word of Yahweh and Jesus. There are many "types of Christ," or people who fulfilled t...

Throughout the book \"The Catcher in the Rye,\" author J.D. Salinger uses many symbols to explain what Holden Caulfield is feeling. Three symbols that Salinger uses represent anti-change and things staying the same. The Museum of Natural History is an example of things staying the same. The carousel...

1 First published in 1949, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, considered as a masterpiece of political satire, is a very compelling novel. The main protagonist, Winston Smith, experiences a number of bizarre and self-fulfilling event...

Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train (1953) and Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001) are films where there is a paranoiac hero or heroine in a nightmare landscape. The elements of film noir combined with this paranoiac hero/heroine create, these two films, into masterpieces. Hitchcock's Str...

When considering a work of literature, the title can be just as important as the context of the story. Literary devices such as contrast and repetition help develop the symbolism of Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness. The use of contrast can be seen within the differences between the bla...

A lamb is a gentle and meek creature that is both daring and submissive. A lamb is very much like a child. In "The Lamb," William Blake creates a childlike tone through a very songlike form and structure. What this does is give the poem an innocent view, more in the first stanza than in ...

Birth is a natural process of creating a new life. Birth symbolizes life, giving future hope to people. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the main character, Victor Frankenstein, creates a being with his own hands; he has created something magnificent and terrible at the same time. Upon the moment of...

Heart of Darkness: Good vs. Evil. In the Heart of Darkness, Conrad takes us on a journey into the soul of man. When the character Marlow travels into the jungle of Africa to find Kurtz, he realizes that he is in a place where the rules of society no longer constrain pure human nature, and the ...

Heart of Darkness In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad displays the imperfections of Imperialism. Conrad uses symbols and contrasts to portray theses imperfections. The novel is about a young man traveling up a dangerous river in the heart of the jungle. He gets a job as a captain of a stea...

Darkness Brings About Struggles A young boy's dream to become a sailor would soon allow him to witness the world, and its true nature. The boy would fascinate over maps in shop windows; always wanting to explore the uncharted areas of the world. As a young sailor Marlow once again spotted a...

Christianity is a fascinating world religion that grows in importance everyday. There are many things about this faith that interests people around the world. For example, the history, philosophy and its relevance in today's society makes the religion fascinating. When did this interesting beli...

The Catcher in The Rye Written By: J.D. Sallinger "The Catcher in the Rye" is a story of an emotionally disturbed young sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield. Holden is telling this story in first person, although the whole thing is all one big flashback. The story is one of...