"She was so beautiful"(113). In the short story "Long Long After School" the character of Miss Tretheway is well developed, she is a kind and respectable woman. She was important in helping Wes through school and life. I think Miss Tretheway knew what Wes w...

The short story "After Twenty Years" is one of over 113 short stories written by O. Henry, during a three-year period between 1902 and 1905. The New York World, where he worked during that period, only allowed him the space of one page for a story. Therefore, this particular short stor...

In the short story "Life after High School" by Joyce Carol Oates, Zachary, one of the main characters, struggles with his love for Barbara Burhman. This struggle ultimately leads to his death. Throughout the story the three characters, Barbara, Zachary, and Tobias mask themselves by hidin...

Now more than ever, the "golden rule" is needed or should be used by people. If you are not familiar with the term, the "golden rule" simply means to treat people the way you would like to be treated. It may sound simple but it is not as easy as it seems. In Chinua Achebe's short story, "Dead ...

If men are not around what are women to do? World War II marked a significant turn for women in society as women began to enter the workforce in large numbers, filling and expanding the void left by the many men who went to fight in Europe's epic world war. Eudora Welty's short story, "Petrified Ma...

Flannery O'Connor's short story entitled "A Good Man is Hard to Find" tells the story of a rather unpleasant typical American family who meets their demise at the hands of a so-called Misfit or outlaw figure. The Misfit is clearly interested in religion, like many renegades. Bef...

Perhaps one of the great hallmarks of a great work of fiction is its ability to appear to have been written for the age during which it is being read, regardless of how far back in time it was written. In other words, Joyce Carol Oates' story might strike a contemporary adolescent or young...

Considered perhaps the greatest American playwright, Tennessee Williams was raised in Mississippi and achieved success early on in his career when he won the New York Critics' Circle Award in 1944-45 for the Broadway debut of The Glass Menagerie. Williams went on to win the same award and ...

Most of us obey every day without a thought. People follow company dress code, state and federal laws and the assumed rules of courtesy. Those who do disobey are usually frowned upon or possibly even reprimanded. But has it even occurred to you that in some cases, disobedience may be the better cour...

The story "Clever Manka" by Anonymous is a brilliant tale of showing the love story between two completely different people. Within the story, a judge banishes his wife for breaking an agreement. She may take with her the one thing she values most. She drugs her husband and takes him with ...

The two stories "The third bank of the river" and "Love" have some similarities and differences. They both have to do with deep understanding of life that the characters experience in their own little world. Some readers, like me for instance, will not understand the stories in t...

The short story Araby written by James Joyce was about a boy, his desire to attend the bazaar, and his infatuation for a girl. At the beginning of the story the young boy describes North Richmond Street where he lives. His descriptions portray his surroundings as a rather dreary area where not muc...

The perspective of the author changes throughout the novel as Frank comes of age. Early he is naive and immature but as he grows older he becomes more aware of things going on around him. The style of the novel doesn't change but the context and perception of events do. Early in...

At some point in everyone's life they experience thoughts about death, whether that they're positive or negative depends on their outlook on the after life. While some view death as only the beginning of their eternal life others view it as the absolute end. Living in fear of day will no...

A Separate Peace A Separate Peace is a novel that toys with readers' emotions. It can make sadness appear from nowhere and happiness right after. It is a wonderfully constructed novel that makes readers feel like they have traveled to that time and place with the characters. A major factor of ...

The Many tricks of Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most famous writers of our time. He has a way of writing that is unlike any other author. His stories are truly unique in each and every way. The main topics that repeat in all of Poe's stories are irony, horror, and sadness....

A Story of Isolation In the short story "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner tells the sad story of Miss Emily's unstable state of mind. The theme in this story is that of isolation. Here is a woman who never left the sanctity of her home for something like 30 years. She did gi...

Immaturity Reminiscence There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the short story, Araby by James Joyce. This isn't controversy dealing with various political issues or free speech or such associated things. It is of a more simple matter: whether the young boy in this story is capable ...

Literature from different times is very different at times. It may encompass alternate feelings, morals, or types of characters. On the other hand, literature from different time periods can be very similar in these ways. The quest archetype is something that has been written about for ages. One...

"A Rose for Emily" In William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily," Emily is in the search for love and security. The use of symbolism develops the theme of the story, bringing to light the issues of morality that arise from a young woman's struggle to find love. Symbolism is so ca...

The Birthday Party In the short story "The Birthday Party" by Katherin Brush, a husband overreacts when his wife tries to surprise him with a birthday cake. The couple went out to dinner in a small restaurant to celebrate the husband's birthday. The wife decided to surprise the h...

Everything's a River "We will not die trying to stand up: we will live that way: standing up" (361), states June Jordan in "Many Rivers to Cross." Addressing women, this excerpt shows the feminist point of view of Jordan's essay. This is the theme of the entire ess...

In "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson sets an intense anxious environment – fresh warmth, their jokes were quiet, she held her breath – only to set the reader up for a disgraceful end of a beautiful day. The surrounding area is portrayed as quaint and beautiful. She places a mood ...

I have read the short story Rules of the Game from The Joy Luck Club written by Amy Tan. It is a story about a young girl born in 1951. She had been spending a Christmas with her family at the church with many other families exchanging gifts. Her brother had been given a gift of a chess board tha...

There are many benefits to growing up in a small town. Small communities allow people to become acquainted, acquire a sense of security and familiarity. Although there may be many apparent positive aspects to smaller towns, people often living in acquire what is called a 'small town mentality'. T...