The themes of isolation, failure to communicate, and being defined by one event in life pervade many of the novel's stories. ... Settling in Winesburg, Wing lives isolated in the outskirts of the community, breaking his solitude only to talk with his friend George Willard. ... "Hands" and "Tandy" discuss characters who define themselves and their lives based on one past event. ... Another example of a character's complete obsession over one section of life is found in "Mother." ... The themes of isolation, failure to communicate, and being defined by one event in life character...

• Word Count: 1325
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Stephen Foster's realism was the reality of America's growing freedom and the respect he held for the brave men sacrificing their lives to protect the integrity of the country. ... Both Stephen Crane and Stephen Foster faced the facts of life and accepted it for what it was. ... Instead there are characters that better represent the way real people act and how they live their lives dealing with what life gives them. "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade" (Kinsella 1219). ... There are characteristics of life that are beyond the control of man. ...

• Word Count: 765
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In this short story, it displays some similarities, and differences between the Spider-Woman and the Old man to show their efficiency, and how the characters explore dualities in human life. ... " Also another similarity is that they both share the faith that's handed down to them by twisted human nature of their lives. ... Lastly, the author uses these characters to explore dualities in human life. ... Their personalities are completely opposite of each other which the author uses to convey dualities in their human lives. ...

• Word Count: 516
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Most of the stories had little to do with his experience as an immigrant in Canada, but focused instead on the uneventful lives of a group of Parsis who live in a ramshackle Bombay apartment block. ... As far as Parsi life goes, though, Mistry has some competition, because the Pakistani writer Bapsi Sidhwa, now a United States citizen, has written a robust novel that portrays this community during the colonial period, The Crow Eaters (1980), another that depicts a Parsi family in Lahore during the time of Partition in 1947, Cracking India (1991), and a third set in the postcolonial era, An A...

• Word Count: 4673
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Most of the stories had little to do with his experience as an immigrant in Canada, but focused instead on the uneventful lives of a group of Parsis who live in a ramshackle Bombay apartment block. ... As far as Parsi life goes, though, Mistry has some competition, because the Pakistani writer Bapsi Sidhwa, now a United States citizen, has written a robust novel that portrays this community during the colonial period, The Crow Eaters (1980), another that depicts a Parsi family in Lahore during the time of Partition in 1947, Cracking India (1991), and a third set in the postcolonial era, An A...

• Word Count: 4675
• Approx Pages: 19
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

After Linda's death, O'Brien describes himself in fifth grade imagining Linda as still with him and using his imagination to simultaneously bring her back to life, and to cope with his loss. ... O'Brien adds new details to give people that died in his stories new life that he could experience as he was creating it, almost as if the person that had died was alive and making new memories with him right at that very moment. ... The general ambiguity in the truthfulness of stories in the novel personally made me more interested in the experiences and the life of O'Brien as ther...

• Word Count: 685
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Harris explores in depth what he calls 'life positions'. At some stage early in our lives we adopt a "position" about ourselves that very significantly determines how we feel about ourselves, particularly in relation to other people. ... Her first impression is of the ugly wallpaper; she has "never seen a worse paper in [her] life- (Gilman 18). ... Obviously, she is trying to find some sort of pattern and reach some kind of conclusion about her own life. ...

• Word Count: 873
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Harris explores in depth what he calls 'life positions'. At some stage early in our lives we adopt a "position" about ourselves that very significantly determines how we feel about ourselves, particularly in relation to other people. ... Her first impression is of the ugly wallpaper; she has "never seen a worse paper in [her] life- (Gilman 18). ... Obviously, she is trying to find some sort of pattern and reach some kind of conclusion about her own life. ...

• Word Count: 829
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

He describes his house as containing "his ugly sleeping chamber; the cold bathroom with the grimy zinc tub, the cracked mirror, the dripping spigots" (Cather, 216), but when we switch to a third-person narrator, we discover that he lives in a honourable middle-class neighbourhood, on "a highly respectable street, where businessmen of moderate means begot and reared large families of children." ... This tendency to fail to recognize what is true and his narcissist personality disorder are two major factors that have led to the tragic end of Paul's short life. ... He has spent the last...

• Word Count: 886
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This portrays the father as someone who has no clear decision made in life for what he plans to do, even when he goes to one person's home or another's. ... Shifting from one scene to the next, the pool brings additional information into the picture, giving a generalization of what the father lives like. ...

• Word Count: 497
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

That hero that we watch is the person we want to be and the person we are going to try to imitate though life. That's why heroism is an important theme cause of the fact we all need role models and or heroes in our lives, to help us threw challenges of life....

• Word Count: 912
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

This event of graphic necrophilia is considered the most graphic image in the collection of short stories which explicitly portrays the Count's obsession with death again bringing the story to life. ... He continues to fight in war yet the gothic and mythical lives on even in the fields of war. This is interesting because it shows that there does not need to be any form of fascination or fascination with death in order for a gothic story to come to life. Similarly to this, in 'The Tiger's Bride', it appears that the fascination is with life, not death. ... However, this co...

• Word Count: 1039
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Though it seems that the scar from the Indian's suicide plays no role in Nick's everyday life, one must remind themselves that such a thing will stay with Nick for eternity. ... This goes to show how big of an influence a father had on both Nick's as well as Ernest Hemingway's life. ... It also gives preparation for A Way You"ll Never Be, a story that provides many graphic details of the dead that litter the roads as a sort of highway carpet; or perhaps even for In Another Country, where the horribly injured are being cared for---many with injuries that will impair them...

• Word Count: 1254
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Culture and laws appear to be a significant part of indigenous communities, however, in Weller's short stories, these aspects seem less prominent in the daily lives of Aboriginal people. ... Laws seem to be much more prominent in the daily lives of the Aboriginal people in de Heer's film whereas in Weller's short stories, the presence of laws and the lawful attributes of Aboriginal people seem to have altered through time. ... Reincarnation does not appear to be a significant part of Aboriginal people's beliefs, nonetheless the acknowledgement of ancestors and life after de...

• Word Count: 1690
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

How many times would we have used this statement in our lives if we had no fear of the repercussions? ... He has rejected the lawyer's attempts at conversation and although the lawyer is still trying to make Bartleby's life easier in the few ways he can, Bartleby refuses to acknowledge it. ... The characters" eccentricities, when coupled with the narrator's take on them, have allowed Melville to present the tragedy in an amusing manner but Bartleby has lead such a sad life ending in such a regrettable way, this short story is tragic in theme....

• Word Count: 925
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

A stock character, also known as a stereotype, fits an established characterization from real life or literature. With these three types of characters leading the reader through the story, the reader learns the events taking place as well as the changes in the character's lives. ... The universal truth for "Rip Van Winkle" "Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. ...

• Word Count: 1162
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The villagers merely participate in the lottery because it is a constant that has always been, not because it brings any positive effect on their lives. ... If Tess had unshakable faith in what the lottery stood for, then she ultimately would have considered it an honor to give her life on behalf of her friends and family. ... The inhabitants of the village show no remorse, do not question the traditional ways, and have no real opposition to the lottery, with the exception of Tess in regards to her own life. ... Growing up with this tradition has have caused the villagers to not be instilled w...

• Word Count: 1719
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Being self-centered and selfish often brings negativity to someone's life. This negativity brings experiences that are supposed to teach selfish people a lesson, and they are not always enjoyable experiences. Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard To Find uses the grandmother to portray the dangers ...

• Word Count: 1160
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Vegetation and fields of grain cover one side of the station whereas the other is a barren valley, possibly highlighting the contrasts between life and death. ... These examples represent the couple being at a crossroads in their lives and are torn between two choices. ...

• Word Count: 1134
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Most importantly, Irving's heritage has continued to impact lives, despite the passing of the years, because of his ability to embrace aspects of both the Neoclassic and the Romantic movement in his writings. ... Irving has the utilitarian purpose of explaining the importance of honor, truth, and justice in daily life. ... This previous statement does not reflect his viewpoint, but rather it reflects the reality of how life keeps going and how people forget and are forgotten. ... The story narrates the short life of a girl who dies of sorrow as her lover goes away. ... The story continues...

• Word Count: 2209
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate