... Dick~ The story of Moby Dick is truly an American literary classic. The word classic, itself, means belonging to a certain category of excellence, or having a lasting artistic worth which to most people fits the novel perfectly. ... is a message or a "moral of the story" type lesson you can learn from Moby Dick that keeps not only the new age scholars interested, but the average reader as well. "Moby Dick is not a dream but a work of imaginative art, and this means that it is the product of a complex creative process- (Arvin; ... " (Atchity; 1474). The themes and "richness of purpose" (...

• Word Count: 642
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography

... but ultimately falls short, and instead, escapes accepting his failure through lies and death. What many flaws Willy possesses, most do not correlate with the classic tragic hero. Willy Loman, was never really of noble stature, as was summed up by Linda, the person who knew him best. " Willy Loman ... at a low level social class. The metaphoric language helps to distinguish the line between reality and idealism, which is so often distorted. It lets the reader gain a better understanding of the family's conflict with being something they"re not in a place where they don't belong. For the ...

• Word Count: 1550
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... us encounter in our daily living. There's something intensely personal and magical about the way a truly great novel melds with the mind of a reader. Cloudstreet is an outrageous tale, due to the life affirming events, which take place. This is why it is sometimes described as a soap ... 's ambition to incorporate large questions about the meaning of life into its homely narrative. This bewitching, captivating and frequently heartbreaking novel leaves the reader with many emotions to be felt, as the play proceeds from farce, to drawing room comedy, to individual mystical vision. I think o...

• Word Count: 1164
• Approx Pages: 5

... the story in different voices. In Ordinary People, the novel switches between the third person narration of Calvin and Conrad. By using this method, the reader is able to hear the thoughts of two different characters and how they perceive events. For example, the reason as to why the mother appears to ... be a cold and uncaring character is because the reader has no insight into why she behaves the way she does (Novels for Students 271). Also, the narrator in the story only presents the issues ... attributions given to the mother in Ordinary People (276). He voices his opinion that Beth...

• Word Count: 2059
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... or comic book types, he nevertheless, journeys through each of the "stations" that a classic hero passes on his way to his "arete." Therefore, Michele "becomes" the classic hero that has fascinated, and continues to fascinate, generations of readers. Like all classic heroes from literature, Michele starts his life off poor and without much guidance from parents. His ... as to be "non-existant" (28) and a place "forgotten by God" (28). In other words, Michele's poor start, his humble surroundings, and his autonomy, put the reader in mind of other heroes who had the same humble start. Alb...

• Word Count: 620
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... throughout the spectrum of femininity and break out of the typical one dimension shell. Hugo, through his diverse representation of women, introduces the reader to admiration and sympathy for women and spreads knowledge about political fight for justice these women face everyday. Cossette is placed in the novel as ... does not give up. Hugo gives his female character agency and the ability the make choices for herself. Fantine, through her struggle shows the reader true strength. She soon begins to sell her body piece by piece, cutting her hair and pulling out her teeth, and eventually ...

• Word Count: 2647
• Approx Pages: 11

... this sudden drop in the readers" opinion of Emily in the closing line of the story. Within this line he reveals a whole new Emily and the reader is left to ponder her in a completely new light. The change is such a sudden and extreme one that it causes our opinion of Emily to plummet ... for Miss Grierson Instead of focusing on actual changes within the main character, Faulkner chooses to concentrate on a change in the town's as well as the reader's opinions of Emily. Each change of our opinion of Emily's character comes through the revelation of some new fact or bit of gossip that is sp...

• Word Count: 1870
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... characters are used to interpret how the protagonist R develops and transforms throughout the novel. Julie is the Juliet to R's Romeo, when R first encounters her he describes her eyes as "classic novels and poetry" (page 18). Julie notably inspires R to talk about music, eat food (other than human flesh), smile, and laugh. However, to R smiling is "an unfamiliar but ... the revival of human spirit. The narrative develops our understanding of the characters and how they influence the protagonist throughout the novel. The perspective that the narrative portrays towards the reader captiva...

• Word Count: 1193
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... and urging him to continue with the murder Topic Sentence: Like all tragic hero's Macbeth eventually meets his downfall. And like a true tragic hero, it leaves the reader feeling a little pity for him - Macbeth's downfall began when he murders the king. That is when he turned from a partial protagonist into a full antagonist - ... Macbeth's characteristic downfall continues as he does everything possible to retain his kingship. (4,1,165) - Macbeth's death and misfortune leaves the reader feeling pity towards him because he was not a true antagonist - The death and mourning of his wife fu...

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... his follow-up, The Old Man and The Sea, was an undisputed triumph and earned Hemingway a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. By using his own knowledge Hemingway put the reader in an actual location not in a fictional setting. He portrayed a true mood for a man struggling with his career. This style entices the ... and creates an emotional attachment. By generating a character that enveloped biographical attributes, Hemingway wrote accurately with a distinctive appeal to his reader. Since I genuinely enjoyed the book, a timeless classic, I am awarding it four stars. The rationale behind...

• Word Count: 404
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The Jungle, By Upton Sinclair. (First Signet Classic Printing, November 1960) Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was written in the early 1900's when industry was becoming a big thing. Though the reader can expect to find some shocking, yet interesting facts about the meat packing industry in this time period (early 1900's), Sinclair may have had reasons other than displaying the truth ... main character, Jurgis Rudkus, put through a series of mis-fortunate events throughout the novel, most of which are a result of a moral-lacking economic system. Sinclair also ties to make the reader understand th...

• Word Count: 438
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

After much turmoil and tribulation, sorrow and pain, and sweat and tears, the final fates of the characters in Thomas Hardy's classic novel Tess of the d"Urbervilles were dealt their final fate. But the question still remains: were the fates of Alec, Angel and Tess justified at the end of the novel? ... an air of mischief around him. He was suave, debonair and extremely greasy. His character continued to head into a downward spiral throughout the entire novel. However, in the end the reader finds him dead on the bed with a knife stabbed through hit heart. But was his death true justification...

• Word Count: 907
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the characters of Ellen Gare, and her father Caleb Gare. As each character develops, the segregation each individual experiences is presented to the reader through many examples, ideally portraying the novel as a tale of loneliness. Ellen Gare is a classic example of the loneliness that can occur in the Interlake region of Manitoba. Ellen uses the everyday tasks of living on the farm ... to replace her need for any human affection. This replacement is strongly implemented to the reader when Ellen has the opportunity to leave the farm, to travel ... ...

• Word Count: 516
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography

John Steinbeck's classic novel, "Of Mice and Men," was written in 1937 and has been critically praised ever since. Born in Salinas, California on February 27th, 1902, Steinbeck has written numerous masterpieces of ... her character. He felt like he had to add this scene to do her justice in a way.Otherwise, the message of the story wouldn't make as much sense to the reader. I think that the changes made by Gary Sinise really give you more of an understanding about Curley's wife's character, and the changes he made really make you feel bad for ... ...

• Word Count: 1787
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... entire community, does provide sufficient knowledge to ascertain a theme. This intentional point of view holds strong to its duty at presenting this theme to be obtained and analyzed by the reader. It might also be considered to be a theme when looking at the narration itself. Perhaps the very fact that times are changing, therefore new unorthodox ways of writing, causes Faulkner ... order to comply with her valued traditions. The point of view in a story usually can shed light on the theme to a story, and it is evident of that in Faulkner's classic story....

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The novel chosen is a classic in American literature and has been labeled that way because of its depiction of life through a boy's life and the symbols within. The link between the main character and the ... in a transition between childhood and adulthood. Holden purchases a red hunting hat, which is what comes to be one of the most identifiable symbols from this novel. It further enhances the reader's image of Holden, since it is a symbol of his uniqueness and individuality. The hat is peculiar, and it shows Holden's desire to be different from the world that surrounds him ... ...

• Word Count: 944
• Approx Pages: 4

... to the film because it has thorough descriptions of a character's feelings and depictions of symbolic meaning concerning the objects and important happenings. First of all, the movie version of the classic, "The Lord of the Flies," seems to be lacking in detail involving the characters. Mainly due to the limited length of the movie, a character's role and his feeling are nonexistent ... distinguish their role. The cinema is unsuccessful in establishing Simon as a "Christ" figure and Roger's murderous nature. On the other hand, the novel installs all these ideas and allows the reader to ...

• Word Count: 577
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate