American novelists

Winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1931 for “Allison’s House”, Susan Glaspell is responsible for creating the high school nation-read One-Act Play known as “Trifles”. Published in 1916, Glaspell defied the harshest restrictions set for women and shared her talent with readers all throughout the country. Back then, it was infrequent to hear about women completing such a major act. However, publication became an ordinary habit for Susan Glaspell. Additionally, Glaspell would often write about the oppression directed at women and revolve her stories plot’s around it. Being the author over roughly 74 pieces of works, in Trifles, Susan Glaspell uses symbolism to justify Mrs. Wright’s actions. A major way Glaspell gives approval for Mrs. Wright’s crime is by the traces of representation. For example, the section of the bird mentioning. Having Mrs. Hale state “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird -a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too” (Glaspell, 988), Glaspell clearly indicates that Mr. Wright smothered his wife’s passion. In the words of another, “The symbol of Minnie as songbird, although unmistakably obvious, is telling: A cheerful, lively woman has been stifled” (Moe) says Moe, since Mrs. Wright is clearly suppressed under her husband’s ruling. Taking a closer look, temperature may lead to the suspicion on the Wright’s marriage. Directly quoting Glaspell from her one-act, the sheriff said “When it dropped below zero last night, I thought I’d better send Frank out…

In the stories “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, and “The Struggle to be an All American Girl” by Elizabeth Wong, and the poem “Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” by Louise Erdrich, each of the writers focus on the positive and negative aspects of education. While part of the setting for Louise Erdrich’s poem and Elizabeth Wong’s story take place inside an actual school, the setting for Toni Cade Bambara’s story doesn’t take place inside a school; however, for all three stories, the…

In the short story of “The Lesson” (1972) written by, Toni Cade Bambara a writer, teacher, editor, social activist, community organizer, and "product of the nineteen-sixties spirit" was born in 1939 and died of colon cancer in 1995” (Casmier). Bambara herself would have learned growing up during the 1940s and 1950s in New York City 's Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant communities. (Heller)Sylvia gives a sassy narration from a twelve year old on a learning experience that Miss Moore took a few kids…

Many stories throughout literary history resonate with their readers. Some enough to be deemed literary classics. Three stories which resonate with readers from all ages are “Boys” by Rick Moody, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and “Lust” by Susan Minot. All three stories tell of the coming of age experiences that men and woman have, but do not share the same tone. Two in particular, “Girl” and “Lust” are told from the perspective of characters themselves, and “Boys” is told from the perspective of…

relationship shows the pressure of cultural differences of an Americanised Chinese daughter and a traditional Chinese mother. Jing’s mother forces Jing to take lessons for multiple activities. As those do not work out, she arranges piano lessons for Jing. Jing feels pressured by her mother who pushes her to do and be someone she is not. This spirals conflict between the two. The narrator explains this in the text which says, "You want me to be something that I'm not!". Her mother's response…

the story, the children face conspicuous consumption, imperialism, and the American dream. The clearest indication of conspicuous consumption in the short story is when the children notice a woman wearing a fur coat in a very hot climate. “Then we check out that we on Fifth Avenue and everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in a fur coat, hot as it is” (Para. 3). With this being said, Fifth Avenue is an environment where wealthy people live; and considering that these children run into…

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines takes place in the 1940’s, a time period of segregation. This was a time when blacks were often at fault for a crime they did not commit, such as what transpired in this book. A man named Jefferson was convicted of a crime he did not commit and was insulted during court. Now his family, friends, and even Jefferson himself were trying to prove the white community wrong about their beliefs that a black man is unequal and lacks dignity for both Jefferson…

Octavia and [the] Phoenix At first glance, the two stories A Worn Path by Eudora Welty and The Sky Is Gray by Ernest J. Gaines and the characters in them may not seem to be so comparable. Phoenix Jackson from A Worn Path and Octavia, mostly called Mama, from The Sky Is Gray, are actually quite similar in character but also different in other ways. They are both strong and compassionate, although Phoenix is more friendly than Mama. Both Phoenix and Mama display strength in their actions and…

Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka criticises the racial attitudes of his society to ironically highlight the unjust treatment of black people. The poem features a telephone conversation between an African traveller looking for accommodation and a white landlady, whom, upon hearing that the traveller is black, refuses to lodge him a room. Soyinka constructs three key concepts which include the supposed superiority of the white population, the ignorance of white people and the format of a…

The Right Thing to Do Today’s generation is made to believe that you have to get an education and then work hard for the rest of your life to be able to achieve success and happiness. In Mark Twain’s “The Story of the Good Little Boy,” Jacob was raised reading books of good little boys and how happy they were. Jacob in turn wanted to become the “good little boy” he always read about but despite his various attempts in doing good, he met his ultimate fate. In Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal,” the…