Daniel Smith’s, The Great Departure illustrates very well the United State’s evolution from a traditionally isolationist nation to an interventionist nation. WWI literally dragged the U.S. out of its isolationist shell and placed the U.S. at the forefront of international politics. The pressure to join WWI was resisted greatly by the Wilson administration and the…
The timeless classic The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck tells the story of the Joad family during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s and how they leave their home in Oklahoma to try to find work in California. However, the novel is more than just about the Joads’ expedition across the western United…
In The Good Earth, by Pearl S, Wang Lung the main character is a poor peasant who buys a wife and moves up in the social ladder during the peasants’ revolution. This story displays many major ideas of ancient Chinese culture, such as the social order, the treatment of women, and the role of the…
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is a typical love story. A Romeo and his Juliet placed against the odds. In this novel, Romeo is Frederick Henry and Juliet is Catherine Barkley. Their love affair must survive the obstacles of World War I. The background of war-torn Italy adds to the tragedy of the…
The main character in the book The Epic of Gilgamesh, is Gilgamesh himself. In the beginning of the book one realizes that Gilgamesh is an arrogant person. Gilgamesh is full of himself and abuses his rights as king. He has sexual intercourse with the virgins of his town and acts as though he is a…
Stephen Vincent Benét was born in 1898 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His education came from Yale University and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. “The Devil and Daniel Webster” has a wide array of characters, each with a distinguished personality, yet an overall temperament that would be fitting of a New England community. The main character is…
The story speaks of the betrayal of wives to their husbands. A rich and sick bachelor wrote a letter, before nine years of his death, to be delivered to his friends by his servant after his death. This bachelor liked to tell his friends about a hidden secret that tortured his soul many years ago.…
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart makes the reader see that Merlin is not just a magician, he is first and foremost a man. Throughout the book the author sucks the reader in to the life of this man, and using imagery and characterization makes him feel that he is actually there watching the life…
The Count of Monte Cristo is a very powerful book. So powerful in fact, that was controversial when it was first released. The Catholic Church in France condemned it because of its powerful message it presented the reader. This theme was one of revenge and vengeance. Monte Cristo had two goals- to reward those who…
The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, is a book about friendship between two boys from vastly different religious Jewish backgrounds. Their initial distrust and hatred for each other because of their differing backgrounds gives way to r, and develops into a deep friendship. Danny Saunders is brought up in a Chasidic environment. His father is the…
The author of this book is Steven Levenkron. Warner Books published this book in September of 1978 in New York, NY. The genre of my book is fiction with suspense. The Best Little Girl in the World could be based on a true story, but it is not completely true to life. It would fall…
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers is a story of love illustrated through the romantic longings and attractions of the three eccentric characters; Miss Amelia, Cousin Lymon, and Marvin Macy. McCullers depicts love as a force, often strong enough to change people’s attitudes and behaviors. Yet, the author seems to say, if…
Throughout the novel, it became increasingly obvious of Edna’s difficulty in the field of true love. She had initially found what she knew wasn’t, followed by infatuation, and finally what she was sure was. Several different forms of love were present, yet each (including the final) proved to be unsuccessful. Edna never felt comfortable in…
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton, contains many flat, static characters representing Old New York society. At the apex of that society is Mr. and Mrs. Henry van der Luyden. As the narrator describes, their appearances are rare, but yet these few appearances provide more than enough information for the reader to “know” the…
Thomas Hardy was one of the finest writers of the Victorian age. Among countless poems and novels there is one that seems to stand alone, “Tess of the D’Urbervilles.” This novel is one of Hardy’s most recognized works maybe because the problems of the Victorian era relate to many in this modern age. Problems such…
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is a story that takes place in the early twentieth century in China. It is a novel about a man, Wang Lung, and some of the events he endures in his lifetime. This story has many references to Eastern religions and philosophies. One of the most prominent influences…
The Scarlet Letter is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic symbol- one that is always changing. As the novel progresses, Pearl grows older, and it’s easy for the reader to…
Daniel J. Levinson wrote The Seasons of A Man’s Life. Mr. Levinson conducted his research for the book in the late 1960’s. At that time he was a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry of the Yale University School of Medicine, Director of Psychology in the Connecticut Mental Health Center and Director of…
Robinson was a young man of 18 and had a dream to be a sailor. He asked his father for permission. His father thought that he should stay home and take over the family business or study law. Robinson asked his father again to let him have just one sail. His father disapproved once more.…
Major themes in the book. The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, is one of the first examinations of politics and science from a purely scientific and rational perspective. Machiavelli theorizes that the state is only created if the people cooperate and work to maintain it. The state is also one of man’s greatest endeavors, and…
