The Literary Girl

What’s in a Name? ‘Last, First, Middle’ by Joseph Azam in “The Displaced”

In The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives (2018), Viet Thanh Nguyen writes in the introduction: “To become a refugee is to know, inevitably, that the past is not only…

The Literary Girl October 11, 2024

Book Reviews

19 of the Best “The Kite Runner” Quotes by Khaled Hosseini (With Theme Analysis & Page Numbers)

The Kite Runner (2003) by Khaled Hosseini is a raw and deeply affecting book that will stay with me for a long time. The novel follows the life of Amir,…

The Literary Girl June 13, 2024

Short stories

Mental Health and Self-Agency: Themes In ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a woman's descent into madness because her doctor husband downplays her mental illness. The story is also…

The Literary Girl March 11, 2024

Short stories

“A Jury of her Peers” by Susan Glaspell Feminist Analysis

In A Jury of Her Peers (1917) by Susan Glaspell, two women find crucial evidence that could convict a fellow woman for murder but choose to conceal it from the…

The Literary Girl December 16, 2023

Poems

“Good Bones” by Maggie Smith Poem Analysis: Exploring the Theme of Realism

How do you tell your children about life and all its realities? How do you explain the fact that life is as evil as it is good? In Maggie Smith’s…

The Literary Girl September 3, 2023

Poems

“Work Without Hope” Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Using Contrast to Emphasize Lack of Hope

The 1825 Romantic era poem "Work Without Hope" by Samuel Taylor is a lamentation of a man who lacks an object to place his hope and thus, wonders aimlessly and…

The Literary Girl August 22, 2023

Short stories

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin Literary Analysis: Plot, Themes, Characters, Setting, and Symbolism

Summary Kate Chopin’s (1850-1904) short story “The Story of an Hour” narrates events that happen within an hour. Louise Mallard is a young, calm, and frail woman who suffers from…

The Literary Girl April 18, 2023

theme of irrationality of war in the man he killed by thomas hardy

Poems

War and its Irrationality as Themes in Thomas Hardy’s Poem“The Man He Killed”

Thomas Hardy’s (1840-1928) poem The Man He Killed is a lyrical monologue of a soldier who has returned from war. He’s speaking about the war to his friends and native…

The Literary Girl March 22, 2023

Symbolism of the audiotapes in Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Short stories

“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver: Symbolism in the Audio Tapes and What they Reveal about each Character

Raymond Carver’s 1983 short story Cathedral is about awakening and eye-opening experiences that go beyond the physical world. It vividly illustrates the difference between merely looking and seeing; hearing and…

The Literary Girl March 1, 2023

Short stories

Montressor as a Keen Observer of Human Behavior and Psychology: “The Cask Of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe.

If you’ve read more of Edgar Allan Poe, then you’ll not be surprised by the horror that is the short story “The Cask of Amontillado.” Other short stories that he…

The Literary Girl May 18, 2021