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 an ideal illustration of the 19th century society’s view of mental illness, and clear criticism of the rest cure that was often administered to patients… Continue reading Mental Health and Self-Agency: Themes In ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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 male authorities because they “understand” why she did it. This story is based on true events of the 1901 Hossack Murder Case which Glaspell covered… Continue reading “A Jury of her Peers” by Susan Glaspell Feminist Analysis
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 a heart disease. On this day, Louise learns from her sister Josephine and a family friend, Richards, that her husband, Brently Mallard, has died. She… Continue reading “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin Literary Analysis: Plot, Themes, Characters, Setting, and Symbolism
The effect that this mere form of communication has on the two characters’ relationship is what makes it hard to ignore the tapes as symbolism, and as a reflection of each character's traits in the story.
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 had published earlier, such as “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” set a precedent to this Gothic style of writing. … Continue reading Montressor as a Keen Observer of Human Behavior and Psychology: “The Cask Of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe.
Eventually, our life experiences shape who we become. As it is with human nature, some of these experiences we can control, while others we can’t, so we react. However, the ways we choose to react with love, hurt, or forgive are all our choices. "Stone Mattress" is Margaret Atwood’s latest collection of short fiction that… Continue reading Layers and Layers of Experience: “Stone Mattress” by Margaret Atwood
It is also the way Chinhanhu ties in symbolism and irony that show the outcome of a society whose members, including influential institutions on which people place their hopes, have a prudish attitude towards sex and sex education.
O'Henry is arguably the master of twist endings. Each of his plot twist catches the reader more off guard than the previous. Whether it is Della and Jim finding out they have sold their most prized possessions to buy each other nearly useless gifts in "The Gift of Magi" or the drawing of a leaf… Continue reading The Themes of Friendship and Loyalty in O’Henry’s “After Twenty Years”
Nearly everyone who reads Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery cannot even begin to fathom the true meaning of the lottery until it has already happened. The shock that we experience at the end on learning that the lottery's winner becomes a sacrificial lamb to fulfill a tradition that has long lost its meaning catches… Continue reading Hints of Evil: How Shirley Jackson Foreshadows the True Meaning of “The Lottery”
A murder most foul, an unlikely culprit, and a leg of lamb served to the detectives. Through all these, readers are still likely to associate more with the culprit than any other character. Summary: Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl It is in the evening and heavily pregnant Mary Maloney is eagerly waiting for… Continue reading Empathizing with the Culprit- “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl
