American Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Book Review Example

The story depicts the simple life of Huckleberry Finn living along the banks of the Mississippi River.  Huck was brutally treated by his father and eventually ran away. He meets up with Jim a runaway slave and together they set off having an adventure. They search for freedom with Huck running away from civilisation and Jim escaping bondage. Huck hated civilisation and just wanted to live the easy life on the river. Jim and Huck both had no real impact on the world around them and they just wanted to be left in peace. The book is full of symbolism about the lives of ordinary people; in particular the river that is free and easy and just keeps rolling along.  Twain used the book to make comment on the culture and society of that time.  He did this with great effect. (Central Tripod, 2011)

William Dean Howells | Editha

Editha loved her country and wanted her lover to fight in the American Spanish war. Editha feels she is a true patriot and is consumed by the propaganda supporting the war. She encourages George, essentially a pacifist, to go and fight. He feels compelled to do this in order to win the hand of Editha. George was quickly killed in the war. Despite her encouragement of George to fight she remained unrepentant to the last. The story depicts the futility of war and the romantic notions of war will get people killed. (Bernardo, 2011).

Kate Chopin | The story of an Hour

The story deals with the passing of Mrs Mallards husband. The death of someone killed in a railway accident. It becomes the duty of the family to inform Mrs Mallard, who was suffering from a heart condition, about the death of her husband. The family were concerned that the tragic news would make Mrs Mallard further ill and as such there was great trepidation in bringing her the news. What followed was rather shocking. The news was treated by Mrs Mallard as a sense of release and liberation from a conventional marriage where she felt stifled and unable to express her opinion or expressions. She suddenly saw an endless world of possibilities and a chance for liberation. She considered this with endless joy. This may apply to anyone who feels oppressed, trapped and unable to express themself. (123helpme.com, 2011)

Hamlin Garland | Under the Lions Paw

Haskins and his wife are farmers that were driven out of their farm by bad luck and a plague of grasshoppers. When they leave they stop at another farm owned by Jim Butler. They show the Haskins generosity and help them. Part of this being to finance the operation of another farm. The Haskins work really hard on this and in three years have made it into a profitable venture. Butler sees an opportunity and demands purchase of the farm based upon a higher price than the Haskins can afford, thereby forcing them into foreclosure.  Haskins is crushed again this time under the ‘paw of the lion’ land speculation. (Garland, 2011)

Stephen Crane | The Open Boat

The story of four survivors of a shipwreck cast adrift in a lifeboat – the Captain, the oiler, a correspondent and a cook.  Each has a specific trait. The captain, despite being injured is a leader, the cook is an optimist, the Oiler is the strong man of the team and the correspondent is condescending.  It shows the deterioration of the men’s moods as they become resigned to their fate. They eventually spot a lighthouse in the distance and make a frantic effort to reach it.  Eventually they end up having to abandon the boat and swim for shore. Three of the men make it but ironically the strong man (the Oiler) is found dead washed up on the beach.  Despite our position in life we are all equal in accordance with natures laws and nature is indifferent to our strengths and weaknesses.  We are all just human beings.

Works Cited

123helpme.com. (2011, 6 20). Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour – A Big Story in a Small Space. Retrieved 6 20, 2011, from 123helpme.com: http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=6798

Bernardo, K. (2011). William Dean Howells’ ‘Editha’. Retrieved 6 20, 2011, from Storybites: http://www.storybites.com/book-reviews/editha-by-william-dean-howells.php

Central Tripod. (2011). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Retrieved 6 20, 2011, from Central Tripod: http://summarycentral.tripod.com/theadventuresofhuckleberryfinn.htm

Garland, H. (2011). Under the Lion’s Paw”: Single-Tax Land Reform and Agrarian America in Virgin Land. Retrieved 6 21, 2011, from The Main-Travelled Road : http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/CONTEXTS/Garland/vland.html