Essays on Book Reports

... fancy house makes a visitor think of the sophisticated homes in town, however they are still back country people who only view their home as having style for the things inside. In the parlor of this house "there [are] beautiful curtains on the windows, white with pictures painted of castles."(101) The curtains painted with castles give the family a false feeling of being elite. When you think of castles you think of queens and kings and aristocracy. Ironically they think of others who lack the few finer things like curtains with castles on them to be lower class then themselves. These minor details make them think they are above everyone else. Along with this fa ...

... real individual. Although this is true to a certain extent, Bernard does not realize that he would much rather attain social recognition. At least, not until the opportunity presents itself. Thus, through a series of events, Bernard uses the curiosity of the society to his advantage, fulfilling his subconscious wish of becoming someone important; a recognized name in the jumble of society. This ends when the curiosity of others ends, and as a supreme result of his arrogant behaviour, he is exiled. The instigator of this curiosity as well as the author of Bernard's fame (and folly), is an outsider know as the Savage. The Savage is brought in from outside of t ...

... as a girl possessing "minimal prettiness" (Amis, 1953, p. 105), a person who is unenjoyable to spend time with, and whom he knows is manipulative. At the same time, he feels compelled to continue seeing her. Although it is not clear, his behaviour seems to be partly derived from a tragic sense that beautiful girls are not for him. As well, it seems to come from an unprecedented, yet noble sense of duty combined with pity; and a belief that he hasn't "got the guts to leave her" (Amis, 1953, 201). Essentially, Jim lacks confidence. In noting Margaret's deceit, one observes from the inception of their friendship, that Margaret is manoeuvring Jim into something he i ...

... with taking control away from Ralph. Piggy is the odd one of the boys. He is teased by everyone even though his intelligence is greater than theirs. He becomes Ralph’s only friend at the end. Roger is the last important character and he is the one who supported the killing that Ralph tried to stop. Lord of the Flies is full of symbolism. For example; Jack represents the primitive nature in man and Ralph represents civilization. Also, Piggy’s glasses represent the civilization that they are losing. When Piggy’s glasses are taken it seems like the end of whatever civilization they had left. Also the sows head that is speaks to Simon repres ...

... of what it was like to be home, all of a loved one is now shown to have an impact. As seen with Jimmy Cross, some men even went to a profound obsession. As mentioned early in the work, Jimmy Cross carries letters and two pictures from a friend named Martha. The story tells how "he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters and photos, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending, he would imagine romantic camping trips…" (275). One picture is a black and white picture of Martha standing against a brick wall. It is told how Martha has an apparent neutral look to her, and Cross can't h ...

... at his former educational institution are relayed by his father, much to the chagrin of the younger Dedalus. Later in the novel, Stephen loses even more respect for his father as the familys' debts continue to grow and they are forced to move. Once, when the two males travel to sell of the family estate, Simon returns to his former school and converses with his former classmates. Stephen is upset to hear of his father's wild behavior as a youth, and of his flirtatious nature. He begins to rebel against his strict upbringing, striking back at his familys' traditional values and way of life. Religion is an ever present force in Stephen's life. He atten ...

... are when the author creates irony that starts at the beginning of the book and doesn't stop until the end. The irony just keeps repeating itself over and over again until the reader is so engrossed they can't put the book down. This technique is what John Irving uses to create such a wonderful story, that keeps the reader both interested and entertained. One of the most interesting ironic circles in this book deals with the death of the main character, Garp. Garp is shot and killed by a woman wearing a Jenny Fields original, Garp's mothers brand of clothing. Garp's mother was one of the first feminist in the 60's to get a lot of publicity, and become an icon ...

... experiences he cannot at home, and to find a wife secondary. (I,ii 49 - 57) Petrucio enjoys verbal sport and a non-conventional sense of humor. Petrucio surrounds himself with neither tame nor conforming people. You can even see this in his servants. His servants like him very much and enjoy his entertainments. An example of this is when Petrucio and his servant man Grumio get into a disagreement about knocking on the gate. Reflective of this is Petrucio’s methods to “woo” Katherine. His methods are game like and outrageous. Such as when he beats up Grumio because Kate’s horse stumbles, or showing up late to the wedding. While sh ...

... to actually get himself caught. Fadiman also writes that Bigger "...knew that the moment he allowed what his life meant to enter fully into his consciousness, he would either kill himself or somebody else." Fadiman then goes on by criticizing Wright stating that he is too explicit, repetitive, and overdoes his melodrama from time to time. Fadiman does not believe Wright to be a finished writer just yet. However, he does think that Wright possesses the two absolute necessities of the first-rate novelist, passion and intelligence. He also understands that Wright must have been greatly affected by the labor movement, which may have contributed to ...

... then a court reporter, then a novelist. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, became a huge popular success when Dickens was only twenty-five, and he was a literary celebrity throughout England for the rest of his life. Many of the events from Dickens' early childhood are mirrored in , which, apart from David Copperfield, is his most autobiographical novel. Pip, the novel's protagonist, lives in the marsh country, works at a job he hates, considers himself too good for his surroundings, and experiences material success in London at a very early age. In addition, one of the novel's most appealing characters is a law clerk named Wemmick, and the law, justice, an ...