Study Like a Boss
Characters and Analysis Alice A girl of seven, she is the protagonist of the story. She is a rational girl who sees the world as stable and orderly. Her adventures in Wonderland frustrate her but they also open her eyes to the magic around her. The White Rabbit A worried and frantic creature, the White … Read more
Characters and Analysis Willy Loman The protagonist of the play, Willy is characterized by insecurities and general illusions about life. While he seems to believe in the dream of a rise to success in business and the wealth which comes with that, these things have alluded him. He is also profoundly disappointed in his sons who have … Read more
Characters and Analysis Heathcliff He is the little boy found by Mr. Earnshaw in the streets of Liverpool. Heathcliff is favored by Mr. Earnshaw but is extremely hated by Hindly. Heathcliff after Mr. Earnshaw’s death is dehumanized by Hindly preventing him from coming up in society, educating himself or marrying the girl he loves. Heathcliff … Read more
The title is derived from Bradbury’s opinion that book paper catches fire and burns at temperature of Fahrenheit 451. Depending on paper type the temperature of burning can vary from 440 to 740 ºF. Fahrenheit 451 was written and published in 1953. It took nine days for Bradbury to finish the first draft called The … Read more
Bradbury’s prose is overflowing with symbols and Fahrenheit 415 is not an exception. Fire – a destructive force at the beginning, a tool of reinforcement and punishment, accompanied by night, black uniforms of firemen and smell of kerosene. At the end of the novel Bradbury gives another interpretation of fire, as a source of warmth, comfort … Read more
“Surely you remember the boy in your own school class who was exceptionally ‘bright,’ did most of the reciting and answering while the others sat like so many leaden idols, hating him. And wasn’t it this bright boy you selected for beatings and tortures after hours? Of course it was. We must all be alike. … Read more
The main theme of Fahrenheit 451 is censorship and the declining level of mass culture against the background of increasing government control over citizens. The novel was published in 1953, with its nuclear hysteria, Cold War, book burning by Nazis and Stalin’s “Great Purge” that horrified Bradbury. For him love for books means intellectualism and … Read more
Guy Montag Guy Montag is a protagonist, a loyal citizen who doubts the way of his life and ends up as a criminal and exile. He is thirty years old, a fireman in third generation and perfectly fit for his job, actually enjoying it for ten years – it’s somehow balances his unhappy marriage with … Read more
Fahrenheit 451 can be boiled down to a story of a man in course of soul searching, but, as it usually happens with Ray Bradbury’s works, the reader is completely immersed into his fictitious world outlined with creepy detalization. The timeline is XXIV century, and life in this period is fast and depreciated. In Part … Read more
Important Themes The Destruction of Identity Under Slavery The novel is largely about the horrors of slavery. But the erosion of the self emerges as a central theme. Even after characters escape slavery, they are haunted by the effects of the violence and dehumanizing brutality. Paul D loses his ability to have any real feelings for … Read more
The Sea is an embodiment of Nature. Santiago and other fishermen see themselves as a part of it and respect this source of nourishment and potential menace, for the sea is the force beyond anyone’s control. Marlin is the symbol of victory and reward in many senses. The parallel to Herman Melvil’s “Moby Dick” is … Read more
He was asleep in a short time and he dreamed of Africa when he was a boy and the long golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes, and the high capes and the great brown mountains. He lived along that coast now every night and in his dreams he heard … Read more
The Old Man and the Sea is a multi-level text, where themes are naturally emerging from each other. The simplest example are relations between Santiago and Manolin that can be considered as tutoring, support, encouragement and so on. More interesting is the theme of Santiago’s attitude to the sea. He refers to it as “la … Read more
Santiago Santiago, whose name is mentioned only several times, is an old skillful fisherman who had seen much better days. It is not his fault that he is now alone and seemingly had lost his luck. He stubbornly tries to catch a big fish that he would be able to sell, so tunas and dolphins … Read more
The Old Man and the Sea starts with a description of an old man, Santiago, a fisher who spent eighty-four days without any fare. Local fishermen had already defined him as “salao”, a pathetic loser. Of course, it is offensive for Santiago who spent all his life at the sea and travelled a lot while being … Read more
Summary The book begins as Alice is sitting with her pet kitten, Kitty, who is playing with a ball of string. Alice tells Kitty a story about “Looking-Glass House,” a magical world on the other side of the mirror where everything is backwards. Suddenly, Alice finds herself on the mantel piece. She walks through the … Read more
Summary It’s been ten years since the fall of Troy, and Odysseus the Greek hero has yet to return to his kingdom in Ithaca. An anxious crowd of suitors have swarmed his palace and destroyed his land, they attempt to court his wife, Penelope, who remains loyal to her absent husband. The son of Odysseus, … Read more
Summary The story begins as Alice is sitting by a river bank on a summer day. As she is reading she sees over her sister’s shoulder, a White Rabbit in a waistcoat running by. The White Rabbit pulls a watch out of his pocket and says that he is late. With that, he jumps into … Read more
Characters and Analysis Eliezer Eliezer is the narrator of Night and is, in essence, a pseudo-persona of the book’s author, Elie Wiesel. Night follows Eliezer’s psychosomatic and troubling journey, as the Holocaust steals his humanity, robbing him of his faith in God and takes him deep into the pits of despair. Despite many experiences that would cause even the … Read more
Characters and Analysis Odysseus The hero of the Odyssey. Odysseus fought alongside the other Greek kings at Troy and now struggles to escape his imprisonment and return to his family in Ithaca. King Odysseus is married to Queen Penelope, the two have a son named Prince Telemachus. Despite being strong and brave, he is most … Read more
Themes Patriarchy The republic of Gilead is a patriarchal regime and upon its rise to power, women are its first victims. The laws implemented by Gilead start by firing all women from their jobs, then transferring their funds to the male of the family, then depriving them from education. Even the Aunts who are the … Read more
Themes and Symbols Physical and Emotional Burdens: The ‘things’ in The Things They Carried are both figurative and literal. While every character carries a heavy physical load, they also all carry tremendous emotional baggage; grief, love, terror, longing, etc. The physical burden carried by each man underscores the emotional burden. For example, Henry Dobbins carries around a pair … Read more
Characters and Analysis Ponyboy Curtis Ponyboy is the fourteen year old narrator of the Outsiders. He is the story’s main protagonist, and the youngest member of the greasers. His keen interest in literature and strong academic prowess set him apart from the rest of his friends. Since the death of his parents, Ponyboy has lived … Read more
Characters and Analysis Hamlet The protagonist and the Prince of Denmark. Hamlet is the son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. He is also the nephew of the new king, Claudius. Though charged by the ghost of his dead father to avenge his murder, Hamlet is caught up in his own intellectualizing and self-doubt to act … Read more
Themes The Sacrificial Role of Women A Doll’s House draws a drab portrayal of the role in life of women from all walks of life. The female characters in the play demonstrate Nora’s assertion that ‘even though men refuse to sacrifice their integrity, hundreds of thousands of women have.’ Kristine also indicated that she had sacrificed her own … Read more
Themes Greed Greed is the main evil force that the parable is meant to warn against. The doctor is greedy and only treats Coyotito after hearing of Kino’s pearl. The pearl dealers are greedy and want to trick Kino into selling his pearl for less than it’s worth. The town’s people are Kino’s neighbors in … Read more
Nora: Nora is the main character of the play, she is married to Torvald Helmer. At first, Nora is depicted as being playful, almost childlike, and lacking of the ways of the world outside of her sitting room window. She does possess some experience, however, evident in her small acts of rebellion that are used to … Read more
Prince Hamlet has been summoned home to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral. He is in a state of mourning and despair over the death of his father. He is further disturbed that his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married his uncle, Claudius, who is also the brother of the late king. Hamlet sees this as … Read more