Essays on Willa Cather

HILLS LIKE ELEPHANTS. THE MAIN IDEA OF THE STORY AND ITS CONFLICTS.

Introduction:

background on both authors and texts

Summary of the text

Thesis statement: Jig and Paul being characters of different stories by different authors revolt against norms of the American patriarchal society in the first half of the 20th century.

The topic of homosexuality and alienation of the main character in “Paul’s Case”

Examples and explanations Summary of the issues discussed in the story and conclusion Difficulties of communication Examples and explanations summary of gender roles in the story

Symbols used in the story and their explanation

Examples and discussion Summary of use of form and content of the story Issues discussed in the story Discussion of the issues Summary of discussed issues ...

Paul’s Closed Case

The end is one of the most important parts of any piece of art. As such, Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case” would have benefitted from a change in its ending. As it stands, its last sentences is, “Then, because the picture-making mechanism was crushed, the disturbing visions flashed into black, and Paul dropped back into the immense design of things” (Cather, 1905, n.p.). In it, one can see how Paul commits suicide, ending his wild romp through New York City. Nevertheless, in the spirit of the tale, it would have been better for him to keep living, as ...

A Lost Lady

A Lost Lady is a novel by Willa Cather that was published in 1923. It is a pure classic by all means at it captured the dynamics of a vastly changing society. The period between the late 19th century and early 20th century was characterized by tussles for power, World War I and a serious redefinition of gender roles and culture. For the first time, the debate about slave trade was reaching a climax, with a new rejuvenation of the blacks and a hope that they will be able to vote within a very short time. The changes were ...

Many authors regard their work as being a single standalone piece of art. By this logic, it can be safe to assume that the authors work their literary pieces to stand out against similar genres of works. However, in some cases many different stories end up sharing the same motif and theme. In many cases like this, it is not because of two authors collaborating to come up with a theme, or lesson, to teach society but a stroke of luck. When forming their stories, authors use society around them to develop their characters, settings, and such so in ...

English Literature

Introduction Charlotte Brontë, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather created heroines who deal with issues of love and marriage. For the most part, men play a central part in all of their lives. The narratives are told from a variety of perspectives in the three novels. The endings differ substantively as well. Jane Eyre was first published in 1847 as a kind of autobiography. Jane is plain looking but filled with good sense and bravery. She triumphs over her cruel guardian and an inflexible social class order. When Jane becomes the governess in Edward Rochester’s house, she falls in love with ...

In Willa Cather’s short story “Paul’s Case,” the titular character has no shortage of problems – his middle-class malaise, his dissatisfaction with life as it is, and the frustration of the ideals of art not matching the mundane nature of his existence. However, one implicit, unspoken frustration he has is Paul’s sexuality, which is either latent or difficult to openly express in his life: “Central to the full experience of the story is recognition of the fact of Paul’s homosexuality, a ‘fact’ that is nowhere stated openly” (Summers 108). Combined with the aforementioned issues, it is no ...

Thesis Proposal

As a form of modern art in America, regionalism gained prominence in literature in the 1930s as writers labored to focus on particular issues specific to given geographical regions in their works. And while it continues to be a central subject for scholarly debates, its main works are mainly found among the late 19th century publications (Joseph, 206). Both Willa Cather and Richard Wright have explored this literary school of writing in their work My Antonia and Black Boy respectively. By splitting them into sections, the two authors were keen on focusing on specific aspects of particular regions. Richard Wright ...