Bruce Jay Friedman

The necklace is a story written with the intent of the combination of greed, vanity, forbidden desire and wealth. It was written by a famous writer named Guy De Maupassant. The talented writer was born in 1850 and died in 1893. Because of his unique style, he was considered one of the best and most famous writers in the 19th century. Mr. Maupassant succeeded in writing 30 volumes, 300 stories, traveling books, articles and poems. Today, I felt fortunate to have read one of the many short stories…

Andrew Niccol presents Gattaca as a world destroyed by the pursuit of perfection and raises the question of what it means to be human. Niccol explores how personal identity and happiness are destroyed by pursuing perfection through the characters of Irene, Vincent and Jerome. Irene and Vincent struggled with their personal identities because of their genetic imperfections and Eugene suffered from the burden of perfection. Nonetheless, Niccol shows that these issues with perfection and…

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist known for his depiction of the Jazz Age. In his short story, “The Four Fists,” he wrote about a wealthy, arrogant, spoiled, young man named Samuel Meredith who have undergone significant changes as he learns valuable life lessons. Authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald accomplish character development through physical appearance, speech and actions, reaction of the character to other characters, and the character's inner thoughts and feelings. Authors…

Does a story have to follow the stereotypically normal idea of only one or two main characters? Manuel Puig did not think so when he was writing Heartbreak Tango. Heartbreak Tango follows the lives of a group of friends where three main themes come up. These three themes affect every decision the main characters make throughout the story. Both men and women have the same short term goal, sex, however women do tend to focus on getting married. The first instance of this is when Nene “finally…

“The Devil and Tom Walker” and “The Devil and Daniel Webster” are both brilliant literary works that present the danger of greed and the misuse of wealth. Through the main characters’ follies and rash decisions, it sets up the story to give the readers an idea on how quickly wealth can become bad. Both short stories include the Devil and views of wealth; however, there are numerous differences within the text. Alongside the differences, there are also many similarities. Throughout the story many…

The main character Truman Burbank lives happily in a small town, surrounded by water called Seahaven. He lives in happy life with a good job and kind wife until he starts to suspect that his life is a fake. The town Seahaven is a extremely big hollywood studio, which can be seen from space, where the world’s most famous reality show is recorded, The Truman Show is broadcasted to the entire world all the time. The main character of the show is Truman, who doesn’t know that his life is fake and…

The Great Gatsby is a sad story about the unattainable American Dream. A story about love, sadness, and destruction. Which if you ask me that's what all great stories have in common. And what they all have in common with the American dream. Destruction is a common theme it seems by trying to get more of something they want they must destroy something else. Either happiness or money two thing everyone tries to get but only ended up getting one or the other successfully. For instance Tom and…

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has been cherished and revered by a consistently large audience for many decades. So how has a novel, published 205 years ago, continued to remain relatable and relevant in modern society? The universal themes of Pride and Prejudice on both the interpersonal and societal levels, such as love, marriage, and class, keep people constantly returning to the story, but in addition, it is Austen’s light, crisp, and direct telling of both characters and plot that yields…

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen, 1813, p. 1). 
Pride and Prejudice is English Author Jane Austen’s second book, first published in 1813. Over 200 years later, this book on the social life and practices in early 19th century England still holds a strong relevance in our lives. The book revolves around the everyday antics of the Bennet family’s five daughters, hilariously foot-in-mouth mother and slightly…

Gatsby set himself on a self-destructive crusade to destroy yet recreate the past. The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald is about Jay Gatsby who uproots his entire life to around his personal quest to be reunited with his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby’s mission takes him from poverty to wealth, to a reunion with his beloved, and to his tragic death. The story of Gatsby is the story of a man who is pinned between an ever-consuming shame and immense guilt. Gatsby is ashamed of the fact that…