Characters in American novels of the 20th century

Toni Morrison is a black African-American novelist of 20th C whose novels show and record a brief history of African-Americans of the early times of the 19thC. She became the first African-American to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Toni Morrison shows us the troublesome circumstances within which the slaves were forced to live, the dark aspects of humanity, and the destructions that are delivered to their lives through her novels. She has attempted to show the past of slavery,…

Trudier Harris is a modern feminist writer and a part of the African-American community. She writes commentaries about the feminist messages, or lack thereof, in popular writings. In one such review, quoted above, she criticizes Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, a seminal work of 20th century literature. Harris especially disapproves of the relationships of Janie, the novel’s protagonist, with various men. Although Harris is correct in that Janie is often outwardly passive,…

Rick Riordan relies on Bibliotheca for his characters and plot. In three books, it provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic legends.[11] Listed are the major characters in the series. Percy Jackson: age 12–16, demigod son of Poseidon; he is the protagonist of the series. Grover Underwood: age 28–32, equivalent to 14–16 in human development, Satyr, best friend of Percy. Annabeth Chase: age 12–16, demigod daughter of Athena, strong friend, and later, the girlfriend…

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom starring the animated Simpson family, which was created by Matt Groening. He conceived of the characters in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and named them after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show called The Simpsons, which debuted on December 17, 1989.…

What To Fight For Kindred by Octavia E. Butler asks the question of what a black woman from the 20th century would do if she was thrown back into the time of slavery. It is something many people have perhaps pondered in passing but Butler goes into detail on this question. Kindred is a revolutionary take on a slave novel because the main character is from the (relative) present. Many of Dana’s decisions are influenced on the fact that she has opinions and leanings because of her 1976…

Kate Chopin is an American author famous for her short stories and novels. Chopin was a woman ahead of her time. She sparked controversy with the way she portrayed women and marriage in several of her works, such as “The Awakening”, “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”. She was an independent thinker who fought, with words, for individuality among women. Many say that she laid the foundation for feminism. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, feminism is the belief that men and women…

The novel A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess, was originally published in 1962. It is a dystopian novel where the future is overrun with violence and crime. The main character, Alex, commits horrible crimes, such as rape and murder, with his group of friends. After breaking into a house, Alex is arrested and undergoes an experiment called Ludovico’s Technique while in jail. He can no longer make bad choices, and feels sick when he thinks about committing a crime. He is vulnerable,…

Imperialism is an infectious mindset; one that overtook the minds of the most powerful nations in the world in the late 19th and 20th centuries and is still present today. At the very heart of the principle, imperialism is racist. It is the belief that all white men are morally obligated to “help” (or rule) all non-white people groups of the Earth. At the time of the publication of Joseph Conrad’s book “Heart of Darkness,” “The White Man’s Burden” had just been released and Europe was entirely…

influential African-American writers in the 20th century. Born in Harlem, New York, Baldwin was raised under the influence of Christianity. Later in his life he recanted his conversion experience, and…

Unlike the 20th century, the 21st century strongly encourages the act of perusing the desire for something or someone. During a person’s early childhood, the child’s thoughts and feelings are not yet formed to be able to separate what is good and bad. Children’s minds can often be focused on what they might desire, rather than what is practically needed in their lives. In the short stories of “Araby” and “Winter Dreams”, they both describe young boys wishing for someone they are not able to…