New England town

opposing stances in the level of hope that they present to Ethan. Zeena surrounds Ethan with the overwhelming truth of how the desolation of Starkfield has seeped into their lives and the hopelessness of that fact is inescapable. Mattie, however, breathes new life into Ethan’s seemingly empty future and gives him the opportunity to finally seek a life filled with the happiness he has always envisioned, but has never had. The description that Wharton gives to the reader to sum up all of Zeena’s…

Woodhull was born in Setauket, Long Island to parents who were part of prominent families in Long Island. His normal life, during the revolution was farming at Long Island while taking care of his elderly parents. A while later Woodhull was looking to sell his land for money, but decided to trade with Britain. This was considered a serious offense for the Rebels, at the time. So, in consequence, Abraham was put in jail, but then released by Jonathan Trumbull, the Connecticut Governor, and was…

Hester Prynne set forth towards the place appointed for her punishment.” (Hawthorne 107-109). The scarlet letter is a representation of Hester’s shame after committing adultery. This symbol, a punishment device of sorts created by the elders of the town, is used to externalize the shame of the wearer, reinforcing the fact that the wearer sinned and punishing this person by exposing her inner shame. It also condemns her to exclusion from public approval and unprejudiced fraternization normal to…

With bountiful snowfall and harsh winters, Edith Wharton establishes an inhospitable setting for her piece of literature, Ethan Frome, which gives the book a frigid and depressing atmosphere. The cold nature of the book explains the protagonist’s, Ethan Frome’s, need to search for companionship in other people. The fear of existing alone and forgotten in the gelid winter appears to be too much to bear for Ethan Frome. He pounces on the first opportunity that arises and marries his mother’s…

Governor William Bradford was an influential man who wrote about his journey from England to the New World as well as his preparations of a colony for success. Bradford immigrated with the Pilgrims to New England in search of religious refuge from the Anglican church (“Pilgrims” Pilgrims). The Pilgrims believed that the church had not made enough reforms. Because the king became head of the church and the church and the state became a one, a corrupt order was created and did not follow Biblical…

gender and race in early America, and I believe that due to that and the advanced language used in this text that it is geared towards scholars. Brown chooses to narrow her focus to solely colonial Virginia, although she begins her text in Elizabethan England to trace some of the ideological views that were present in colonial Virginia. She draws an interesting line between the treatment of the Irish from the English to the treatment of Africans and Native…

It was a widely held belief that the frontier was open for the taking. A belief not only incorrect, but simply one of ignorance. Everell Flecher’s youthful imagination and inaccurate education in Hope Leslie is fractured and set straight by a single story. He learns from Magawisca, a captive Native American, that the frontier is made up of false images and stories and thus it has become this “imaginal place” (Schneekloth 210). Young Flecher was so caught up in what he thought was right that,…

The terrifying tales she 's heard of raids and attacks prove to be not as fearful in her eyes as the sharp weapons the Wampanoag carried, and she decides to test the fierce stories of abrasive savages that she has been told during her stay in New England. Although, the Wampanoag later perform actions that alter Mrs. Rowlandson 's preformed…

James Truslow Adams is responsible for coining the term “American Dream” in his book The Epic of America (Source E). Some may find it surprising that the book was published in 1931 because the idea of America’s unique, opportunist culture had been prominent since the country’s founding. However, several creators utilized this idea for central themes in their literary works long before it had a name. One of these people was F. Scott Fitzgerald, who published The Great Gatsby in 1925. In The Great…

In the article “The Treatment of the Indians in Plymouth Colony” written by David Busnell, focuses on the issues the Indians face with the English colonists around the 1600’s. Bushnell frequently discusses the negotiations of land and trade of goods between the Indians and English Colonists. Most importantly, he specifies how the trade and negotiations came about and how they were settled. The content in the article shows the controversial relationship of the English colonists and Indians…