Richard Wright’s novel Native Son focuses on the experiences of Bigger Thomas in 1930s Chicago. The book opens depicting the dilapidated living conditions that Bigger, his brother, sister and mother are subject to, as well as a fight with a rat. I believe that Wright chose to include the killing of the rat to serve as a metaphor for the systemic racism that pushes blacks to live lives of crime. The rat is meant to represent Bigger, who was born into a world in which scavenging was the only means for survival. However, being caught scavenging, or stealing, meant being crushed by a skillet, or electric chair.

Unquestionably, social inequality is the central theme of this novel. All of the violence, crime and death that advanced the plot of the story can be directly tied back to the way Bigger’s life had been dictated by forces out of his control. He is pressured into illegal activity to maintain even the negligible living conditions shown in the first chapter. Systemic racism is also shown to affect the psyche of Bigger. He is so afraid of being caught in Mary’s room by Mrs. Dalton that he smothers Mary to death attempting to quite her. Interestingly, it is people like the Daltons that keep race relations in their unstable state. They may offer limited help to blacks in the form of jobs or ping pong tables, but they ensure the continued existence of racist structures in society as shown by their ownership of the apartments Bigger and his family live in.

Daisy Buchannan is made to represent the lack of virtue and morality that was present during the 1920s. She is the absolute center of Gatsby’s world right up to his death, but she is shown to be uncaring and fickle throughout the novel. At first, I believed her to be immature based on her inability to take responsibility for her actions and decisions. However, I now feel that she simply prefers to ignore her problems because there is no need for her to worry about them because of the power money and charm have provided her.

Proof of Daisy’s glaring personality flaws can be seen in her indifference towards her child, the way she allows Gatsby to take the blame for Myrtle’s death, and her decisions involving Gatsby and Tom. Not only did she choose Tom over Gatsby for the sake of stability, after Gatsby’s death her and Tom move away leaving no address in order to separate themselves from these events. Gatsby is however blind to Daisy’s faults. He only sees her sophistication, wealth, confidence and beauty. That is what Gatsby learned to want growing up in rural North Dakota. He was removed from what he saw as the pinnacle of society. But being born James Gatz, he would have to use any means necessary to acquire the essence of what Daisy represented. The result is the corruption of his morals, and decision to make a living illegally.

Bellamy’s goal in writing Looking Backwards was chiefly to push forward his socialist beliefs. Based on the popularity of his work it is fair to say that he succeeded. He accomplished this by portraying a society that has shared capitol, while also not restricting individual freedoms. This was the key point that inspired the creation of nationalist political groups. In the nineteenth century, socialism was something that inspired worry in capitalistic societies. Despite this, Bellamy was able to successfully push his ideals by presenting them in a relatable way for his audience. Julian serves as the conduit for this by being an outsider in this society just as the reader is.

Bellamy also makes his ideas more palatable for his readers by including the sexism that was present during the nineteenth century. In his utopian world, women’s rights remain restricted. Each gender elects their own leaders, but men are the only ones capable of retaining the office of presidency. While women and men receive the same amount of credit each year, men remain fundamentally in control.

Bellamy also supports his ideas by pointing out positive changes in society. Equal opportunity for education and work practically eliminate crime from society. Also, with every job offering the same monetary gains, people choose jobs best suited for their skills. A direct result of this is the progression of art and literature, as the only factor dictating an artist’s success is talent.

Based on the world response to this novel, Bellamy was successful in his presentation of his views by fitting it to his audiences beliefs.

Throughout the novel nature is a constantly recurring theme. It is described in great detail, and always as a beautiful spectacle. Henry often spends time staring at different aspects of the woods which seems to calm him down. After he survived the first onslaught, Henry is relieved that his focus can shift towards appreciating the surrounding environment instead of focusing on fighting. The cracks of rifles and the explosions of artillery are also shown to be an interruption of the natural noises of the woods. Sounds of woodpeckers and insects are drowned out completely by the unnatural fighting taking place.

Red Badge of Courage is certainly anti-war. In providing a contrast between war and nature, Stephen Crane is pointing out the unnaturalness of war. In justifying his running away, Henry points out that it is instinct to run away from destruction. Henry specifically notes a squirrel fleeing before the colliding armies in order to protect itself, and suggests his running away was similarly justified. The question subtlety being asked here is whether or not war should be avoided at all costs. Destruction and death in such a large and organized fashion is a completely unnatural event. It is shown as an interruption in the natural order of the world. The question as to whether war is ever necessary or justified is complicated, but Stephen Crane seems to be arguing that it is not.

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin raises questions about the nature of freedom. In the beginning of the book, Eliza learns that her son Henry will be sold to a new master. She decides at once to take a huge risk and escape to Canada with her son. She succeeds in evading Mr. Haley, and makes it to Canada securing freedom for herself and her son. She was able to accomplish this because she had not been broken when compared to other characters such as Tom. Tom is a loyal honest man, but he has lost the spirit that Eliza shows in her split-second decision to save her family by escaping.

Eliza maintains a fighting spirit that the institution of slavery is designed to strip away. Tom has no fighting spirit. This combined with his naturally compassionate disposition results in his destruction. Instead of running away in the face of the severe cruelty of Simon Legree, Tom stays. Instead, he encourages other slaves to escape which results in his violent end. I believe there are two distinct types of freedom portrayed in this book. One is the typical definition of not having a master and being able to do what you want. The other is purely mental and much more difficult to take away. It is having the courage to say no and act on that instinct. This mental freedom is what Tom did not poses, while Eliza did. This was the difference between these two characters, and the reason Eliza survives.

In both A Dialogue Between An Englishman and an Indian, and The Candidate satire is used to create a commentary on different aspects of American society in the revolutionary era. A Dialogue Between An Englishman and an Indian the Englishman is blatantly less of an intellect than the Indian. This undoubtedly reflects the negative opinion of English during this period. The Englishman initially speaks with certainty of the poor mental capacity and disposition of Indians, but his position is completely reversed by the Indian after only a few lines of dialogue. This short piece shows the shifting of opinion in America about Indians from savages, to well monored and intelligent.

The Candidate expresses the belief that the American system of elections will naturally result in the worthiest candidate winning. Being the worthiest includes many traits, however the theme that was most prevalent was this idea of not wanting to serve as a representative but being obligated to. In the opening lines of the play Wou’dbe states “Must I again be subject to the humors of a fickle crowd? Must I again resign my reason, and be naught but what each voter pleases? Must I cajole, fawn, and wheedle, for a place that brings so little profit?”(14) Mr. Worthy is also reluctant to cast his name, and in the end these are the two who win a landslide victory.

Although there are points throughout Captivity and Restoration which Mary portrays the Indians favorably, her overall opinion is that they are savages. Most of the book has to be read before an example of Indian kindness is provided. Mary is freezing and starving for almost all of her time as a captive. One night she meets an old woman who provides her with food, blankets and a seat near a fire, and tells her to come around whenever. This positive representation is by and large the exception. Constantly in Mary’s depictions of events, her captors are described as cruel, unstable and violent. In one instance, Mary was told to leave a wigwam but she refused because she thought it was not a good decision. Then immediately a man stood up and “drew his sword and told me he would run me through if I did not go presently.”(41) Mary goes on to say that she saw this same man walking around Boston years later “Under the appearance of a friend Indian”(41).

Clearly based on the amount of negative representations of Indians, Mary believes them to be savages, incapable of living harmoniously with whites. She does however believe that some Indians are capable of acting in an appropriate way. She refers to them as “friend Indians”. It took much of her time in captivity to meet a friend Indian but this doesn’t have to signify that most Indians are cruel. Perhaps the Indians that kept her were just less good hearted because they saw her as nothing more than a prisoner.