Tags: Christian allegory, tale of the sea, individual vs. society, good vs. evilThe Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel
Hawthorne,
published 1850
Genre: novel, romanticSetting: mid 17th century, Boston, MassachusettsMain characters: Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger ChillingworthMain Plot/Idea/Concept: A young woman whose husband is abroad, has an
affair and gives birth to a child out of wedlock. She is publicly shunned by her
Puritan society and forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” that stands for adulterer.
The father of the child cannot bring himself to admit his role and must deal with
his oppressive guilt.Tags: symbolism, morality, guilt, self-sacrificeThe Great Gatsby
by F. Scott
Fitzgerald,
published 1925
Genre: novel, novel of mannersSetting: summer of 1922, New York City and Long Island, New YorkMain characters: Nick Carraway (narrator), Jay Gatsby, Daisy BuchananMain Plot/Idea/Concept: Gatsby has accumulated a vast fortune so he may
earn the affections of a woman of the “upper class,” Daisy Buchanan, but his
mysterious past stands in the way of his being accepted by her.Tags: 1920s, disparity among social classes, decline of the American DreamThe Awakening by
Kate Chopin,
published 1899
Genre: novelSetting: 1899, Grand Isle, a popular summer vacation spot for wealthy Creoles
from New Orleans. The second half of the novel is set in New Orleans,
primarily in the French Quarter.Main characters: Edna Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, AdèleMain Plot/Idea/Concept: On vacation, Edna experiences a series of
realizations and begins a quest for independence and self-fulfillment, but social
conventions that limit her self-expression prove too much for her.Tags: feminism, self determination, power of self-expressionCatch-22 by
Joseph Heller,
published 1961
Genre: novelSetting: Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy, near the end of World
War IIMain character: John Yossarian, an Air Force captain and bombardierMain Plot/Idea/Concept: Yossarian struggles to stay alive, despite the many