The Real Thing

The Narrator begins the story trying to find the perfect models to paint.  When he meets the Monarchs, he believes he has finally found "the real thing." The narrator begins to see that sometimes "the real thing" isn't as good as it was made out to be.  I think the biggest change we see in the narrator's outlook on life is that he begins to realize that everyone is not the person they want you to believe they are.  The narrator ends the story with a line that essentially means he is okay with not being paid for his artwork, because the experience he has just had is more valuable.

Mr. Poe,

After reading your new short story, The Black Cat, i find it very pessimistic and hard to understand why you find people to be born with inherent evil.  Your characters show that you believe people can be perfectly sane and still be bad people just because they were born evil. The narrator in your story becomes belligerent and violent when he drinks. He beats his wife and animals when he drinks, but not just because he is drunk, but also because he has the power and ability to do it.  In regards to the narrators cats, I feel that there may be a deeper meaning behind the cats, and that the cat possibly is a symbol for issues you see in today's society.  Any response or comments from you would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Nathaniel Hawthorne

What is American Literature?

       American literature is anything composed by an American author from any time period.  Some of the greatest American writers and greatest pieces of American Literature are from the early colonial time in America. American Literature consists of incredible pieces of writing from The Declaration of Independence all the way to horror novels by the author, Steven King.  American literature not only consists of books, but many letters, such as the Declaration of Independence.  Among the most famous American authors are F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and many more.  These men have all composed works that have influenced generations of readers both old and young. Perhaps one of the most talented American poets was Benjamin Franklin.  Ben Franklin is a great example of an American author because Franklin had a way with words that was rare to find in colonial America.  Franklin’s literary skills were implemented in his letter writing to Generals, British Leaders, and also when writing soon to be historical documents.  The collections of writing that are American literature were originally inspired by the oppression from the British, but these literary pieces have grown to become some of the most influential pieces of writing in history.