Literary work Major characters Themes Conflicts Movement

The Things They MAJOR Isolation Protagonist Modernist

Carried CHARACTERS
Language Tim O’Brien, the author and a Vietnam
Tim O’Brien Veteran, is the protagonist in this novel.
Truth Throughout the book he reflects on his
Lt. Jimmy Cross experiences in an effort to bring about a
Courage sense of redemption.
Kiowa
Redemption Antagonist
Norman Bowker
MOOD In this man versus himself conflict,
Azar O’Brien is also the antagonist. He struggles
with his own feelings of guilt, hatred and
Rat Kiley cowardice. He inwardly loathes himself for
having reported to the draft, and labors to
. understand why he lives through the war
while so many around him died.

Climax

The inner conflict reaches its peak when

O’Brien returns with his daughter to the
field where Kiowa died. He submerges his
body in the muck as a form of baptism,
symbolizing a new beginning. As he buries
Kiowa’s sandals in the muck, he is
symbolically unloading the grief and
resentment he has carried over the years.

Outcome

With the resolution of conflict, O’Brien

 stops fixating on what kind of man he
might have become if he had not been
drawn into the war. He also comes to
understand the role of stories in shaping his
view of the past, communicating truth, and
paying homage to fallen comrades.
The Handmaid’s Offred Power
Tale
The Commander Sexuality

Serena Joy The Place of the Individual

in Society
Moira
Feminism

The Power of Language

Moral Relativism

Gender conflict
Hamlet Hamlet Revenge Protagonist

Claudius Appearance vs. reality The protagonist of the play is Hamlet,

Prince of Denmark. When the play opens,
Gertrude Hamlet has been summoned from the
University at Wittenberg on account of the
Ophelia sudden death of his father, who supposedly
died from snakebite. He returns to find that
Polonius his mother has already wed his father's
brother. The hasty marriage and sudden
death cause Hamlet a considerable degree
of unhappiness. His trouble is intensified
when the Ghost of his dead father tells him
his death was not accidental; instead it was
a murder carefully perpetrated by his own
brother Claudius, the new King of
Denmark. The Ghost asks Hamlet to
avenge his death. Hamlet struggles with the
duty left to him, unsure of how to proceed.
In the end, he does exact vengeance, but at
the cost of his own life and the lives of
those dearest to him.

Antagonist

Claudius is Hamlet's antagonist and the

villain of the play. He begins his evil deeds
by murdering his own brother (Hamlet's
father), then marrying his widowed wife
(Hamlet's mother). Hamlet learns from the
ghost of his father that Claudius is the
murderer; as a result, he spends the entire
play trying to gain his revenge against
Claudius. When Claudius realizes that
Hamlet has begun to suspect him, he
arranges to have the Prince killed. When
his first plan fails, he creates several back-
up plans with the assistance of Laertes, a
hasty and impulsive young man whose
sister Ophelia has been in love with
Hamlet. Though his plot succeeds in killing
Hamlet, he also dies in the final moments
of the play. Hamlet stabs him, then forces
 him to drink poisoned wine.

The Awakening Edna Pontellier Awakening from the slumber Awakening from the slumber of patriarchal
of patriarchal social social convention is the main theme of the
Léonce Pontellier convention is the main theme book. Edna must rouse herself from the life
of the book. Edna must rouse of dullness she has always lived. What she
Robert Lebrun herself from the life of dullness awakens to, however, it is so much larger
she has always lived. What she than herself that she ultimately cannot
Mademoiselle Reisz awakens to, however, it is so manage the complexity of it.
much larger than herself that
Madame Adèle she ultimately cannot manage The artist's ability to create herself is
Ratignolle the complexity of it. another theme. Can Edna do it? Life's
paradoxes are so huge, and Edna's
Alcée Arobin The artist's ability to create experience so limited, that the question
herself is another theme. Can fuels the book's plot.
Edna do it? Life's paradoxes
are so huge, and Edna's Awakening sexuality is another often-
experience so limited, that the discussed theme. Edna, during the course
question fuels the book's plot. of the story, comes to physical awakening.
Tragically, it is not through someone she
Awakening sexuality is another loves, and this devastates her. When sexual
often-discussed theme. Edna, awakening comes with the object of her
during the course of the story, desire, Robert, it is short-lived. The
comes to physical awakening. intensity
Tragically, it is not through
someone she loves, and this
devastates her. When sexual
awakening comes with the
object of her desire, Robert, it
is short-lived. The intensity
Brave New John the Savage Advancement of science as it The conflict of the novel is between
World affects the human individuals utopianism and primitivism, or between a
Mustapha Mond world run efficiently by science and a
human one where culture and spirituality
Bernard Marx survive, though not without want and
misery. The book is also about the dangers
Lenina Crowne and limitations of a totalitarian government
and explores the dilemma between science
Helmholtz Watson and religion, as well as between mysticism
and
Linda

The Stranger Mersault Protagonist
The Prosecutor Mersault is the protagonist and
narrator of the novel. He is a
The Chaplain young shipping clerk living in
Algiers. Because he befriends
Raymond his neighbor, Raymond Sintes,
he is drawn into a conflict with
Marie Cardona a group of Arabs.
Antagonist
Mersault’s greatest antagonist
is himself. He lives life with
detachment and lack of
emotion. When he shoots an
The major theme of the novel is the
absurdity of life, as evidenced by the life
and death of Mersault. He works as a
shipping clerk performing monotonous and
mundane tasks, which he does not like. He
tries to fill his weekends with activity, but
often finds himself walking around his
apartment, smoking, and staring out into
his neighborhood. When he does form a
relationship with Marie, it has no meaning
to him. He tells her that he can never love
her, for love is too vague of an emotion; he
will, however, marry her if she insists.
His relationship with Raymond is equally
absurd. Even though he knows his neighbor
Arab, partially in self-defense,
he condemns himself by
refusing to show emotion or
remorse.
On another level, Raymond
and the Arabs are also
antagonists, for they draw
Mersault into the conflict that
leads to his downfall and
execution.
Climax
is a violent pimp, he allows himself to
become involved in his problems, for he
feels it makes no difference. In the end, he
winds up killing the brother of Raymond’s
Arab girlfriend, even though he did not
really intend to murder him. Since he
shows no remorse or emotion over the
murder of the Arab, the death of his
mother, or anything else in life, the jury
decides that Mersault is unfit to live and
convicts him to death by the guillotine. His
absurd existence comes to an absurd end.

The climax of the book is

reached when the jury delivers
its verdict: Mersault is to be
decapitated by guillotine in a
public place. Although the
reader realizes in the sixth
chapter of Part I that Mersault
is certain to be found guilty,
since he killed an Arab and
then fired four bullets into the
dead body, the suspense builds
until his sentence is
pronounced in the fourth
chapter of Part II.

Outcome

The Stranger ends in tragedy

 when Mersault is sentenced to
die by the guillotine. His lack
of emotion and his detachment
about life convince the jury
that his life should not be
spared.

Death of a Willy Loman The Dangers of Modernity

Salesman
Linda Loman Gender Relations

Biff Loman MadnessCult of Personality

Happy Loman Nostalgia

Charley Opportunity

Ben Loman Growth

J. Alfred "The Love Song of J. Conflict with major characters Prufrock is full of self-doubts, with a
Prufrock Alfred Prufrock" is a pessimistic outlook on his future, as well as
lyrical, dramatic the future of society and the world. This
monologue of a pessimistic view renders him unable to
middle-class male declare his love to the unnamed woman. He
persona who inhabits describes himself as "almost ridiculous,"
a physically and "almost … the Fool." Although aware of
spiritually bleak the possibility of personal fulfillment,
environment. The Prufrock is afraid to act, unable to claim for
title of the poem is himself a more meaningful existence. The
misleading since it is poem also contains numerous biting images
 neither a love poem of the industrial land-
nor a song in the scape with its insidious "yellow fog,"
classical sense. "narrow streets," "lonely men in shirt-
Approximately 130 sleeves," and "soot that falls from
lines long, it follows chimneys." "Prufrock" is also replete with
the ramblings of J. classical references to such literary and
Alfred Prufrock, the historical figures as John the Baptist,
would-be suitor of an Lazarus, and Hamlet and to the literary
unnamed and works of Hesiod, Andrew Marvell, Dante,
nebulously developed and Jules Laforgue.
woman. While Eliot
provides little
description of
Prufrock's person, he
does reveal a great
deal about Prufrock's
personality and state
of mind.
Everyday Use Maggie 1. The theme of the story The story concerns a rare visit Dee pays to
concerns the way different her mother and sister, after a long absence.
Mama individuals understand their As she waits for her daughter, Ms Johnson
culture in relation to their reflects on how much Dee hated her home
Dee present life. life when she was a child--so much that the
2. The main theme in this story author hints that she set fire to the house,
Asalamalakim concerns the characters’ nearly killing Maggie and physically
connections to their ancestral scarring her for life. After the fire, Ms
roots. Johnson raised money through the local
3. The theme of the story is church to send Dee away to school.
“People should relate their Maggie, however, remained at home and
culture to their modern learned traditional skills from her family.
lifestyle. At the time of the story, she is preparing to
4. The theme of the story is marry a local farmer.
two sisters coping with each
other in everyday life, who are
very different from each other.
5. People who worry too much
about the materialistic side of
life sometimes forget the
meaning of living.
6. The theme of the story
concerns how culture relates to
individual differences.
Dee arrives wearing a gorgeous wrapper
and accompanied by a young American
Muslim man whose name Ms Johnson can't
pronounce. Dee offers an African phrase of
greeting, then, like a tourist, immediately
starts snapping polaroids of her mother and
sister and their house.
The main purpose of the visit, it turns out,
is to appropriate some of the family's
belongings, which Dee wants to turn into
museum pieces. First, she claims the top of
the butter churn, still full of clabber, saying
she's going to make the top of it into a
centerpiece and do "something artistic"
with the dasher. Maggie winces at this
because she loves the churn and knows its
whole history, but she barely protests.
Dee, however, is not finished yet; next, she
asks for her grandmother's old patchwork
quilts. Ms Johnson demurs, saying she has
already promised the quilts to Maggie as a
wedding gift. Dee angrily protests that
Maggie will ruin the quilts by spreading
them on beds--by putting them to
"everyday use." Puzzled, the mother
wonders what else you would do with
quilts. "Hang them" replies Dee. Maggie
tells Dee that she can take them, Maggie is
used to never getting what she wants
anyway so this was not anything different.
 But Maggie is really sad about giving the
quilts away to Dee, because Maggie
actually cared about the quilts. Maggie
helped her grandmother make them. Ms
Johnson and Maggie also worked hours on
those quilts and so the quilts are really
important to Maggie.

Ms Johnson looks at Maggie standing in

the doorway, miserable but already
resigned to her loss. In a sudden rush of
almost religious feeling, she snatches the
quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie.

Dee snaps, absurdly; "Your problem is you

don't understand...your heritage!" and
leaves. Maggie and her mother, relieved,
spend the rest of the day dipping snuff and
enjoying each other's company.
Hills Like White The Man Confronting the Future
Elephants
A young American Inability to Communicate
man, unmarried, who Effectively
waits with a girl in a
railway station in Selfishness
Spain.
Too Much of a Good Thing
The Girl
Evasion of Responsibility
Referred to by the
young man as “Jig,”
she is trying to decide
 whether or not to
have an abortion; she
slowly becomes
increasingly angry as
the young man
minimizes her
dilemma.

The lottery Mr. Graves, the The story contrasts commonplace details of
postmaster, is another contemporary life with a barbaric ritual
major character in the known as the "lottery." The setting is a
story; like Mr. small American town (population of
Summers, he also has approximately 300 and growing) where the
a leading role in the locals display a strange and somber mood,
annual lottery, which from which unusual things can evidently be
explains his social observed, like children gathering stones, as
standing in the town. they gather on June 27 for their annual
He helps Mr. lottery. After the husband from each family
Summers make the draws a small piece of paper, one slip with
lottery slips and he a black spot indicates the Hutchinson
stores the black box family has been chosen. When each
where all the slips are member of that family draws again to see
kept in either his barn which family member "wins," Tessie
or in the post office Hutchinson is the final choice. She is then
every now and then. stoned to death by everyone present,
His very name, Mr. including her own family, as well as both
Graves, implies grave the young men and young girls as a
and death, which is sacrifice to ensure a good harvest,
also a theme of the according to the belief of the community.
story. The
punishment for the
winner of the lottery
is to be stoned to
death; his name,
especially since he is
an official of the
lottery, implicates this
idea.

Mr. Martin has an

economic advantage
in the town because
he is a grocer. He is
also an important
character because,
like Mr. Summers
and Mr. Graves, Mr.
Martin also holds a
leading role in the
lottery. He and his
children help steady
the black box at the
lottery. It is very
important to note that
the people who are in
charge of the lottery
are also those who
are socially dominant
in the town because
social division is the
central theme of the
story.

Mrs. Tessie
Hutchinson is also a
major character in the
story; yet, in a
different aspect from
the other major
characters that have
economic and
political advantages.
She is the winner of
the lottery, and
consequently gets
stoned by the
villagers, including
her family members.
Her late arrival to the
lottery is justification
for her fate, and it is
an important symbol
in the story. The
lottery is an old
ritual, designed to
punish the most
unproductive person
in town. People in the
town believe
unconsciously that
their commitment to
a work ethic will
eliminate them from
being selected in the
lottery. Thus, Mrs.
Hutchinson’s late
arrival to the lottery
 suggests her
unpunctuality and
lack of work ethic,
which is why she
wins the lottery.
D.H. Lawrence
(Give Her
Pattern)
Barbie Doll
Tragedy and the
Common Man
The Story of an
Hour
Sunday Morning