Literature has always been the thread that has weaved together the times of the human race. The aesthetic work of the writers have transcended over the ravages of time to be immortalized in the history of literature. American literature exudes the artistic richness and triumphs over the heart of the gazillion readers across the globe with the quintessential works. The student of literature can very well trace the strong links between the various phases of literary works in the nation. There are thematic commonalities which bind the works together and explore the American society to the very core.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous writers who left an everlasting mark in the history of literature. His stories have been critically acclaimed and the avid readers across the globe have been in awe of his literary genius. The author talks about the transcendental power of death over life. He keeps the dead alive through memory. He reawakens the dead and shows how they return to the present. The narrator fails to escape the memories of his first wife in the story, Ligeia. At the same time, his second wife starts suffering from a mysterious illness. Poe goes on to let the memories of the narrator exert its force on the physical world. The author talks of the internal conflicts of the characters by the creation of alter-egos. In Willaim Wilson, the narrator has an imagined double. The sense of coherent identity of the narrator is challenged as it becomes impossible for him to avoid the unsolicited characteristics. The alter ego goes on to become the rival of the actual self. The narrator commits suicide to escape from this situation. Similarly, in the story, The Black Cat, the narrator is seen to change from being a gentle animal lover to a devilish cat-killer. As he kills the cat, the reincarnation of the deceased pet haunts the narrator’s conscience. The narrator fails to get over the feeling and turns insane, finally killing his wife.
Hemingway, a famous 20th century author, echoes the theme of death in his writings. Death looms over the writings either in the knowledge of its inevitability or the meaninglessness of trying not to die. In the stories, In Another Country, Fathers and Sons, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Capital of the World and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, death is omnipresent. The author is a nihilist and talks of his belief that it is futile to resist demise.
William Faulkner, the celebrated author, focuses on the conflict of the human heart. His writings show the constant friction between negativism, pessimism, cynicism and defeatism. He goes on to describe about the capacity of the human heart to win over fear, injustice, duplicity, and so on. He also focuses how the nature avenges on man. How human beings are helpless in front to fate and destiny is something that is recurrent in his works. He also explores the capacity of man being evil. He shows how the human heart transforms and destroys, being oblivious of everything that is good.
In Hawthrone’s novel, The Blithedale Romance, the author goes on focus on the theme of the unknown. Everything is veiled and is unclear at first. The uncertainty of things is the primary focus of the writer. Another theme is the sickness which is can be found throughout the novel.
Thus, these authors explore the American identity through their literary works. They look into the aspects of life and death. The inevitable end to life is a common thing which has been echoed in the works throughout. Also, the depths of human nature in the face of life have been explored. These quintessential works by these stalwart authors have left the common man thinking about the intricacies of life and the world.
Works Cited
American Passages: Literary Survey. Norton, 2003.
Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Sixth Edition. 2003.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Blithedale Romance. Bedford Cultural Edition, 1996.
