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Archetypal themes in literature
Common themes in literature
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In the novel Paper Towns by John green, there are many themes or ideas that contribute to the storyline and effect the storyline. One of these is obsession, which is shown throughout the story. Obsession is an important idea within Paper Towns. From obsession with Margo, to individual characters obsession with material and non-material Items. Obsession effectively contributes to the plot. There is one obsession that stands out, which is Quentin’s obsession with Margo. This effects the novel in many different ways and in various different parts. Q has obsessed over the idea of Margo throughout his life and revolves around her while making personal decisions. He brings his friends into this obsession witch changes his thoughts slightly but not
much as his obsession is too strong to take other people thoughts into consideration. Lacy said “I am coming all this way to find her I wonder if she would do the same for me”. This made him think about his obsession but not very hard because he sees Margo as a perfect human being. This is not very smart of him, he risks losing his friends while being completely focused on her while gaining little while obsessing. He would be better off without the obsession of Margo because he would have more time and more motivation to develop better relationship with his friends. This is backed up towards the end of the novel when he finds Margo, She explains how she was also obsessed over Quentin as a child but did not intend to be found. He may have wondered about her for the rest of his life if he did not find her making it worth the journey but not the obsession. Obsession was well portrayed by the author he made me think if it was worth searching for Margo and readers of this novel will most likely make a better decision in real life if a similar situation was happening to them. Quentin’s obsession will make people think about themselves and if they have something similar possibly holding them back and how they can deal with it.
What do many important things “inevitably,” have in common? (Klosterman, 136) The answer to this question can be found in the essay “Being Zach Morris,” (Klosterman). In the essay, the author and narrator, Chuck Klosterman, provides anecdotes from his early adulthood. The topics discussed throughout the essay include Klosterman’s experience making mixtapes and the role of a once popular television series. The point of these anecdotes is to serve as proof of his theory that “important things are inevitably cliché,” (Klosterman, 136). A major theme present throughout the essay is psychoanalysis. To help the reader to better understand the anecdotes and why they were included, Klosterman analyses the thoughts and feelings of his peers, as well
In society, most people have an obsession to some extent, these may include such things as a hobby – collecting antiques; or even as simple as having to have things a certain way. For others though, obsession has a different meaning, they might become obsessed with one special object, or possibly attaining a certain goal. They might go about achieving this goal no matter what the consequences to others might be. Mordecai Richler’s book the Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, illustrates one such case of obsession, the title character, Duddy Kravitz becomes obsessed with his grandfather’s saying, “ ‘ A man without land, is nothing.’”, thus starting Duddy on his quest to attain a piece of land. Throughout his quest, Duddy has no regard for the feelings or the relationships he destroys in the process, weather it in his family relations, business relations, or even his personal relations to those that are closest to him.
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man depicts a realistic society where white people act as if black people are less than human. Ellison uses papers and letters to show the narrator’s poor position in this society.
The first indication of fear transpires as Teddy suspects his paper world would likely be interpreted as inappropriate by his uncle, creating anxiety and unease within him of being criticized. While awaiting his uncle’s reaction regarding his activities in the attic, Teddy was pondering “if his uncle saw them, or even destroyed them”, revealing Teddy’s worries of being exposed, fearing his uncle may label him as immature upon discovering it. Furthermore, Teddy is fearful of his paper world being discovered due to the fear that his enthusiasm for the world would fade if it were to be revealed, as he bears a strong obsession with it, and considers it his second world. He yearns for his uncle to disregard his paper world, as “Theodoresburg had been growing for a year, and often it seemed more real than the town …. in which he lived in.” Teddy feared his uncle would ruin his fixation with his paper world, regarding his it as an equivalent to the real world, which is indicative of Teddy’s immaturity, cherishing a world that does not exist. Teddy’s fear of his paper world being exposed to his uncle is conspicuous, as he is petrified of his uncle discovering it, symbolizing society’s expectation of
Preoccupations…are fixed ideas, not necessarily false (like delusions) but overvalued. They take on extraordinary importance and take up an ordinate amount of thought time. One idea often returns and returns…Characteristically, the worry grows and becomes unrealistic (par 16).
The first way (fundamentally) the texts show obsession through romantic desire. In ‘The Great Gatsby’, this desire is shown through the love that Gatsby possesses for Daisy and the pursuit of attempting to rekindle the love that they once felt for each other. This is shown (demonstrated) when it is stated that “their eyes met, and they stared together at each other, alone in space. With ef...
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, is a first-person narrative written in the style of a journal. It takes place during the nineteenth century and depicts the narrator’s time in a temporary home her husband has taken her to in hopes of providing a place to rest and recover from her “nervous depression”. Throughout the story, the narrator’s “nervous condition” worsens. She begins to obsess over the yellow wallpaper in her room to the point of insanity. She imagines a woman trapped within the patterns of the paper and spends her time watching and trying to free her. Gilman uses various literary elements throughout this piece, such as irony and symbolism, to portray it’s central themes of restrictive social norms
obsession, Orgon is mentally deaf and blind. Only when he hides under the table and hears
“The Yellow Wallpaper” tells the story of a woman who is trapped in a room covered in yellow wallpaper. The story is one that is perplexing in that the narrator is arguably both the protagonist as well as the antagonist. In the story, the woman, who is the main character, struggles with herself indirectly which results in her descent into madness. The main conflicts transpires between the narrator and her husband John who uses his power as a highly recognize male physician to control his wife by placing limitations on her, forcing her to behave as a sick woman. Hence he forced himself as the superior in their marriage and relationship being the sole decision make. Therefore it can be said what occurred externally resulted in the central conflict of” “The Yellow Wallpaper being internal. The narrator uses the wallpaper as a symbol of authenticy. Hence she internalizes her frustrations rather then openly discussing them.
Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens repeats a number of symbols and motifs. By employing these two literary devices throughout the duration of the story, Dickens is working to emphasize the importance of these specific components of the story. Motifs and symbols represent repeating ideas that help the reader to understand, as well as highlight the author’s central idea. Dickens employs the usage of symbols and motifs, such that by using both he adds a layer of significance and deeper meaning to actions, people, as well as objects. Additionally, by using symbols and motifs, Dickens is able to create a story in which both the characters, and the plot are interwoven.
“John is so queer now, that I don’t want to irritate him. I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don’t want anybody to get that woman out at night but myself.”(Gilman) She is now imagining the woman out of the paper and creeping around outside. She wants to catch her even though there is no one to even catch, but she doesn’t know that. Her husband is at work all day which gives her the opportunity to creep around, explore and find this woman. Her husband John would suspect her of something if she left the room at night so she must do it during the day. This quote shows symbolism in relation to the fact that the woman in the paper is symbolizing the narrator wandering around outside. Moreover, she is clearly hallucinating about this woman in wallpaper. Her visibility of insanity is quite clear when the author says, “That was clever, for really I wasn’t alone a bit! As soon as it was moonlight and that poor thing began to crawl and shake the pattern, I got up and ran to help her. I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.” (Gilman) The narrator is imagining interactions that have occurred with the woman she sees in the wall. They begin to peel off all the paper, working together in her mind. She then begins to imagine the wallpaper laughing at her when the sun is out. It can be concluded that her husband should not be taking care of her because he is the sole reason she is insane in the first place. This quote demonstrates symbolism because the woman in the wall represents the psychotic state that the narrator’s husband has driven her to. With this in mind, the narrator becomes connected with the woman in the wall. “I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path. I don’t want to go out, and I don’t want to have anyone come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him. I’ve got a
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the main themes surrounds the idea of defining obsession and classic obsessive behaviors. Obsession itself is a force of devastation for one’s social, personal, mental, and physical life. At one point, obsession must be a passion, of which has amazing side effects. The synonym, passion, may resemble obsession in the beginning, though the main difference between the two is that obsession consumes the life that it holds. In the end, obsession ruins us.
Obsessions are the unpleasant thoughts or impulses that cause the person with the disorder to have lots of anxiety and edginess. The thoughts may include things such as perfect order of things in a house, perfect hygiene, or the fear that they are going to hurt someone. Obsessions can be violent or sexual.
"Obsession is a commitment; you have to believe in it, because it soon takes you over." A chilling statement made by Pilar Vilades in a New York Times Magazine article regarding how time consuming an obsession can be. This is exceptionally true in cases of OCD. The human mind is truly one of this world's wonders, and watching how a person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder behaves will cause one to cherish sanity. However, even those who are considered sane experience their share of obsessive feelings in the more benign form of infatuation. Whichever word is used to describe it, the essence of both words resides in the dominance of one's mind by a single, reoccurring thought.
Signs of the depth of the narrator's mental illness are presented early in the story. The woman starts innocently enough with studying the patterns of the paper but soon starts to see grotesque images in it, "There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a...