oblackmon

In Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the Utopian society that thrives on the sacrifice of a single child is a poignant allegory for many timeless themes in literature such as...

"The Open Window" by Saki is a short story about a dual-layered practical joke a young woman (Vera) plays on an unsuspecting visitor. The plot points can be broken up according to the plot triangle...

In John Cheever's "The Swimmer," Neddy Merril relates to the world in a very detached way. Teddy considers himself to be one of value, and he decides to swim the county like a “pilgrim, an...

In Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," the primary conflict between retaining hope and the passage of time is played out as an old man sits in a cafe and two waiters discuss his...

In The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, we have details about only a few of the boys' lives before the island—and last names are rarely provided. We do not know Ralph's last name; the only...