Michael Wheeler

James J. Hill was a railroad tycoon whose nickname was "The Empire Builder."  He used his wealth and influence to expand railroads in North America.  Mr. Gatz said that his son, like Hill, would...

Nick is the most dynamic character in the book.  In the beginning, he says that he is admired for his ablility to "reserve judgment," but by Chapter 9, he unleashes a barrage of scathing judgments...

It's not so much her significance as an individual as it is the significance of the scene in which she appears.  This scene is the catalyst for Willy's mental breakdown.  He has effectively blocked...

Linda puts the hose back because she wants Willy to take the hose off himself.  To confront him with the hose would be to insult him and his sense of pride.  Willy is a man who is concerned with...

Chapters 1-6 focus on Meursault's life and routine and help us understand his physical world and, to some degree, his thought process.  This culminates in Chapter Six and his decision to shoot the...