Research Paper on:
Contemporary American Novel

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
normalcy to do so. Others will conform regardless of their own wishes. Still others will go to great lengths to be seen as being outside the norm while  in the process of becoming a success by the very standards they wish to negate. The theme of Americanization is one that encompasses a great many aspects and is  defined in different ways by different people. The student may want to consider what they feel is uniquely American and then build on that idea. Americans have a  propensity to cheer for the underdog. This is a part of the American society that values diversiy and honors the ability to overcome adversity, whether it is personal, social  or an event that can be seen as a moment in time. Oftentimes, Americanization refers to the process of the jeremiad, or a moral to a story that  is centered on misfortune and yet holds hope for the future. It is a stumbling along the path to perfection that allows for the person to become better than  what they were to begin with. This type of Americanization is often seen in novels such as Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck, All The Kings Men by Robert  Penn Warren, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and The Age Of Innocence by Edith Wharton. All of these novels include an event that is  considered to be a misfortune and which the character or characters must overcome. Sometimes the book is rife with such circumstances. Consider, for instance, The Grapes Of Wrath  by John Steinbeck. The Joads, as a family, are in contention with nature, society and with the need to overcome the poverty brought about by environmental factors. Each