In the following essay, Barlow contends, against widespread opinions to the contrary, that dramatic realism is a useful mode for social commentary and criticism, using Hellman's The Little Foxes as an example.

In the following essay, Lenker argues that the major theme of The Little Foxes and Another Part of the Forest is the crippling effects of family violence.

In the following essay, Watson argues against the prevailing contemporary judgement of The Little Foxes as oversentimentalizing the postbellum American South, noting instead that the play is an astute critique of the New South's ultimate sterility of spirit.