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Where the Heart Is Literary Precedents
Where the Heart Is connects strongly to a number of American literature pieces, especially those that explore a young woman/ artist's coming of age story. One of the most significant predecessors is Kate Chopin's 1899 novel The Awakening wherein the protagonist experiences artistic enlightenment and seeks freedom from the restrictive role of motherhood. Letts's novel also ties in with stories of Midwestern women forging a home as represented in novels by Willa Cather, specifically My Antonia. Eudora Welty's short story "Why I Live at the P.O."
is a precursor to Letts's use of an unusual living space. Women in both of these texts are temporarily displaced and seek a safe refuge from which to navigate the world.Essentially, Letts draws on the tradition of American literature to examine what it means to be American. She combines the classic frontier story with a quest for enlightenment while throwing...
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This section contains 186 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
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