Essay Undergraduate 1,399 words

The Meaning of "Home" in Frost, Hughes, and Alexie

~7 min read 6 sections Literature · Literary Analysis

Abstract

This paper examines how Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and Sherman Alexie each portray the deeper meaning of "home" through their respective works. Drawing on Frost's "The Death of the Hired Hand," Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord," and Alexie's "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," the paper argues that "home" is not merely a physical place but an abstract principle rooted in fraternal charity, belonging, and spiritual obligation. Through close reading and symbolic analysis — including the significance of the name "Mary" across two works and the contrast between characters who embody or deny charitable love — the paper traces how each author uses the concept of home to reveal something essential about human community and moral responsibility.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: Home as an Abstract Principle: Home defined as principle of belonging and charity
Fraternal Charity in Alexie and Frost: Jackson and Mary embody communal obligation
The Symbolic Significance of Mary: Shared name carries theological and thematic weight
Hughes and the Absence of Charity: Landlord circumvents spiritual law with earthly law
Warren, the Landlord, and the Limits of Deserving: Warren and landlord see home as earned, not given
Jackson's Spirit and the Spiritual Dimension of Home: Jackson's charity rewarded; home as spiritual journey

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What makes this paper effective

The paper develops a single, clear thesis — that "home" is grounded in fraternal charity — and applies it consistently across three different works, demonstrating genuine comparative literary analysis.
The symbolic reading of the name "Mary" across Frost and Alexie is an original and memorable interpretive move, connecting two texts through a shared theological resonance.
The contrast between characters who understand "home" (both Marys, Jackson) and those who do not (the landlord, Warren) gives the argument a coherent dialectical structure.

Key academic technique demonstrated

This paper demonstrates thematic comparative analysis: the writer identifies a single abstract concept ("home") and traces how multiple authors develop, embody, or subvert it. Rather than treating each work in isolation, the essay finds points of contact — shared character names, parallel moral situations, and echoing symbols — to build a unified argument across three distinct literary texts.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a framing quotation from Frost that defines the thesis, then uses Alexie's Jackson as an entry point into the principle of fraternal charity. It broadens outward through symbolic analysis (the Marys), then pivots to Hughes as a foil — a world where charity is absent. The final sections return to Frost's Warren and Alexie's Jackson to tie the spiritual dimension of "home" together, closing with the image of the Aleuts waiting for their ship as a summative symbol.

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Essay 1,399 words

Introduction: Home as an Abstract Principle

Robert Frost writes in "The Death of the Hired Hand", "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, / They have to take you in" (122–3). Implicit in these lines is the notion that "home" carries certain rules. "Home" is not just a place devoid of higher meaning, but an abstract idea — a concept bound by a principle of belonging, of submitting, of caring. Just as Langston Hughes shows in "Ballad of the Landlord" (with the tension between negligent landlord and suffering tenant), or as Sherman Alexie shows in "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" (Jackson sharing a portion of his winnings with Mary, whom he considers family — "It's an Indian thing"), the principles of "home" are understood and upheld by those who realize its deeper meaning. This paper analyzes the way these three works portray that deeper meaning.

5 Sections Hidden · 1,025 words

Fraternal Charity in Alexie and Frost270 words

Sherman Alexie's Jackson illustrates the main principle of "home" when he hands a fifth of his lottery winnings to the checkout girl who sold him the ticket. He insists that according to the rules of his tribe, "When…

The Symbolic Significance of Mary210 words

Is it a coincidence that both women — in Alexie's story and in Frost's poem — are named Mary? Does it mean something that both possess the name given to…

Hughes and the Absence of Charity185 words

In Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord", there is no such light, and the law of fraternal charity which serves as the foundation of "home" is circumvented by a landlord who calls upon earthly law to avoid having to follow the spiritual law that binds him as a provider of shelter. He refuses to fix the steps or patch the roof and…

Warren, the Landlord, and the Limits of Deserving175 words

Warren is similar to the landlord in this sense: he lacks the charity that Jackson has, or that both Marys have. He sees only what he stands to gain — or lose…

Jackson's Spirit and the Spiritual Dimension of Home185 words

Alexie's Jackson has the right heart and demonstrates it when, in the bar, he buys eighty shots of whiskey for all the Indians there. While he takes his time with his drink, he talks with…

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Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. "What You Pawn I Will Redeem." The New Yorker. 12 Apr. 2013. Web.

Frost, Robert. "The Death of the Hired Hand." Bartleby. 12 Apr. 2013. Web.

Hughes, Langston. "Ballad of the Landlord." GIS.net. 12 Apr. 2013. Web.

Key Concepts in This Paper

Fraternal Charity Concept of Home Symbolic Mary Hired Hand Ballad of the Landlord What You Pawn I Will Redeem Belonging Spiritual Law Comparative Literature Home and Family