Underlying Hamlet’s hesitation to avenge his father is an inability to reconcile nature, on the one hand, and faculties of reason, on the other.  While the contrast of nature and reason is thematic throughout the play, the topic becomes increasingly stark after Hamlet kills Polonius in the third Act. 

William Howells’ The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) is a successful application of literary realism with respect to the complex, dynamic, and relatable characters.  Howells layers his characters with faults and virtues and reveals limits that are unique to each of their strengths. 

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (1851) is a fantastical story that interweaves biblical allegory, worldview philosophy, and a sense of American diversity in one major epic sailing adventure.   Melville’s tale reads very much like a years-long stream of conscious perhaps not subject to much editing. 

Sara Orne Jewett, in The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896), depicts the intricate community and landscape in the fishing town of Dunnet, Maine.  Without adhering to a particular plot, Jewett instead embeds her female narrator into daily existence within Dunnet, which leads to an understanding of the rich history between the people and the land.