All college-level literary analysis essays are written in present tense. Let’s say you are writing an essay about The Great Gatsby. As you explain about Jay Gatsby and his world, you must use present tense sentences.
Jay Gatsby is fascinated by Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, a self-absorbed woman, cares little about others. Nick, the character who narrates the book, refers to Daisy and her husband as “careless people.”
Notice the highlighted present tense verbs in the sentences above. This is the way a writer will use present tense verbs in a formal lit-analysis essay.