Monday, March 7, 2011

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

Marriage and Relationships

Women
Differences

Mrs. Hale is a very neat woman whom likes everything to be in order and doesn't like to leave things undone. She seems very strong and confident. Mrs. Peters seems more timid and much weaker than Mrs. Hale, but she also seems to be more quiet and compassionate as well. Minnie was unhappy with her life. She had had so much more before she had married and wanted some of what she had back.
Mrs. Mallard was a young woman whom had a heart condition. She seemed to be abandoned when she heard the news of her husband's death and overwhelmed with grief but later was ecstatic about her new found freedom.

Similarities
Both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters seemed to be observant and were convinced that Minnie had indeed murdered her husband merely out of loneliness and unhappiness.

Minnie and Louise both wanted to be free from the life they had, free from their husbands and they both ended up that way in the end with Minnie in jail and Louise dead.

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Men

Differences
The men in A Jury of Her Peers seem bias against the women and are convinced that Minnie committed this horrible crime right from the beginning without any evidence to speak of.
Richard just seems genuinely concerned about how Louise is handling the news of her husband's demise.

Similarities


In both the stories, not much is said about the husbands, but assumed through the lives of the wives. Only enough was said that made me believe that both the wives were not that happy with their lives and both had wished they had more to look forward to in the future without their husbands.

It seems to me like in both stories the wives feel trapped in their marriages and just want a way out. It's sad that Minnie had to murder her husband to escape after she snapped after he killed her canary. It was also very sad that Louise had to die after seeing that her husband was still alive and that she would not have the freedom that she thought she would.

1 comment:

  1. I have been married for 27yrs. and my husband has never said a harsh word to me or laid a hand on me to harm me. He is a very gentle man. I do not know how I would handle being in a abusive marriage. I always say I would leave or kick him out. But, would I really be so strong or brave. There are a lot of woman who are afraid to do either one. I believe both woman lost what they wanted the most. Their freedom and their own lives. One in jail and one dead. Minnie had it the hardest. I think I would be like the two women that came to her house. She was wrong to kill him, but, He deserved it. Louise on the other hand seemed to have a good thing considering she was very sick. Maybe she should have left well enough alone.

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