ipl-logo

Compare And Contrast Hills Like White Elephant And The Story Of An Hour

1004 Words5 Pages

The Female Desire to be Free The story takes in place in the 1920’s. During that era, women were living under the influence of men. They were not so free to make decisions for themselves without being judged upon by society. Seeing a pregnant woman who was unwed was viewed upon negatively.In both The Story of an Hour and Hills Like White Elephants, the authors Kate Chopin and Ernest Hemingway describe women and the desire to express themselves and be free and how men influence their decision making. Women strive for a sense of freedom and independence and have the yearning to convey themselves freely. In Kate Chopin’s and Ernest Hemmingway’s stories, the authors suggest the two female main characters in their stories feel suppressed for liberty. Louise Mallard in The Story of an Hour is sick and very lonely. She is …show more content…

Mallard, and the girlfriend want to communicate how they feel and do not want to be constrained. Chopin was a feminist which encouraged her to write The Story of an Hour. Women do not want to feel possessed and want to be self-asserted (Chopin, 2004). Women are told to respect their marriages and must abide to society. Mrs. Mallard feels free of duties when she understands that her husband has deceased. Chopin may suggest that Mrs. Mallard feels restricted to live her life with a partner in her life. Hemmingway does not reveal the thoughts of the characters leaving readers at suspense. Readers must interpret what is going on between the girlfriend and her boyfriend in Hills Like White Elephants (Hemmingway). The white elephants in his story represent fertility. Both the woman and her boyfriend struggle to speak of abortion. It is a sensitive topic and may even not be accepted in society. The woman is apprehensive and does not know what will happen next if she does decide to get an abortion (Norton). The relationship between the characters shows that the woman depends on the man’s approval but also seeks acceptance and

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Story Of An Hour And Hills Like White Elephants

    1006 Words  | 5 Pages

    In “Story of an hour” and “Hills Like White Elephant” they both strive for a different kind of freedom but at the end, they share similar goal which to be free again. In Kate Chopin’s story, freedom is brought to Louise in an awful way; the death of her husband. Which came as a news from her delicate sister, who was tiptoeing around

    Read More

  • Allegory In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

    1913 Words  | 8 Pages

    Allegories are used for many reasons, such as debating about politics, or create moral meanings, but what intrigues me is that authors are able to express their ideas on controversies going on in the world with their stories, at the same time, it give a better context to the story, and give a peek of how it would feel if the reader was in the situation, just with an allegory. Kate Chopin, most assumedly, was a supporter of the feminist movement, and she showed her support of the women’s movement through her allegories, for example her short story “The Story of an Hour.” "Story of an Hour” starts out with Richard, Brently Mallard’s friend, came home with terrible news that Louise Mallard’s husband, Brently Mallard died in a train accident.

    Read More

  • Comparing Story Of An Hour And Sweat By Zora Neale Hurston

    1184 Words  | 5 Pages

    Someone who will cherish them for all eternity. In a close examination of the way Louise Mallard, the protagonist of “The Story of an Hour”, and Delia, the protagonist of “Sweat”, react to their encounters with their marriages demonstrates that authors Kate Chopin and Zora Neale Hurston both use short stories to tell similar stories about the difficulties of their emotional states in their marriages. First, it is seen that Louise Mallard is an unchanging character who values her freedom from her marriage. Throughout the story it becomes obvious how self-centered Louise Mallard is.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literary Analysis “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to the sudden death of her husband. Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as sad, yet happy that her husband has been killed. Kate Chopin’s “ The Story of an Hour” argues that when a person is controlled and made to live under another person their mental state of mind is affected. The story also argues that when that person is freed from the controlling person their true self can finally be achieved. Kate Chopin portrays these themes by the use of character development; plot control, and irony throughout the story.

    Read More

  • The Awakening And Story Of An Hour Analysis

    822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Kate Chopin 's novel The Awakening and the short story “The Story of An Hour” feminist beliefs overshadow the value in moral and societal expectations during the turn of the century. Due to Louise Mallard and Edna Pontellier Victorian life style they both see separating from their husband as the beginning of their freedom. Being free from that culture allows them to invest in their personal interest instead of being limited to what 's expected of them. Chopin 's sacrifices her own dignity for the ideal of society’s expectations. Chopin 's sad, mysterious tone seems to support how in their era, there was a significant lack of women 's rights and freedom of expression.

    Read More

  • Story Of An Hour Character Analysis Essay

    940 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates the personal growth of the dynamic protagonist Louise Mallard, after hearing news of her husband’s death. The third-person narrator telling the story uses deep insight into Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions as she sorts through her feelings after her sister informs her of her husband’s death. During a Character analysis of Louise Mallard, a reader will understand that the delicate Mrs. Mallard transforms her grief into excitement over her newly discovered freedom that leads to her death. As Mrs. Mallard sorts through her grief she realizes the importance of this freedom and the strength that she will be able to do it alone.

    Read More

  • Hills Like White Elephants

    554 Words  | 3 Pages

    Known to be a minimalist writer and a master of dialogue (Cliffnotes), Ernest Hemmingway wrote many short stories, among them is “Hills like White Elephants”. The short story is simply a conversation been a man and a woman in a bar at a train station, but, Hemmingway’s unique writing style creates an opportunity for the reader to ‘read between the lines’ in order to fully understand the purpose of the story. Timothy D. O’Brein’s feministic analysis successfully studies the theme of nature vs. man-made which contributes to the greater understanding of the conflict in the story. “Hill like White Elephants” is a story of a woman (nature) fighting against the power of man (artificial).

    Read More

  • Self-Identity And Freedom In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Self-Identity and Freedom The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s story argues that an individual discovers their self-identity only after being freed from confinement.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    1124 Words  | 5 Pages

    Chopin clearly states that women felt that they lost their freedom and that they were just mere prisoners of marriage. Mrs. Mallard’s tragedy is a good example to understand that women were unhappy and depressed, since society forced them to play a secondary role, where happiness and independence cannot be achieved. Kate Chopin, in reality, lost her husband, and perhaps she wrote ‘The Story of an Hour’ to tell that she could not find freedom with her husband’s death, and that the character’s fate was the only possible way to find it, not only for herself but for most women as

    Read More

  • Women And Their Rights In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    This shows a balance between gender roles, as well as the embracing progressive changes within culture and society. In the story “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, a third-person omniscient narrator, relates how Mrs. Louise Mallard, the protagonist, experiences the euphoria of freedom rather than the grief of loneliness after hearing about her husband’s death. Later, when Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband, Mr. Brently Mallard, still lives, she realizes that all her aspiration for freedom has gone. The shock and disappointment kills Mrs. Mallard.

    Read More

  • Kate Chopin Research Paper

    482 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin literary work is considered to be the preliminary groundwork of the feminist movement. Her stories often revolved around the theme of revolting against society assigned gender roles for women. The story of An Hour is an ideal illustration of this theme more specifically a wife quest to live a life of her own without the bending will of her husband. At the time this story was printed the United States faced numerous social changes primarily the development of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Woman at the time strived to change a woman’s role in social, political, and economic status.

    Read More

  • Does Kate Chopin Present A Woman's Role In The Story Of An Hour

    571 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Story of an Hour is a short story written by one of the prominent American 20th Century authors, Kate Chopin. Originally published as “The Dream of an Hour” on April 19, 1984 in the magazine Vogue, the story revolves around the last hour of the protagonist. Chopin is considered as a feminist writer ahead of her time considering her works heavily emphasizes the feelings of women who seek for liberation in life, a subject that was considered foreign or a taboo during her time. The Story of an Hour is one of her short stories which portray a woman’s role in the patriarchal society which is still prevalent in the 21st century.

    Read More

  • Role Of Women In Literature

    1495 Words  | 6 Pages

    The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.

    Read More

  • Summary Of A Respectable Woman And A Story Of An Hour

    1469 Words  | 6 Pages

    Women in the 1890s were expected to work at home to keep their husbands comfortable and bear him children. Kate Chopin wrote most of her short stories during this time period. Her stories “A Respectable Woman” and “A Story of an Hour” show a female protagonist who want their freedom and control over their own lives. Her characters pushed the bounds of the roles that society gave them and showed the brutal reality of how women were treated in the 1890s. In “A Respectable Woman” the female protagonist Mrs. Baroda is married and lives on a plantation with her husband, who invites a friend to spend a week or two with them.

    Read More

  • Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    360 Words  | 2 Pages

    The “Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin was undeniably a roller-coaster ride. I certainly did not know how to act while reading the story because I felt particularly sympathetic towards Louise. Yet, I felt extremely agitated. The fact that Mrs. Mallard’s first name remained unmentioned until her husband’s death was amusing.

    Read More

More about Compare And Contrast Hills Like White Elephant And The Story Of An Hour

Open Document