The Story of an Hour and a Rose for Emily free essay sample

Compare Contrast The Story of an Hour and A Rose for Emily Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and William Faulkners A Rosefor Emily both characterize the nature of marriage and womanhood bydelving into the psyches of their female protagonists. Also, althoughChopin makes no clear reference to geographic locale in The Story of anHour, both authors usually set their stories in the American South, whichimpacts these characterizations. These two tales share many other points ofreference in common. For instance, Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hourand Emily Grierson in A Rose for Emily die at the end of the story, andboth deaths are in some way related to how the women felt about their malepartners. In fact, in both cases, the women are deeply affected by the menin their lives: their personalities and lifestyles have been shaped andmolded chiefly by men. However, Mrs. Mallard and Emily Grierson developdifferently. We will write a custom essay sample on The Story of an Hour and a Rose for Emily or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mallard is a relatively young woman, while GriersonWhen Brently Mallard is presumed dead,Mrs. Mallard and Grierson also exhibit different physical characteristics.Mallard grieves when she hears her husband is dead but embraces the longprocession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. In the end, both women die, but Mallards death isprecipitated by a monstrous joy, unlike Grierson, who simply left behinda legacy of sadness and pity. This aspect of her character isparalleled in the springtime setting of A Rose for Emily, in which topsof trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. While Grierson holes up and hides from the world, Mallard has asupportive network of friends and family to which to turn.Mallard experiences an epiphanythat can potentially transform her life and which brings her immense joy;Grierson, on the other hand sank into madness and depression and killed theman she loved. Emily Grierson killed the man whospurned her, only to sleep next to his decaying corpse each night. In stark contrastto this imagery and characterization is Faulkners description of MissEmilys house, which smelled of dust and disuse. Grierson, on the other hand, doesexhibit a paralyzed inability to accept death and pain. Mallard,therefore, is adaptable whereas Grierson is stuck in the past; Griersonsrelationship with the townspeople reinforces her inability to accept changeand newness.