It is undeniable that human life is filled with change. While hope and despair are antonyms, one must exist in order for the other to occur; a transition between the two is inevitable. This simple change in emotions can help give a human face to a fictitious character. Perhaps this is the reason many authors choose to use the inseparable themes of hope and despair in their literary works. Hope, accompanied by despair, is a central theme in the short stories "The Story of An Hour," "Eveline," and "Miss Brill." The wife of Brently Mallard, a character in "The Story of An Hour," displays hope and despair. As she sits by a window in her room, thinking about her husband's death, an unexpected feeling comes over her. A feeling of freedom overwhelms her. "She said it over and over under her breath: `free, free, free!'" She envisions the moment she will see his dead body. She knows she will cry then; "but she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely." Her hopes for a happier future are demolished when her husband walks through the door, and she realizes that he is very much alive. Mrs. Mallard collapses. "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease." However, despair is seemingly the fatal disease. Another short story that illustrates hope and despair is "Eveline." Due to an abusive father and a dysfunctional family, Eveline is overcome with despair. Eveline is hopeful that a new life as a wife will be far more fulfilling. In her mind, married women are respected. "Then she would be married- she, Eveline. People would treat her with respect then." She sees her plans to marry Frank as an "escape" from her futile life at home. "Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too." Eveline's fear of change begins to intensify the closer she gets to the boat. She starts feeling as though Frank will smother her; "he would drown her." As Eveline lets her fears take over, her hope is turned into despair. Yet another literary character embodied by hope and despair is the title character of "Miss Brill." Miss Brill is an old woman that spends the majority of her time in a hallucinogenic state of mind. Her hope in life is that she is wanted, maybe even needed.
drive her husband away. She explains, 'John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I am glad my case is not serious'; (Gilman 634)! This quote shows that she is glad to see her husband away so that she may be left alone to do as she pleases without interference from her husband. She is frequently rebelling against her husband's orders. She writes in her journal and tries to move her bed when there is no one around to see her. However, she always keeps an eye out for someone coming. The intense desire for freedom is even more obvious in 'The Story of an Hour.'; Mrs. Mallard's craving for freed...
In "The Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard seems to be overwhelmed with joy because of her husband's death.
In conclusion, James Hurst, author of The Scarlet Ibis, and Eugenia Collier, writer of Marigolds wrote short stories including a variety of emotions, yet the main feeling portrayed was regret. From ruining the last source of hope a person in a poverty stricken community has, to being a main factor in another person’s death, sorrow affected the narrators of both stories drastically. To sum up, James Hurst and Eugenia Collier both presented readers with stories involving recollections of regret due to a lack of selflessness.
Have you ever experienced a day where nothing goes right? The story “A&P” written by John Updike is one of a teenage boy named Sammy who quits his job in hope of impressing some girls --- only to find they neither cared nor listened. “Miss Brill” written by Katherine Mansfield is a story about an elderly woman named Miss Brill who goes to the park to observe people; her evening is ruined when some kids make fun of the way she 's dressed. Miss Brill and Sammy started their day motivated, as the stories went on their moods shifted because their actions were affected by other people 's opinions. But sad endings don 't always have to be sad, there 's a lot a reader can learn from them. Sad endings are more memorable than other endings because there is a feeling of uneasiness left for the reader. It is also more realistic that people don’t have a perfect day or the hero gets what they wanted. Updike and Mansfield use sad endings to further the theme of disappointment.
...ng the underlying theme that drives the story and the movie, propels the reader and viewer to rekindle the desire to hope above all else because hope is all one has in devastating as well as dire needs. Hope overcomes despair, permits others to see your “inner light” to develop integrity which connects with honesty and trust. Hope is the inspiration to continue to live regardless of the circumstances. Red may have narrated; “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” But, Andy Dufresne states it best: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
Mrs. Mallard in 'The story of an hour', is a woman that has had to live her life composed and in control as the wife of her husband, Brently Mallard. Chopin details Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the news of her husband's death with convolted emotions that were considered appropraite and yet horrifying to the reader. At the end of the story, her death came as no surprise.
"The Story of an Hour" continues by Mrs. Mallard focusing on the freedom she secretly craves. As Mrs. Mallard is contemplating the news of freedom she didn't even stop to ask if it was a "monstrous joy" what she is feeling. At this point she is thrilled that she has newly found freedom, something society would conclude to be moral wrong after a depressing event just occurring. Even though she is happy she has freedom, when she g...
“Hope is defined as the action of wishing or desiring that something will occur.” Hope helps people move forward in life to see what’s coming next for them. For example, “I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support” (Wiesel, “Night”.) This quote explains the effects of hope in a pitiful situation. Eliezer Wiesel and his father were torn apart, mentally and physically from everything they
Miss Brill is a story about an old woman who lacks companionship and self-awareness. She lives by herself and goes through life in a repetitive manner. Each Sunday, Miss Brill ventures down to the park to watch and listen to the band play. She finds herself listening not only to the band, but also to strangers who walk together and converse before her. Her interest in the lives of those around her shows the reader that Miss Brill lacks companionship.
If there was an award for the woman with the biggest roller coaster of emotions in one hour, it would go to Mrs. Mallard in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. Mrs. Mallard goes from content to devastated, to overjoyed, to shocked over her husband’s death. Although Mrs. Mallard’s emotions are running wild, “The Story of an Hour” is enjoyable, entertaining, and an attention grabber because of the character’s varied emotions, outrageous plot twist, descriptive imagery, and irony.
Women weren’t given the same rights as men. No one ever considered their opinions, or heard their desires and feelings. However, in “Story of an Hour” one of the major themes is freedom. Once Mrs. Mallard receives the bad news of her husbands death she is upset, but that doesn't last. She becomes a woman free from male dominance. In the end she discovered that Mr. Mallard isn’t dead, and she dies of what the doctor says was her heart disease and joy. I see this story as a female struggle.Women were never superior to men back then, and Mrs. Mallard shows us that when she dies because even her short fantasies of freedom weren’t real.
Kate Chopin’s story, "The Story of an Hour," may seem to be about Mrs. Mallard’s unexpected and ironic reactions to the news of her husband’s untimely death due to a railroad disaster. At least that’s what I thought when I read the story. It seemed to me that she led a normal life with a normal marriage. She had a stable home life with a kind, loving husband who cared for her. She seemed to love him, sometimes. She had some kind of "heart trouble" (Chopin 25) that didn’t really affect her physically, until the very end. I thought Mrs. Mallard would have been saddened and filled with grief for an adequate period of time after her spouse died, but her grief passed quickly, and she embraced a new life that she seemed to be content with. Therefore I believe there is good evidence that Mrs. Mallard was an ungrateful woman who did not appreciate her husband or his love for her. That evidence is found in her selfish behavior after the death of her husband, Brently Mallard.
Situational irony is used in "The Story of an Hour" through Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's death and the description of the settings around her at this time. Upon hearing the news of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard "wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment" (Chopin 213). It appeared to everyone that as a result of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard was incredibly sad. She insisted upon being alone and retreated to her room. The sort of reaction she had seems like one typical to someone who had just lost a loved one. She experienced grief and shock. However, once she is alone in her room, the reader discovers another side of her emotions. Once she calms down, she whispers "Free, free, free" (Chopin 214), and the reader realizes that she is not having a typical reaction. Instead of being saddened by the loss of her husband, Mrs. Mallard is relieved. "She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome" (Chopin 214). Mrs. Mallard, instead of wondering who will support her in years to come, realizes that she will have no one binding her a...
In the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the reader is introduced to Louise Mallard, the wife of Brently Mallard who supposedly died in a train accident. The story uses multiple literary devices such as irony, conflict and symbolism to convey Mrs. Mallard’s emotions within the hour that she discovers the sudden death of her husband.
Several symbols in Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" create a feeling of comfort, wellness, and wonderfulness within the reader's mind. The first symbol I will speak of is the "comfortable chair" which she sinks into after the news of her husbands' death. Then, I will speak of the open window, which she sits in front of through which she sees many symbols of things that are good. Finally, I will speak of the description of Mrs. Mallard herself and her comfortable situation, which will tie together all the symbols that create the feelings of comfort and wellness in the reader.