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¶ … Life
One can learn a number of things about life from reading Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." The same sentiment applies to reading "A White Heron," which was written by Sarah Orne Jewett. Both of these tales seemingly emphasize the frailty of life, and imply that the decisions one makes throughout life can be binding -- or become easily undone.
The protagonist of a "A White Heron," Sylvia, faces quite a quandary in Jewett's tale. She has all but agreed to help a hunter find a white heron so that the young man can slay it. In fact, the young man has promised to give anyone who can find this bird a sizeable sum of money. Enticed by such a reward, Sylvia is bent on finding the bird… until she does. After climbing high in a tree to find the curious creature, the young girl is struck by its beauty and the beauty of nature...
She then has to decide if she should have the bird killed and use the reward money, or if she should let the bird live. This is quite a decision for a young girl, and she eventually opts to let him live.
This decision is akin to many decisions in life. People routinely encounter choices in which they can do something for money, or refrain from doing that same thing as a matter of principle. These two choices were the crux of Sylvia's dilemma. What is most interesting about this quandary is the way that Sylvia resolved it. She decided not to sell out for money and to adhere to her principles regarding beauty, nature, and the inherent joy of life. As such, (and since her name, Sylvia, explicitly denotes wisdom), Sylvia's decision sends a powerful message to the reader. Money will come and go; people can learn to make do without it,…
She actually loved Brently very much and her first impulse at the news of his death was to cry. Also, she was perfectly aware that she would also cry at his funeral, considering that they loved each-other and that she was accustomed to living next to him. Brently was actually caring and loving toward her and one might believe that Louise's concern about her having been freed is morally
Here, we see that Edna realizes what is happening to her and why. She sees Robert as a catalyst for her awakening but not the answer to her yearnings for a more fulfilled life. It is also important to note how Edna refers to her life being a stupid dream. This remark illustrates the intensity of what she is going through - in essence; it pinpoints the reason behind
Story Of an Hour The story details the events of one hour during which a woman learns of her husband's death and is thinking of all that she would do now that she is free and at the end finds that he is alive and the death of her hope causes her own death. In "The Story of an Hour," Chopin has introduced a character, Mrs. Millard, who relishes the freedom after
Story Of an Hour: Theme and Narrative Elements In a way, Kate Chopin's short story, "Story of an Hour," deals with a variety of different issues that are still relevant to this day. It alludes to the repression of women, the fine line between life and death, as well as that between kindness and cruelty. Additionally, the author uses a variety of literary conventions to convey these different elements, which include
The wildly prolific Joyce Carol Oates also delves into the role of modern women in her fiction writing, although a quick review of her works spanning the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, suggests it is more difficult to draw as direct a connection between Oates' major works and biography than it is with Chopin. However, like Mrs. Mallard of "The Story of an Hour" briefly delights in a
Chopin's The Storm Not Just a Passing Storm: The Central Role of Setting in Kate Chopin's Short Story "The Storm" Kate Chopin's short story "The Storm" encompasses a brief but intense time period that begins with the gathering of "somber clouds that were rolling with sinister intention" to the passing of the storm, when the "sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems." Therefore, setting serves several functions