I. Introduction A. Elisa Allen is the protagonist of John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums.” Louise Mallard is the protagonist of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour.”

B. Both Elisa and Louise are products of their social and historical contexts, particularly when it comes to gender norms.

C. Elisa and Louise are passive protagonists, because patriarchy has stripped them of political agency.

Thesis: By creating passive protagonists in their respective short stories, Steinbeck and Chopin make powerful social commentary about the role of women in their private and public lives.

II. Body

A. Topic Sentence: Both Elisa and Louise feel stuck in their marriage, but perceive liberation as impossible within the confines of their culture.

1. First concrete detail: Nature symbolizes wasted potential.

a. Elisa is capable of so much more than gardening: “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy,” (Steinbeck)

b. Louise receives her epiphany through nature: “She felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air,” (Chopin).

2. Second concrete detail: Nature symbolizes fantasy and escape for both Elisa and Louise.

a. Elisa is most passionate when she speaks about chrysanthemums, especially with the man.

b. For Louise, she confines herself to indoors and can only see nature from the window

(1) “But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off...

It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought,” (Chopin)
(2) “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life,” (Chopin)

3. Third concrete detail: Gardening symbolizes Elisa’s pent-up sexual energy; this is not true for Louise, who remains repressed.

(1) “I had ten-inch blooms this year,” she said (Steinbeck).

(2) “She was kneeling on the ground looking up at him. Her breast swelled passionately.” (Steinbeck)

(3) “Why, you rise up and up! Every pointed star gets driven into your body. It’s like that. Hot and sharp and—lovely,”

B. Topic Sentence: Both Elisa and Louise long to be liberated from a loveless marriage.

1. Both protagonists are described as young and in their sexual prime.

(a) “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength,” (Chopin)

(b) “She was thirty-five. Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were as clear as water,” (Steinbeck).

2. Both are trapped in a loveless marriage.

(a) Henry is kind but protective of his wife and does not allow her passion for life to shine.

(b) Brently’s death is the only thing that helps Louise to realize how miserable she actually was.

3. Neither Louise nor Elisa have any hope for liberation, because doing so would violate social norms.

(a)…