“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin.

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Women in the Victorian Era, and analysis of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin. There is something about a blank page that allows your emotions and true feelings to flow on it without judgement. It is your own creation, one that remains untarnished by the views of others. These recorded feelings allow for an unhindered access into the perspectives of the author. As such, we are granted a unique access into the mindset of two authors and their personal approach on the conflicts of two unique women during the Victorian Era. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin both look at a women’s sexuality, domestic life and their unique behavior that goes against the norms of that period of time. “A Rose for Emily” is a short story about a women who is part of the cities elite class. After experiencing death she removes herself from society and encloses herself in her mansion as the town around her changes. The story is told in the perspective of the townspeople and how they gossip about the misgivings this women experiences. “The Storm” on the other hand is a story about a housewife and her sexual liaison that ensues during a storm with a past love. All while her husband and son are stuck to endure the oncoming storm in town while said liaison occurs. These captivating stories share how the deeper layers of our desires remain unchanged throughout humanities history. Both stories delve into women sexuality on a level that I find especially unexpected seeing that they were both written during the late 19th century, a time of pervasive Victorian ideals. What perplexed me the most, especially “The Storm”, was how uninhibited this women was in pursuing sexual s... ... middle of paper ... ...ern-town, and the governing class. These women both go against the dictated Victorian “norms”. We find a clash between Calixta who chooses a normal form of escaping these burdening ideals and Emily who is driven mad by the immense burdens society has placed on her. They reflect, how even with the most barring of societal demands, our cardinal needs find ways to be met. “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin bring about themes that were clearly ahead of their time. They capture the oppressiveness of the era, and disclose through their writing humanistic pursuits that even to this day we can relate to. That’s not saying much as it is clear, whatever the ideals of the society in said era, we remain human, and are motivated by the most elemental facets of our brain to seek out our fundamental pursuits. No society can bar these.

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