Comparison of Two Short Stories: the Red Room and Farthing House I have been asked to compare two short stories for my English coursework. These two stories are called "The Red room" and "Farthing House". These stories are considerably different, partly because of the respective eras during which they were written. "Farthing House" was written by a female author, Susan Hill in 1992, while "The Red Room" was written by the famous H G Wells in the late 19th Century. There is almost a century of culture and ideological changes between the two stories. This difference means the language used and settings are almost certainly going to be quite different. "Farthing House" is a more unhackneyed ghost story where the spectre is not particularly frightening, and there is quite a complex background; on the other hand "The Red Room" is a classical ghost story with an evil ghost set in a stereotypical haunted castle with dark and dingy passages, with occurrences that may be interpreted as frightening. The main character is a young man willing to investigate these hauntings, having been warned against such actions by three strange old people. An obvious difference just from glancing over the stories is that "The Red Room" is told in first person as it happens, whereas the latter story, "Farthing House", is told in the first person in the past tense. To start comparing I am going to look at the setting of these two stories. "Farthing House" is set in a nice, cosy and modern old people's home where everybody seems to be quite contented and happy. This is completely different to the setting in "The Red Room", which is a large, old, dark and d... ... middle of paper ... ...is writing to her daughter who is pregnant with her child; when she sees the wraith it is searching presumably for her lost child; then at the end of the story long after "Farthing House" has been demolished, a newspaper report tells of a woman 'distraught at the loss of her own baby' stealing another child from its pram outside a shop. My personal response to these two stories is that I find them both tedious and monotonous. However if I had to choose a preference I would certainly say that 'Farthing House' is the better book, as I do not feel that old-fashioned ghost stories are appealing or interesting as they are far too predictable. The more complex storyline of "Farthing House" does appeal to me. I also felt that the feminine perspective added a touch of realism to the character and therefore the storyline.
'The Yellow Wallpaper';, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and 'The Story of an Hour';, by Kate Chopin, are alike in that both of the women in the stories were controlled by their husbands which caused them to feel an intense desire for freedom. Both stories were also written from a feminist point of view. However, the women in the stories had different life changes and different responses to their own freedom as a result of that change.
So as we look at the lives of women back in the 19th century, they have the stereotypical trend of being a house wife, staying at home, taking care of kids, the house, and aiding the husband in his work. Being in charge of the household makes women have many responsibilities to take care of, but still women are often looked down upon and men who often think a women’s say is unimportant. The two short stories are about two women who have husbands that are successful and the women who feel suffocated by their lack of ability to live their own lives or make their own decisions. The two stories present similar plots about two wives who have grown to feel imprisoned in their own marriages. In the yellow wallpaper, she is virtually imprisoned in her bedroom, and does not even have a say in the location or decor of the room.
“The Fall of The House of Usher” by Edger Allen Poe starts with the Narrator on horseback riding through what seems to be a gloomy, cloudy day. The narrator observes that the house seems to have absorbed an evil and diseased atmosphere from the decaying trees and murky ponds around it. He notes that although the house is decaying in places, for example some of the stones are gone, however the structure itself is relatively solid. The narrator notices that the inside of the house just as spooky as the outside. He seems to be getting a bad feeling about the place. When he finally sees Roderick he notes that Roderick is paler and less energetic than he once was. His friend had sent for him to come and see him because he was his only friend since childhood. The narrator says that they aren’t as close as they once were. Roderick tells the narrator that he suffers from nerves and that his senses are heightened and that he seems afraid of his own house. The narrator spends several days trying to cheer up Roderick. He listens to Roderick play the guitar. The Narrator also reads him stories, but is unsuccessful in cheering his friend up. Then Roderick suggests that is actually may be the house that is causing him to be sick. Next when Madeline, Roderick’s twin, dies his friend wants to keep her body with him because he was afraid that doctors would try and use is for scientific purposes. So the narrator and Roderick dig up the body and put it in the house. A few nights later the narrator meets Roderick and he tells the narrator that he thinks Madeline was buried alive. Moments later Madeline appears and then dies along with Roderick who died of fear. The narrator then jumps out of the house as its crumbling to the ground.
The aim of this essay is to explore the way in which the two authors
“A Rose for Emily’’ By William Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman,” are two short stories that both associate qualities of differences and similarities. Both stories have several similarities in setting, symbolism and characterization. A major difference of both stories are the point of view they were written in, “A Rose for Emily” is written in third person and “The Yellow Wallpaper” is written in first person point of view. The two short stories are about the women being forced into isolation because of their gender and the beliefs of the men controlling their lives. Both female characters are overwhelmed with maintaining the image that is imposed by the men in high societies, but even more with the feeling of imprisonment and dealing with being mentally and emotionally ill. Although, the stories are similar they have their own twists.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Charlotte Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” are both centralized on the feministic views of women coming out to the world. Aside from the many differences within the two short stories, there is also similarities contained in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” such as the same concept of the “rest treatment” was prescribed as medicine to help deal with their sickness, society’s views on the main character’s illness, and both stories parallel in the main character finding freedom in the locked rooms that they contain themselves in.
The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, and The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, both have very similar themes, imagery, and a plot with very little differences. In both stories the theme of the two short stories is the ideals of feminism. Some similar imagery is the idea of freedom and living on one 's own. The plots are very similar, both woman coming into conflict with their husband, feminism, and a tragic ending. Also, both deal with the everyday problems women faced during the periods surrounding the time the stories were written. Mrs. Mallard, from Story of an Hour, and Jane, from The Yellow Wallpaper, both are trying to write their own destinies but their husbands prevent them from doing so. Mrs. Mallard and Jane both
"The cost of freedom is always high. One path we shall never choose is the path of surrender and submission." - John F. Kennedy. Often in works of literature protagonists must overcome obstacles throughout their life/story. The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill and A Doll 's House by Henrik Ibsen are no stranger to this story telling design. It is clearly composite within The Book of Negroes as well as A Doll 's House that the protagonists of both works run through a parallel of obstacles which lead them both to the same hierarchical understanding, and end. Throughout both works it becomes evident that Aminata and Nora are both being suppressed by outside figures. As the stories progresses, it becomes more apparent to the reader that both Aminata and Nora are not genuinely satisfied with their lives. When it is realized by the protagonists that their
Short stories are a form of literature works that authors use to communicate various themes and issues to the reader. As such, it is common for different short stories authored by different people to have a central meaning or theme that differs from each other. In addition, the way the author portrays his/her central theme or meaning would differ from the way other authors would craft their short stories to best portray their central meaning. While some would use characterization as a means of portraying the theme of their story, other authors employ the use of symbols to better communicate their theme. However, some slight similarities can always be drawn between short stories. ‘Hills like White
Women have traditionally been known as the less dominant sex. Through history women have fought for equal rights and freedom. They have been stereotyped as being housewives, and bearers and nurturers of the children. Only recently with the push of the Equal Rights Amendment have women had a strong hold on the workplace alongside men. Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men. This tension is derived from men; society, in general; and within a woman herself. Two interesting short stories, “The Yellow Wall-paper and “The Story of an Hour, “ focus on a woman’s plight near the turn of the 19th century. This era is especially interesting because it is a time in modern society when women were still treated as second class citizens. The two main characters in these stories show similarities, but they are also remarkably different in the ways they deal with their problems and life in general. These two characters will be examined to note the commonalities and differences. Although the two characters are similar in some ways, it will be shown that the woman in the “The Story of an Hour” is a stronger character based on the two important criteria of rationality and freedom.
Women have suffered as the result of harassment and discrimination for centuries. Today, women are able to directly confront their persecutors through the news media as well as the legal system. Three important literary works illustrate that it has not always been possible for women to strike back. In Raise the Red Lantern, The Handmaid's Tale, and A Doll's House, the main female characters find ways to escape their situations rather than directly confronting the problem.
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” are two short stories that incorporate multiple similarities and differences. Both stories’ main characters are females who are isolated from the world by male figures and are eventually driven to insanity. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the unidentified narrator moves to a secluded area with her husband and sister-in-law in hopes to overcome her illness. In “A Rose for Emily,” Emily’s father keeps Emily sheltered from the world and when he dies, she is left with nothing. Both stories have many similarities and differences pertaining to the setting, characterization, symbolism, and their isolation from the world by dominant male figures, which leads them to insanity.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Julio Cortazar’s “House Taken Over” the settings are similar because they can both be described as dark in some passages, and ultimately alluring. However in Poe’s “The Fall of the House,” the setting is revolving around the climax, so it is all very dramatic and highly detailed, almost ominous. In contrast, Cortazar’s setting is slightly more laid back, things take place in time and it is all very dreamlike.
In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," the main character is a woman who has been controlled and conformed to the norms of society. Louise Mallard has apparently given her entire life to assuring her husband's happiness while forfeiting her own. This truth is also apparent in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. In this story, Nora Helmer has also given her life to a man who has very little concern for her feelings or beliefs. Both of these characters live very lonely lives, and both have a desire to find out who they really are and also what they are capable of becoming. Although the characters of Nora and Louise are very much alike in many ways, their personalities differ greatly when it comes to making decisions regarding the direction of their lives.
In Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” and Sandra Cisneros’s “The House on Mango Street”, the authors describe their feelings towards the settings in a similar way. In Hemingway’s short story, two waiters at a café describe the differences in their lives and how they see life before them. In Cisneros’s short story, the narrator explains her past, present, and future places of residency and the impact it has in her life. Both settings in each story are different, but also very much alike, because of the people in the stories and the feeling of want and betterment that you get from both the waiters in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” and the narrator in “The House on Mango Street”.