Similarities And Differences Between The Chrysanthemums And The Story Of An Hour

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Comparing/Contrasting
“Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin vs. “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck
In the short stories "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck the writers convey the importance of freedom by looking at women 's lives and their role in society. Both Chopin and Steinbeck use characters Louise and Elisa, to illustrate the different roles of gender and demonstrate their oppression after marriage. Although both short stories use evidence to support their freedom which is given for a limited amount of time to both women yet, differentiates later on by their reactions from it being taken away.
To start with, Louise and Elisa are similar because of the unequal rights given to women and the forbiddance …show more content…

Yet, their characterization indicates different reasoning being behind it. In “ The Story of an Hour” , Louise is first given a glimpse of her freedom from the fact that her husband is dead and spending time alone in her room looking outside a window which leads her to know that she is able to experience a new start of freedom. “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully as she gazed outside the window she sees the outside world and things that she has never noticed before and wonders into those thoughts (Chopin 175). The open window portrays the new experience Louise is about to begin and the bright future she has ahead of her which is not run by someone else since her husband is dead. Somewhat similarly, Elisa is given that freedom in “The Chrysanthemums” when she gives the tinker her chrysanthemums and he heads back out on the road. “Then she whispers, that is a bright direction. There’s a glowing there” (Steinbeck 589). This quote indicates that Elisa has felt some gloomy change of freedom after knowing that her pride and happiness “The Chrysanthemums” are being shared with the world and her hard work is leaving the “ great valley [of] a closed pot”(Steinbeck 581). However, in contrast to “The Story of an Hour” she expresses her freedom through her own hard work and not herself whereas; Louise finds her freedom inside of herself as she realizes she is …show more content…

Both women have lost their rights of being free based on their role of gender in their societies. Although both stories convey similarly by the ideal role of women and their freedom they differentiate by their responses from the freedom being taken away. Louise in “The Story of an Hour” dies from a sudden realization of her husband is alive and her bright future being doomed whereas, Elisa in “The Chrysanthemums” pressures down her anger of freedom being taken away from her by drinking a glass of wine and crying which soon makes her realize that she can live without freedom. Both authors Chopin and Steinbeck show a clear understand of the time period where women were told to live under the shadows of doing daily household jobs conversely now all men and women have equal rights of freedom and the joy of

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