"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, and "The Story of the Hour" by Kate Chopin, both have similarities and differences in their literary work. Both authors use foreshadowing to control the moods of the stories and add irony to cleverly mislead the reader. These two stories possess similarities and differences when it comes to their elements of the story, specifically the authors' usage of mood and irony.
Jackson's use of an unconcerned tone serves to highlight the horror of the lottery. There was no shift in narrative voice when the story shifted from basic realism to frightening symbolism. The story went from reading about a small village on a sunny summer day to witnessing the villagers execute a member of their own community, all without the least change in tone from the author. Chopin’s description of Mrs. Mallard shows someone who brushes off the notions of love and even the best of marriages for the glorious idea of pure freedom. Meanwhile, the people around her think she's crying her eyes out over her dead husband, but really she's relieved to be free. No one understands her. At the end of the story, the doctors agree that she must have passed away from a sudden shock of extreme happiness from finding out that her husband lived after all: from "joy that kills". However due to the slightest of tone change, we
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don’t know why Mrs. Mallard really died. The different settings is another aspect of the two stories to be compared.
“The Story of an Hour” focuses on inner world of the main character and on her freedom’s limitation. Due to this, Chopin chooses to get her confined to her house in terms of the setting with a window in her room being the only connection to the great world full of opportunities: “There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the window… she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin). Thus, the setting of the story underlines the character’s isolation from the rest of the world, which is contrasted with her hope symbolized by a
window. The setting of “Lottery” is different because it deals with a different message, which is closely related to social hierarchy and communication. This is why the events take place in the open air, in the village square. The square symbolizes the central role that the lottery plays in the life of the people, and underlines the aspect of a ritual. Usually, central squares are the setting for festivals and holiday gatherings. So, on the one hand, the setting is used by Jackson to demonstrate that the lottery is a common tradition that is interesting to everyone, yet on the other hand the way how people gather for it like for a holiday is contrasted with the following dark essence of the tradition: “The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock… the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner”( Jackson). The mentioning of dinner is so conventional but this becomes gloomy by the end of the story because murder is so common that people can walk home and have dinner peacefully after that. Kate Chopin deals with one main character; Mrs. Mallard focuses on her thoughts and emotions, which reveal her inner world to the reader. The point of view of omniscient author is quite relevant because of this, as it makes the third person narration feel like the first-person one at times. Besides, it adds a confessional touch to the whole story, although time of narration is very limited, so the characteristic is quite condensed. The main heroine is ill because of her psychological issues related to her unhappy marriage. She might be unhappy not because of her husband but because of the lack of freedom that she feels. As a result, readers can see a twisted kind of personality in her, when she appears to be glad because of her husband’s death. She is unable to set herself free otherwise. In Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery,' at the beginning of this story, the main character, Mrs. Hutchinson, is in favor of the lottery. The atmosphere of the town is casual yet anxious. Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late because she “clean forgot” what day it is. This seems quite impossible to any reader that anyone would forget a day like lottery day. Her procrastination is reasonable but her excuse is lame. Mrs. Hutchinson complains that her husband, Bill, “didn’t have enough time to choose.” And that the results of the drawing were not fair. In these statements, she is implying that the other villagers had more time to choose, and in fact given an advantage over the Hutchinson family. In reality, time had little to do with the drawing of the “slips of paper.” As soon as they hold the second drawing, Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen. This is the climax of irony of this story. Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen for the lottery. She is shocked and astounded, having believed that she couldn’t possibly be chosen for the lottery. She begs or mercy, but the townspeople are strict with keeping to their traditions and her pleas of mercy fall on deaf ears and she is stoned to death. In conclusion, it would be true to say that the two stories cover different themes though they are united by the aspect of disruption of what we think family and community should be. The settings are different; while Jackson focuses on a social aspect, Chopin deals with the individual story. Finally, “Lottery” has characters which are symbolic rather than representing people, while “The Story of an Hour” explores psychological state and transformation of a single character.
Comparing "The Lottery by Shirley Jackson" and "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are two very meaningful and fascinating stories. These stories share similarities in symbols and themes but they do not share the same plot which makes it different from one another. Furthermore, “The lottery” was held in New England village where 300 people were living in that village. This event took place every once a year. Besides, the story begins where on one beautiful morning, everyone in that village gathered to celebrate the lottery. The surroundings were such that children were gathering stones while adults were chatting with each other. It was compulsory for every head of family or house to draw a slip of paper out of the box. In addition to that, the family that draws the slip in the black do will have to re draw in order to see who will win the lottery. Therefore, the winner of the lottery will be stoned to death. This is very shocking because in today’s lottery events, the winner will be awarded cash.
After reading The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin, Daniel Deneau remarkably breaks down and analyzes the most intense aspects of the short story. Deneau acknowledges simple things such as “the significance of the open window and the spring setting” along with more complex questions including what Mrs. Mallard went through to achieve her freedom. He also throws in a few of his own ideas which may or may not be true. Almost entirely agreeing with the interpretation Deneau has on The Story of An Hour, he brings stimulating questions to the surface which makes his analysis much more intricate.
The Story of an Hour is a short story of Ms. Mallard, a woman with a heart condition who receives short term good news. Chopin uses contrast between independence, marriage, and gender to show how hidden emotions can effect a woman’s actions in the time period where women did not have much power or right to speak what came to their mind.
Many authors have a particular style that is threaded through all of their work. This is the case with the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson. The stories themselves are very different, but there are many common threads between the two. The two stories share a theme, action for the greater good. Both stories have events that the person or people committing the action believe must happen. These actions may harm others, but it is for the betterment of the world in their opinion. Jackson uses similar settings, well thought out symbolism, and sudden plot twists in both stories to support the theme of action for the greater good.
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, and "The Story of the Hour" by Kate Chopin, both have similarities and differences when it comes to the elements of literature. Particularly, when the authors use foreshadowing to manipulate the moods of the stories and add irony to cleverly deceive the reader. Both of these stories possess similarities and differences when it comes to their components of the story, specifically the authors' usage of elements of mood and the tone of irony.
The symbols and imagery used by Kate Chopin's in “The Story of an Hour” give the reader a sense of Mrs. Mallard’s new life appearing before her through her view of an “open window” (para. 4). Louise Mallard experiences what most individuals long for throughout their lives; freedom and happiness. By spending an hour in a “comfortable, roomy armchair” (para.4) in front of an open window, she undergoes a transformation that makes her understand the importance of her freedom. The author's use of Spring time imagery also creates a sense of renewal that captures the author's idea that Mrs. Mallard was set free after the news of her husband's death.
The characters in a short story are vital to understanding everything that the author has put into her work. Most of Shirley Jackson’s characters in “The Lottery” adapt as the story goes on, revealing their true opinions and behaviors. Her characters are also true to life, which establishes realism in her stories. Tess, Old Man Warner, and the women of this story all provide outlooks and opinions that shape “The Lottery” into the constructive story it is.
In conclusion, “The story of an hour” is a clear depiction that women status in the society determines the choices they make about their lives. In this work, Chopin depicts a woman as a lesser being without identity or voices of their own. They are expected to remain in oppressive marriages and submit to their husbands without question.
Story of an Hour – A Big Story in a Small Space. Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" tells the story of a woman trapped in a repressive marriage, who desperately wants to escape. She is given that chance, quite by accident, and the story tells of the hour in which this freedom is given to her. The story is very short (only two pages), so is interesting to look at as a minimalist piece of literature, and the surprise ending offers an opportunity to look at Chopin's use of foreshadowing.
Setting exists in every form of fiction, representing elements of time, place, and social context throughout the work. These elements can create particular moods, character qualities, or features of theme. Throughout Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," differing amounts and types of the setting are revealed as the plot develops. This story deals with a young woman's emotional state as she discovers her own independence in her husband's death, then her "tragic" discovery that he is actually alive. The constituents of setting reveal certain characteristics about the main character, Louise Mallard, and are functionally important to the story structure. The entire action takes place in the springtime of a year in the 1890s, in the timeframe of about an hour, in a house belonging to the Mallards. All of these aspects of setting become extremely relevant and significant as the meaning of the story unfolds.
Death can come in many ways. It can be sudden, or over a strenuous period of time. It can seem random, but sometimes is planned and thought out. There are just about as many ways to deal with death, as there are ways to die. While both The lottery and The Story of an Hour explore the theme of death and grief, The lottery tells a tale of the sacrificial death for a community (necessary, no grief) while The Story of an Hour depicts the natural death of a loved one (grief, but, later, revelation) and how we eventually come to terms with it.
Kate Chopin’s short story "The Story of an Hour," utilizes superb symbolism and elucidating points of interest with a specific end goal to differentiation Mrs. Mallard 's everyday and dreary life. Chopin utilizes symbolism and expressive subtle elements to differentiate the rich conceivable outcomes for which Mrs. Mallard longs with the dull reality of her regular life. The main theme of this story is “the quest for identity” because Louise’s sudden self-discovery shows that she had been seeking her own identity in a male-dominated world at the time. Kate Chopin wrote this in the 19th century when males were “dominate” and females were “passive.” Mr. Brently’s "death" was what initiated her “quest for Identity” without him “dying” she would have never thought about how
Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is a brilliant short story of irony and emotion. The story demonstrates conflicts that take us through the character’s emotions as she finds out about the death of her husband. Without the well written series of conflicts and events this story, the reader would not understand the depth of Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflict and the resolution at the end of the story. The conflict allows us to follow the emotions and unfold the irony of the situation in “The Story of an Hour.”
Kate Chopin's story, "The Story of an Hour", focuses on an 1890's young woman, Louise Mallard. She experienced a profound emotional change after she hears her husband's "death" and her life ends with her tragic discovery that he is actually alive. In this story, the author uses various techniques-settings, symbolism and irony- to demonstrate and develop the theme: Freedom is more important than love. Chopin uses settings to convey particular moods, character qualities and features of theme. Firstly, the author uses time setting to reveal Louise' inner desire and her restrictions.