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Analysis of ‘The Wife of Her Youth’ by Charles Chesnut
Analysis of ‘The Wife of Her Youth’ by Charles Chesnut
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How is the separation of lovers and its consequences presented in the extract? This extract of Flora Macdonald Mayors ' novel, 'The rectors daughter ', develops the theme of hedonism being extingished by the misfortune of unrequited love, through the perspective of a middle aged woman of the 1920 's. Mary Jocelyn, the stories narrator, aims to persue the man of her desires, however his absence of affection is prominant in this extract when we discover his devotion to another woman. This extract is significant to the era, as newly upcoming 'flapper girls ' encouraged a future of female independence and open sexuality, but this segment leaves connotations that not all women took this lifestyle by storm, and still remained unsatisfied as a woman when unaccompanied by a husband, as shown through Mary 's characterisation in the text. Throughout the excerpt, the consequences faced by the separation of lovers is evident to leave a negative effect on the person on the receaving end.
Wharton reflects the hardships of her unloving marriage and search for a fulfilling love while revealing how the choice between passion and morality
When his father died he was extremely angry and had no way to cope with both his anger and grief. Instead, he repressed the truth and pretended like his father was still alive. He would have long conversations with his father: “It was pretending, but the pretending helped” (147). He feels like he is incapable of being loved, which makes him desperate for control and love. He takes control the only way he can: by pretending and ignoring reality. This childhood trauma translates into his adult life and his relationship with his wife.
Janie has many encounters with men where she felt love but she couldn’t maintain them. Her first husband held no love but rather only respect for Janie. The first husband was a gateway to her second lover, Jody. Jody loved Janie and she to him but as time progressed his ambitions destroyed what they had previously cherished.
His son marries, and the narrator and his wife age further, and the transition into old age is complete with the death of the narrator’s father-in-law. Between these events we can see large shifts in attitudes and ideas, as well as health and well-being. These factors provide clear character evolution within the
In detailing the events that led up to her change in perspective, she made note of the honeysuckle that covered the walls of the well-house, the warm sunshine that accompanied going outdoors, and the cool stream of water that she felt as she placed her hand under the spout. These details kept the reader with her in the moment as she felt something less simple, but still universal; the returning of a, “ misty consciousness as of something forgotten.” In using rich diction, she maintained a sense of intimacy with the reader which allowed her to call on personal details from her own life and theirs. Later in the passage, she described how, once the reality of language was opened to her, and she returned to the house, “every object which I touched seemed to quiver with life.” She had gone through a complete shift of perspective, one that, to her, was felt entirely through senses other than sight or sound.
Today, most people would assume that the reaction to a loved one’s death would be immediate grief; however, that would not be the case in the late 1800s. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” women were expected to grieve differently than men. The story conveys the main character Mrs. Mallard’s distress and joy after she discovered the supposed death of her husband. The story does not demonstrate Mrs. Mallard following the stages of grief that would be expected when grieving over her husband. In spite of the fact that Mrs. Mallard was grieving she was likewise encountering joy and satisfaction since she then realizes that she is currently free.
In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, after hearing the news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard’s emotions did not portray sadness or despair instead she was relieved and rejoiced. Even though Mrs. Mallard admits that her husband was kind and loving, she feels joy after hearing the news of her husband’s death that she will no longer be known as Mrs. Mallard. Although it was acknowledged in the story that Louise Mallard loved Bentley Mallard, we can tell by the statement “had never looked save with love upon her,” (Chopin, 1894), the favor was not returned. The main theme we see in this story is the oppression of marriage. Death of her husband shows that Mrs. Mallard finally has freedom.
The world is a hostile and violent place and the woman had a right to be fearful of him, but it troubles him that he cannot change the fact that he was the cause of this fear. He begins to understand that he has the opportunity to change the enviorment around him solely because of him being a
In comparison to the rigid patriarchal society portrayed in “My Last Duchess”, Keats’ “La Belle Dame sans Merci” illustrates how the freedom of individual expression in the romantic period affects people’s perspective on love. While the narrative persona in “My Last Duchess” demands his wife to devote her love to him, the protagonist of “La Belle Dame sans Merci” devotes to the woman he loves even though the love is unrequited. This is evident through the repetition of the line “On the cold hill side.” throughout the poem. The noun phrase “cold hill” suggests that the knight is lonely and depressed when he waits for the woman solely, however unlike the narrative persona of “My Last Duchess”, he would not demand the woman to love him instead he would wait patiently until the day his affection towards her is accepted.
Tiffany, who has been in search of her own happiness after the death of her husband, became very promiscuous and tried different prescription drugs to help with her mental health. “In Pursuit of Happiness” by Mark Kingwell, he illustrates this. “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness, agreed twentieth-century essayist Eric Hoffer, while novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne famously compared happiness to a butterfly which, if pursued, always eludes your grasp, but which if you sit quietly, may just land upon you.” (414.) Tiffany has wanted to participate in a dance competition for years, but her husband would never dance with her.
This shows a balance between gender roles, as well as the embracing progressive changes within culture and society. In the story “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, a third-person omniscient narrator, relates how Mrs. Louise Mallard, the protagonist, experiences the euphoria of freedom rather than the grief of loneliness after hearing about her husband’s death. Later, when Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband, Mr. Brently Mallard, still lives, she realizes that all her aspiration for freedom has gone. The shock and disappointment kills Mrs. Mallard.
Oscar Wilde is known for his homosexuality that eventually lead him to jail, and the perception that is captured from the novel for this topic, apart from being completely ironical in relation to what was established in the British society, is quite strong and could be understood as a consequence of his own life. Marriage and romance are pictured as pointless, imprisoning, faithless, and even contradictory. For example, it is shown a different perception on how love and company are always the ultimate achievement people aim to but is, however, vacant and the only thing that can be taken out of them is loneliness, “The worst of having a romance of any kind is that it leaves one so unromantic” (Wilde, 1993, 9). On the other hand, once commitment has been made, not only loneliness persists, but, what once was supposed to be love, becomes necessity for they try to escape from life using as a means the other person, “The one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties” (Wilde, 1993,
Self-Identity and Freedom The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s story argues that an individual discovers their self-identity only after being freed from confinement.
Throughout the story the reader can see that independence for a woman is a forbidden pleasure that can only be imagined privately. Mrs. Millard finds out from her sister that her husband died she “wept at once… when
