Comparing Erikson And Eveline, By Kate Chopin

Erik Erikson believes the growth and development of an individual is dependant on external influences presented to a person throughout their life. In the short stories “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin and “Eveline,” by James Joyce, the main characters, Mrs. Mallard and Eveline, struggle to fulfill their own desires in a society which holds them to certain expectations. Erikson developed his theories well after the stories were written, but the stories fall perfectly within the realm of his ideas. The stories are written in the late eighteenth hundreds and early nineteenth hundreds, emphasizing that men are the superior force and women were to cater to the men. By acknowledging the influence of society on personal development, Erikson’s

Mallard struggling with who she is and who she desires to be. She did not figure out the meaning of freedom until news of her husband's passing. If it had not been for her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard would still be stuck without escape. “And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not.” This shows how for as long as she can remember she has been withering her life away with a man that she had no intention of loving. Mrs. Mallard realized that this death had been the best thing that happened to her, she finally would be able to understand her true self and the goals she has. Mrs. Mallard demonstrates the social normative to staying with the man one marries. Although she shows how unhappy she once was, it was deemed as inappropriate to leave her husband. When Mr. Mallard dies, Mrs. Mallard opens up into who she really is and how she now knows what true happiness feels

Mallard’s new found freedom after her husband’s death. Before her husband’s death this window was also a barrier between the possibilities of freedom and the reality of Mrs. Mallard’s world. Mrs. Mallard’s internal and external struggle is based around the idea that she is the shadow of her husband. This is evident in the fact that her first name, Louise, is not mentioned until the second half of the story. In the expression of Louise as Mrs. Mallard, the author shows how the man of the house was the prominent figure in society. This prominence is what restricted Louise from establishing herself as a dominant figure in society. According to Erikson’s perspective, because Louise lives in the shadow of her husband, she is unable to find her own place in the world. This results in role confusion and a sense of not belonging. Louise does not realize the possibles in her life until her husband’s death, hence the open window. The widow is a symbol of the endless possibilities for Louise after the death of her husband. The barrier between her wants and realities has finally been broken. The threat of losing this new found freedom is ultimately what causes her