In every story, characters experience challenges which change the outcome of a story. The plot of a story is determined by what decisions are made with each character and most of the time decisions are based on what is best for a relationship. There are different representations of marital relationships in the short stories of “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, and “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck. The characters are influenced by their partner 's decisions in each of these stories. This topic will be discussed and explained to give more insight on how the characters were affected based on their circumstances.
In “The Birthmark” Georgiana is a loyal wife who wants to please her husband. In the beginning, Georgiana’s relationship with Aylmer is normal since they were just married. Aylmer 's view of their marriage differs. Hawthorne describes him, saying, “He had devoted
…show more content…
Elisa and Henry have a normal marriage, Elisa is uninterested in her husband. From Analyzing this story it 's clear that Elisa sees her husband as a friend than a lover. In the story, Henry says, “I thought how it 's Saturday afternoon, and we might go into Salinas for dinner at a restaurant, and then to a picture show—to celebrate, you see”(Steinbeck). This quote suggests that the marriage between Elisa and Henry was content, Henry really wanted to treat his wife to a nice dinner and show. Henry is the breadwinner of the two but doesn 't let Elisa play a big part in their business within the farm. Their relationship consists of the wife being the maid for the husband as well as preparing his food and his bath. The time and setting in which these characters were living it wouldn 't be deemed unusual for a wife to be a maid for her