Story Of An Hour And Richard Cory

The literature works “The Story of an Hour” and “Richard Cory” are similar in several aspects. A shared theme statement could be used for both pieces of literature. “The Story of an Hour” and “Richard Cory” also have comparable tones. Both pieces have unexpected endings that rely on irony. “The Story of an Hour” and “Richard Cory” have similar themes. A shared theme statement could be: outwardly appearances can be deceiving. People are not as they may seem to outsiders. In “Story of an Hour,” all of the characters believe that Mrs. Mallard is in love with her husband. They fear that Mrs. Mallard will die of shock and grief when she hears of her husband 's accident. They make sure to take “great care...to break to her as gently as possible the

Both stories have deceivingly light tones at points. After Mrs. Mallard hears of her husband’s accident in “The Story of an Hour,” she feels free. This freedom is expressed with a light tone. The scene is described in detail. Outside of the window, “countless sparrows were twittering” and “patches of blue sky” were visible (167). “Richard Cory” also starts out with a light tone. Richard “fluttered pulses” and “glittered when he walked” (552). “Story of an Hour” also has a darker, depressing tone at times. Mrs. Mallard was “paralyzed” when she heard the news about Mr. Mallard; “her bosom rose and fell tumultuously” (167). When she realizes that her husband is in fact alive, her sister’s “piercing cry” could be heard shortly before Mrs. Mallard died (167). The darker tones of the story are focused around Mr. Mallard being alive, while the lighter tones occur when Mrs. Mallard believes her husband to be dead. In “Richard Cory,” the tone changes from light to envious to dark tremendously quickly. Towards the end of the poem, the townspeople are clearly jealous of Richard Cory. They worked hard and “cursed the bread” (552). The jealous tone is the first hint that the poem isn’t just a light hearted, song-like poem. Immediately after the reader gets the first taste of jealousy, the tone changes abruptly again and suddenly becomes dark. It is quite a shock to hear that Richard Cory “went home and put a bullet

The surprise endings makes the works compelling and exciting to read. “The Story of an Hour” uses both dramatic and situational irony. The dramatic irony comes at the end of the story. The characters believe that Mrs. Mallard died of “joy that kills,” but the reader knows differently (168). The reader is able to understand that Mrs. Mallard felt free of her husband when she thought he was dead because the narrator took the reader inside of Mrs. Mallard’s room. Since Mrs. Mallard locked her door, no characters were able to enter her room and see what she was thinking and feeling. The reader knows that Mrs. Mallard did not die of joy; she died because she was shocked and upset to see her husband alive. The story also features situational irony. After reading the first line of the story that states, “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble…” the reader may infer that Mrs. Mallard will be struggling with health issues throughout the story (167). However, that is not the case. Mrs. Mallard’s husband is believed to be dead when Mrs. Mallard is the one afflicted with health issues. That seems to be the opposite of what one would expect. Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death is also situational irony. The reader would expect Mrs. Mallard to be upset and mourning, but she was instead celebrating. “Richard Cory” also features situational irony. The light tone