The comparison and contrast of A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin will give information about the stories and their backgrounds. A Rose for Emily by Faulkner is based in the post-civil war about the Grierson family. When Emily Grierson’s father dies she is left alone and unmarried only with her servant Tobe. She meets Homer Barron and after he enters her home he is never seen again. The Story of an Hour by Chopin is based in industrial times and Louise Mallard finds out that her husband had been killed in a railroad accident. Josephine her sister tried to tell her gently not to upset for she had heart trouble. Her husband believed to be dead had come home but in all the grief of seeing him she killed herself from shock of seeing him.
Mallard and Grierson are similar characters in many ways. Grierson character is insane and obsessive and does not know how to let go. In the story it says “she told them that her father was not died. She did this for three days” (Faulkner 86). Mallard on the other hand is apprehensive and demented as well. When she was told that her husband died she did not know what to do and died from being over joyed to see him alive. In the story it says “It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel stained…….. They said she die of heart disease of joy that kills.” (Chopin 16)
The settings in the stories are from different time periods. A Rose for Emily is set in post-civil war era. The setting of the story reflects the time by how it shows Grierson family being the richest family in town to them being humanized and their once prized house surrounded by cotton gins and gasoline pumps. (Faulkner 84) The Story of an Hour setting is in the 1960’s. Were most women in that time period stayed and at home, took care of the house while their husbands worked. “When intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard name leading the list of killed” (Chopin 15).
The definition of repression in a Psychoanalysis text is the rejection from consciousness of painful or disagreeable ideas, memories, feelings, or impulses. Both women in some way show different ways of repression in their different situations. Grierson shows repression by rejecting that her father is dead. Also she rejects the thought of losing Homer Barron just as she lost her father. Mallard rejects the impulse that she is a free woman but does not know how to handle things when she finds out that her husband is still alive. Both women show repression whether it is through insanity or in joy.
The comparison and contrast of these two stories have similar themes but Grierson’s insanity was not like Mallard apprehension. Grierson was not able to part with others while Mallard was ready to part with her husband and be a free woman. These two women have the same moral to their stories with one exception. Grierson kills the man she loves so she does not lose him. While Mallard is joy to be rid of her husband and be a free woman.
Meyer, Michael. The compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Print. Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. pg. 86
Meyer, Michael. The compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Print. Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. pg. 84
Meyer, Michael. The compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Print. Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. pg. 15
Meyer, Michael. The compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2012. Print. Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. pg. 16
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner skillfully depicts the changes of Emily, who becomes a victim of the transitional period from the old pre-war society to the new post-war society. The author depicts the process of how an aristocratic lady becomes a killer. The story revolves around the life of a troubled and stubborn woman named Emily. After the death of her father and the disappearance of her lover, Emily becomes increasingly isolated from the society. She persistently lives in her self-made shell so that she can preserve her past and protect herself from the changes of society. By using peculiar factors, overcast atmosphere, and the contrast of desolate and modern life, Faulkner exposes the isolation of a woman trapped in the past, her desire for a happy life, and the degradation of the South after the Civil War.…
- 1072 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Most notably recognized for their strange and bizarre stories, both Edgar Allen Poe and William Faulkner wrote several disturbing narratives. As such, it is not surprising to find that Poe's story, "The Masque of the Red Death," and Faulkner's tale, "A Rose for Emily," have much in common. Among their numerous similarities, the most apparent comparison is the theme of death in both plots.…
- 530 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner has potential to be written in many different genres. Story has many characters with interesting and unique qualities which gives a person who wants to rewrite the story options to make up new scenarios and conflicts between characters.…
- 195 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
“A rose for Emily” is a short story about the last member of her family, and her very old father. The story was published in 1930, by a very well respected author, William Faulkner. When Emily’s father dies, she is completely heartbroken and denies that he is really dead.…
- 62 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
“A Rose for Emily” is a mysterious and unusual short story. William Faulkner creates a character, Miss Emily Grierson, who is so significant to the town that she is referred to as a “fallen monument” after her death. Miss Emily is an eccentric character, and although she physically changes, her character nor her personality do. Miss Emily is a static character, with internal conflicts, and has odd relationships with her boyfriend and husband. For instance, Miss Emily kept her late father's body and refused to give him up, showing an inability to let go. She keeps his body because she also does not want to be isolated, even though she avoids interaction by staying in her home. Miss Emily's isolation is external with society and also resonates…
- 190 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Using the city in the south where the story takes place, Faulkner shows the various ways that the characters react with Emily as well as the conflicts and the irony in his short story “A Rose…
- 201 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
The similarities between the two short stories “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. Both stories have a same setting, both have health conditions and live and a time where women had very few choices on how to run their life.…
- 325 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“The Story of an Hour” is a two page short story written by Kate Chopin (born February 8, 1851 died August 22, 1904) (Larsson Donald, and Erskine Thomas 1), but despite its small size, it is filled with conflicting emotions and symbolism. The amount of well-hidden symbolism can make it very confusing, but it also gives the story an unlimited amount of meaning. At first glance, many may not realize that the sky is a symbol, or understand a kind “of joy that kills” (Chopin 128), and cannot comprehend the mental state someone must be in to fell “free” (129) from hearing of death of her spouse.…
- 2338 Words
- 10 Pages
Good Essays -
A Rose for Emily, is a tragic story of a young women who was denied the privilege to love and be loved at young age. The author, William Faulkner, was born and raised in Mississippi at the turn of the century. Faulkner is known as one of the 20th century’s best writers. “The man himself never stood taller than five feet, six inches tall, but in the realm of American literature, William Faulkner is a giant” (“William Faulkner”). In the short story A Rose for Emily, Faulkner ties the story together through setting, foreshadowing, symbolism, and most importantly the characters.…
- 494 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The short story “A rose for Emily” published in 1930 by William Faulkner focuses on the life of Emily Grierson, a woman who is from a rich family and, now has to deal with her loneliness after her father’s death. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a complex and dark story that keeps readers guessing and intrigued by Faulkner’s abundant use of literally elements. Faulkner’s use of symbolism in the story is used to enhance the plot and create meaning. The point of view by the use of the unnamed narrator in “A Rose for Emily” makes readers question the identity of the speaker. "A Rose for Emily" recalls the terms of Southern gothic literature that sets the tone of the story as gloomy and grotesque.…
- 811 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily is about a poor and unfortunate woman, named Emily, who leads a very personal and lonely life. The theme and story revolves around the secret life of Emily Grierson. The story takes place in the South and reflects the attitudes and lifestyle of the old South.…
- 1002 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, the narrative voice is a detached witness to the events in Miss Emily’s life. This is portrayed through its limited omniscience, its shifting viewpoint, and its unreliability.…
- 706 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
A Rose for Emily was American author William Faulkner’s first short story to be published in a national magazine. It went on to become one of the most anthologized American short stories. Miss. Emily is the main character. After her father, had passed away for at least three days he is not dead. Mid-thirty she has already committed a murder.…
- 584 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and William Faulkner's "A Rosefor Emily" both characterize the nature of marriage and womanhood by delving into the psyches of their female protagonists. Also, although Chopin makes no clear reference to geographic locale in "The Story of an Hour," both authors usually set their stories in the American South, which impacts these characterizations. These two tales share many other points of reference in common. For instance, Mrs. Mallard in "The Story of an Hour" and Emily Grierson in "A Rose for Emily" die at the end of the story, and both deaths are in some way related to how the women felt about their male partners. In fact, in both cases, the women are deeply affected by the men in their lives: their personalities and lifestyles have been shaped and molded chiefly by men. However, Mrs. Mallard and Emily Grierson develop differently. Mallard is a relatively young woman, while Grierson When Brently Mallard is presumed dead, Mrs. Mallard and Grierson also exhibit different physical characteristics. Mallard grieves when she hears her husband is dead but embraces the "long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. In the end, both women die, but Mallard's death is precipitated by "a monstrous joy," unlike Grierson, who simply left behind a legacy of sadness and pity. This aspect of her character is paralleled in the springtime setting of "A Rose for Emily," in which "topsof trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. While Grierson holes up and hides from the world, Mallard has as upportive network of friends and family to which to turn. Mallard experiences an epiphany that can potentially transform her life and which brings her immense joy; Grierson, on the other hand sank into madness and depression and killed the man she loved. Emily Grierson killed the man who spurned her, only to sleep next to his decaying corpse each night. " In stark contrast to this...…
- 329 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
The original story, A Rose for Emily, is a thrilling story of Emily. Emily symbolized how the town lived. Faulkner described Emily as a fallen monument. She was a young girl brought up by her father under strict southern gothic traditions. The fictional story unfolded in a fictional city named Jefferson located in Mississippi.…
- 1310 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays