6/24/2013
1. Out of the following short stories: A rose for Emily, The Lottery, The Storm, Desiree’s Baby, and The Story of an hour, which couple has the best marriage/cohabitation? Use the text to support your argument.
People marry for various motives, including: legal, social, emotional, financial, spiritual, and religious. In some parts of the world, marriages are arranged. Marriages can be done in a ceremony or in a religious setting. Marriage usually creates legal and other obligations between the individuals involved. Some cultures allow the termination of marriage through divorce or annulment. Polygamous marriages could also occur in spite of nationwide laws. Traditionally, in most cultures, married women had very few rights of their own, being considered, along with the family's children, the property of the husband; they could not own or inherit property, or represent themselves legally. From the late 19th century throughout the 20th century, marriage has endured gradual legal changes in the US, expecting to improve the rights of women. Some of these changes involved giving wives a legal identity of their own, giving wives property rights, ending the husband’s right to physically punish their wives, requiring a wife's consent when sexual relations occur, and liberalizing divorce laws. Many of these changes are still only restricted to this country. During the past few eras, major social changes in developed countries have led to changes in the demographics of marriage, with the age of first marriage increasing, less people marrying, and many couples choosing to shack up rather than to marry. This has become quite the trend nowadays because there isn’t as much of a stigma that comes with living with your significant other without being married first.
This isn’t the case in Kate Chopin short stories The Storm, The Story of an Hour, and Desiree’s Baby. Marriage is viewed differently in all three of Kate