Restraints of Society
Restraints of Society
Since the beginning of time, women have been treated as second class
citizens. Therefore, women were forced to face many problems and because of
this women were repressed. During the post Civil War era, the Napoleonic Code
stated that women were controlled by their husbands and couldn’t freely do their
own will without the authority of their husband. Each character longs for freedom
in a different way, but because of the men in their lives they are unable to make
their own life decisions. In both stories, “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin
and “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner the use of literary elements such as
foreshadowing, symbolism, and the significant meaning of the titles are essential
in bringing the reader to an unexpected and ironic conclusion. From the
background of both authors, who are from the South, we can conclude how they
could describe the situations that they faced such as political and social
presumptions and/or problems especially for women at that time.
In the short stories "The Story of an Hour," by Chopin and "A Rose for
Emily," by Faulkner, the main characters are both female. Both women in these
stories were bound by what society expected of them. Each woman in different
ways tries unsuccessfully to gain her freedom. Emily and Mrs. Mallard live in
male-dominated societies, and none of the women were free to do or be what
they wanted. Louise ("The Story of an Hour") and Emily ("A Rose for Emily") not
only feel but live the demands that society and their family have placed on them.
In Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily," the title character felt imprisoned by her
life and looked for a way to gain her freedom. Emily must endure her fathers
never ending denial that there is any man suitable for his daughter. Emily was left
alone after her father died, and the townspeople thought that some of her kin
should come to her.
Since the beginning of time, women have been treated as second class
citizens. Therefore, women were forced to face many problems and because of
this women were repressed. During the post Civil War era, the Napoleonic Code
stated that women were controlled by their husbands and couldn’t freely do their
own will without the authority of their husband. Each character longs for freedom
in a different way, but because of the men in their lives they are unable to make
their own life decisions. In both stories, “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin
and “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner the use of literary elements such as
foreshadowing, symbolism, and the significant meaning of the titles are essential
in bringing the reader to an unexpected and ironic conclusion. From the
background of both authors, who are from the South, we can conclude how they
could describe the situations that they faced such as political and social
presumptions and/or problems especially for women at that time.
In the short stories "The Story of an Hour," by Chopin and "A Rose for
Emily," by Faulkner, the main characters are both female. Both women in these
stories were bound by what society expected of them. Each woman in different
ways tries unsuccessfully to gain her freedom. Emily and Mrs. Mallard live in
male-dominated societies, and none of the women were free to do or be what
they wanted. Louise ("The Story of an Hour") and Emily ("A Rose for Emily") not
only feel but live the demands that society and their family have placed on them.
In Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily," the title character felt imprisoned by her
life and looked for a way to gain her freedom. Emily must endure her fathers
never ending denial that there is any man suitable for his daughter. Emily was left
alone after her father died, and the townspeople thought that some of her kin
should come to her.