The Bath and the elephant

Discuss ways in which two stories show characters trapped in a situation, without the possibility of escaping of it
In both stories, ‘The Bath’ by Janet Frame and ‘Elephant’ by Raymond Craver the main characters are trapped because of their loneliness and helplessness. Both of them are imprisoned and cannot found the way to escape from their reality. They are trapped but because of different things and in different parts of their lives.
In the case of “The Bath” she is trapped in her old age and she cannot go out of their because of the lack of company and help. She explores the “terror” and “torture” of the old age. Climbing out of the bath is a major obstacle. The fear of making a mistake is very much there on her mind. She wants to get over it by inventing all sorts of excuses to stay in the bath for some more time. It's a fear encrusted far into her mind. Nobody help her to escape from the bath, “no one in the house or the street or Dunedin or the world knew that she was imprisoned”. The author uses the terms “cold passageway” and “tunnel” to emphasize the idea of being trapped. She compares the sensation of being walking in a close place as a tunnel with the sensation of being trapped in your own age. Her fear of not being able to climb out of the bath is so big that she doesn´t lie or lean back to bathe, she only sits upright. This can be a metaphor to say that she does anything to escape of her situation because she is afraid of stay trapped forever in the attempt of doing it.
In the case of “The elephant” he is trapped in his past mistakes and he cannot go out because he is afraid of being alone forever and because he feels guilty for what he has done. He is manipulated by other and by himself. The idea of being trapped without way out is emphasize during the entire story with a repetitive pattern. This pattern forms a circle and never finish since he cannot day no. He is being oppressed. He is trapped by his past mistakes and guilt and by the