Theme Comparison
Theme Comparison: The Necklace & The Story of an Hour
A short story, “The Necklace” (“La parure”) by Guy de Maupassant in 1884 and a poem, ‘The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin in 1894 are literary works that are very comparable yet are different. The two women, Madame Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard, portrayed in these literary works are protagonists who have trouble because of conflicting expectations imposed on them by society. Both Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard want something more than what their lifestyle offers them. During the time when the authors wrote these pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. This essay will compare and contrast elements of content, form, and style between two different literary works.
Both authors chose the theme of gender roles in marriage. During the time when the authors wrote theses pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. The nineteenth century was impacted by the industrial revolution which caused a gap in gender roles, especially in the upper and middle classes (Radek, 2001). Men and women were thought to have completely different natures. Men were considered to be powerful, brave, rational and independent. Women were considered weak, timid, emotional, and dependent. Those differences separated their functions in society. "Men were thought to have natures suited to the public world, women to the private" (Radek, 2001). Independence for women in the nineteenth century was a forbidden pleasure. These feelings led women to fell repressed in their everyday life. Men controlled the marriage; until a woman got control of her own body, she could not enjoy true freedom or physical and mental health (Rosenberg, 1973). It was in the nineteenth century that gender-consciousness and female repression first came to the forefront of the literary imagination. “Gender-consciousness and reform in the nineteenth century became increasingly at odds with social reality”
A short story, “The Necklace” (“La parure”) by Guy de Maupassant in 1884 and a poem, ‘The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin in 1894 are literary works that are very comparable yet are different. The two women, Madame Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard, portrayed in these literary works are protagonists who have trouble because of conflicting expectations imposed on them by society. Both Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard want something more than what their lifestyle offers them. During the time when the authors wrote these pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. This essay will compare and contrast elements of content, form, and style between two different literary works.
Both authors chose the theme of gender roles in marriage. During the time when the authors wrote theses pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. The nineteenth century was impacted by the industrial revolution which caused a gap in gender roles, especially in the upper and middle classes (Radek, 2001). Men and women were thought to have completely different natures. Men were considered to be powerful, brave, rational and independent. Women were considered weak, timid, emotional, and dependent. Those differences separated their functions in society. "Men were thought to have natures suited to the public world, women to the private" (Radek, 2001). Independence for women in the nineteenth century was a forbidden pleasure. These feelings led women to fell repressed in their everyday life. Men controlled the marriage; until a woman got control of her own body, she could not enjoy true freedom or physical and mental health (Rosenberg, 1973). It was in the nineteenth century that gender-consciousness and female repression first came to the forefront of the literary imagination. “Gender-consciousness and reform in the nineteenth century became increasingly at odds with social reality”
References: Bomarito, J. & Hunter, J.W. (2005). “Women in the 19th Centruy-Introduction.” Feminism in Literature. Gale Cengage Vol.2. Retrieved April 28, 2012 from, <http://www.enotes.com/feminism-criticism/women-19th-century/introduction-2> Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books Radek, K. (2001). Women in the Nineteenth Century. Women in Literature. Retrieved April 27, 2012, from http://www2.ivcc.edu/gen2002/women_in_the_nineteenth_century.htm Rosenberg, C. (1973). Sexuality, Class and Role in 19th-Century America. American Journal, 25(2) 131-153 Schinz, A. (1903). Literary Symbolism in France. PMLA 18(2), 273-307 Smith, R. (1998). Morals and Their Ironies. The Journal of Religious Ethics, 26(2), 367-388