Ronnie Heyman
Eng 102
The Story of an Hour
In the Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard is portrayed and characterized as a monstrous woman when she feels victorious after learning about her husband's death in a freak railroad disaster. However, to me, this reveals a deer truth, that Mrs. Mallard was living in a troubled marriage and wanted to break free.
In Mr. and Mrs. Mallard's marriage there was love between the two of them. This can be seen by Mrs. Mallard's initial weeping after learning of her husband's death and the urge to be alone in her room while she sobbed in the arm chair. However, Mrs. Mallard was not entirely satisfied with her marriage. Once Brently's death managed to sink deeper into her, her true feelings came to fruition. She now feels she can do as she always wanted with being weighed down by her marriage. Louise did not feel like she was receiving all of what life had to offer from her marriage with Brently.
Bentley's will was stronger than Louise's, thus forcing her into submission, and limiting the life she wished to lead. Death of Bentley was like the freeing of her soul, like a bird whose cage door finally broke open releasing the bird to fly free. Finally Louise realized she was free from the submission which kept her downed wanted to embrace this newfound freedom like a freed prisoner. Walking down the stairs with her hand grasping her sister's wrist, Louise was a new woman. But as things were looking up for Louise, the unexpected occurs. The door swings open and to her surprise, in walks Bentley, unharmed, and unaware of the accident or false hope Louise had received. i personally believe Louise died of a heart attack due the increased stress of realizing she was going to be oppressed again, like an escaped convict. Her body could not handle this level of stress and finally gave out, resulting in her death.
Pak-tung Le
ReplyDeleteEN 102
The Cathedral
In the short story, The Cathedral, there are numerous three relationships that are discussed between a man and a woman. The story begins with a man discussing the relationship between his wife and her old employer, Robert. While it discusses the relationship between Robert and the author’s wife, I will be examining the relationship between the husband and wife. What I found interesting that the author never reveals the names of either of the wife’s husbands or that of the wife. To me, that represents the lack of intimacy of the husband and wife. I also found that both of her marriages did not appear to be satisfying to her. The author appears to be surprised that his wife appears to be so happy when she returns with her friend. It is almost as if he has never seen his wife smile for such an extended period of time.
As I read this story, I found that the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt” applied with both of her marriages. It seems as if she is has been less content with both her first husband, and now her current one, as time has elapsed. She appears to speak to her husband in an accusatory fashion, be in verbal or just by looking at him. I did not find her to understand him, however, this writing is from his perspective so that might be the reason why it is slanted in this manner. She does not seem to be as enamored with the author and seems to disapprove in his actions. This is illustrated when she comes down from changing and finds the author offering Robert a joint. Another example is when she is talking to him prior to picking up Robert. He offers to take Robert bowling and she states that if he loved her, he would try to be nice to her friend. She then says to him that she would do so if he had any friends, but he does not.
Pak-tung Le
ReplyDeleteEN 102
The Cathedral
In the short story, The Cathedral, there are numerous three relationships that are discussed between a man and a woman. The story begins with a man discussing the relationship between his wife and her old employer, Robert. While it discusses the relationship between Robert and the author’s wife, I will be examining the relationship between the husband and wife. What I found interesting that the author never reveals the names of either of the wife’s husbands or that of the wife. To me, that represents the lack of intimacy of the husband and wife. I also found that both of her marriages did not appear to be satisfying to her. The author appears to be surprised that his wife appears to be so happy when she returns with her friend. It is almost as if he has never seen his wife smile for such an extended period of time.
As I read this story, I found that the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt” applied with both of her marriages. It seems as if she is has been less content with both her first husband, and now her current one, as time has elapsed. She appears to speak to her husband in an accusatory fashion, be in verbal or just by looking at him. I did not find her to understand him, however, this writing is from his perspective so that might be the reason why it is slanted in this manner. She does not seem to be as enamored with the author and seems to disapprove in his actions. This is illustrated when she comes down from changing and finds the author offering Robert a joint. Another example is when she is talking to him prior to picking up Robert. He offers to take Robert bowling and she states that if he loved her, he would try to be nice to her friend. She then says to him that she would do so if he had any friends, but he does not.