- Brief Introduction
- Analysis of A Clean and Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway
- Analysis of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
- Analysis of The Storm by Kate Chopin
- Conclusion
Within the story, lies the dark theme of death and loneliness which is portrayed by the old customer who only exists in despair despite his wealth and providing a brief description of the author’s life, having a physical defect (deafness) and living in old age. The old and the young waiter were the author’s representation of himself as a youth and middle-aged man incorporated with contrasting ideologies. The title itself reflects the symbolism of dark and light. Light represents peacefulness, tranquility and pleasant accommodation of everyone’s company, whilst the darkness is the embodiment of death, loneliness and nothingness. Perhaps this reason alone justifies the old customer’s love for the café itself since it a ‘clean and well-lighted’, and the fact alone brings joy and peace to his lonely soul. Moving forward, O. Henry, also known as William Sydney Porter wrote the short story called ‘The Gift of the Magi’. With a lighter contrast to Hemingway’s work, O. Henry’s story was indeed a charming romantic piece. The story revolves around the lives of the two young couple named Jim and Della. If Hemingway portrayed ‘nothingness’ in the aspect of lacking company and sad emotion, Porter views the subject of ‘nothingness’ on the material aspect, since the couple was not rich. “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That’s all.” (Henry and Lynch 1).
Major critics of contemporary literature noted the irony slyly presented when the couple sacrificed their most valuable possessions in order to buy each other a Christmas gift. In addition, O. Henry focused more on the aspects of poverty in the American society by the turn of the century rather than the characters’ emotion and thoughts. It is though that the short story was a real- life anecdote free from the theme and the character developments. Upon its initial publication, The Gift of Magi also used metaphors, being mentioned by the author himself and the word repetition similar to Hemingway’s work was written as means of description of their environment. The author ends the story by praising both couples on their sincerity and love for each other.
Furthermore, the story was regarded as a children’s literature and one of the best Christmas stories ever written. On the other hand, Kate Chopin’s story entitled, The Storm definitely matches the story and its title. Unlike Hemingway who only focused on the three stages of man as a human being, Chopin broke the barriers of traditionalism in order to create a powerful story, quite disturbing in terms of moral etiquette of the early nineteenth century whilst captivating the reader’s attention through the consistent use of words and phrases with a fine unique plot. The Storm was a product of Kate Chopin’s disappointment against the old values of the early American ruling classes she belong with. The old and rotten values regarding the concept of virginity and female oppression in the society made a rebel out of, thus earning her the title of the first leading feminist writer. The story explores the deepest and darkest desires hidden within Calixta’s heart. Because of the marriage to an inconsiderate husband, Bobinot, she longs for sexual excitement and passion that was usually experienced by married women whose marriages were thoroughly consummated. Both O. Henry and Chopin discuss the established norms prevalent on their society; however, the difference is O. Henry tackled only a brief description of the society in the Gift of Magi whilst Chopin, explored the many aspects of female degradation including the preserving of the female virginity in order to gain a high ranking status and respect from the society.
The idea itself was considerably plausible for the people living in the secluded traditions of that time, but it did not appeal much to Chopin since she points out that men can take liberties whilst women are prohibited. Although the act of having a sexual intercourse within the bounds of marriage was considered adultery, Calixta does not seem to regret, so to speak, she happily accepts the fact that they had a good time doing it. Furthermore, the story itself was a mixture of intrigue, passion and re-awakening of the true female, having the right over their body, their life and their way of living their own lives without the manipulation or the seclusion of the traditional society beliefs about women. As a conclusion, the three stories portrays the characters emotion, thought, influences of the socio-economic factors of the early nineteenth century. Aside from this, these stories are more than just stories written on a piece of paper. These stories are the brief summary of the society that once existed before the influence of modernism.
Works Cited
Kennedy, X. J and Dana Gioia. Literature. An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education (US), 2012. Print.
Henry, O. and P.J. Lynch. "Read The Gift of the Magi - A Short Story Online - Free." Publicbookshelf.com, 2013. Web. 15 Apr 2014. <http://www.publicbookshelf.com/inspirational/gift-magi/>.
Hemingway, Ernest. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. 1933. E-book. < http://www.url-der.org/a_clean_well_lighted_place.pdf>
Chopin, Kate. "The Storm." Americanliterature.com, 2013. Web. 15 Apr 2014. <http://americanliterature.com/author/kate-chopin/short-story/the-storm>.
