During the era after the Civil War, many authors started writing more about real life tales. These authors wanted to present life in an accurately realistic light. They particularly started writing about fate because they believed that everyone’s destiny was ruled by fate. The Story of an Hour by Kate Choplin, Eveline by James Joyce, and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner were also written in the era after the Civil War. Even though these short stories were written by three different authors, it is surprising that the primary characters of these stories are female and have a lot in common. The purpose of essay is to analyze the characters of Louise Mallard, Eveline Hill, and Emily Grierson in order to identify similarities between them and their lives.
Although the lives of Louise, Eveline, and Emily are mostly different from one another’s, but they still have quite a lot in common. For instance, all three women have strict men in their lives. In Mrs. Mallard’s life it was her deceased husband who had limited her freedom, in Eveline’s life it was her abusive father who always threatened to beat her like he beat her brothers, and in Emily’s life it was he deceased controlling and domineering father because of whom Emily is still single at the age of thirty. In their own way, all three of these women were longing for freedom but they were not able to make their own life decisions because of the men in their lives.
Another thing that is common between the three women is that they lose people who were close to them very early in the story and this leaves them at the point of entry of a new life. Mrs. Mallard loses her husband granting her the freedom from her oppressive marriage and she is eagerly looking forward to this new free life. Eveline lost her mother and her elder brother, while her remaining brother is not around anymore, which leaves her with the dilemma whether she leave with her lover, Frank, and escape her hard life, or continue living with her abusive father. Emily loses her father who constantly drove off suitors who were interested in marrying her, and after his death, she finally decides to Homer and perhaps settle down with him.
The historical context that surrounds the lives of Louise, Eveline, and Emily is also similar. All three women come from a time when women were treated unfairly, faced many struggles, and were forced to make sacrifices for the sake of others. Mrs. Mallard for the sake of being a good wife sacrificed her freedom by remaining married to her oppressive husband; Eveline sacrificed her happiness and freedom by not leaving with Frank because of her obligation to her father, and Emily sacrificed her youth and opportunities to get married because none of her suitors were good enough according to her father and she obliged to his will. During the 1800s, women like Louise, Eveline, and Emily willingly accepted their fate and felt that sacrificing for their family was their duty.
In conclusion, Louise, Eveline and Emily were women bound by what was expected of them by society. Each of these women tries to gain her freedom but all of them end up being unsuccessful. The female protagonists of . The Story of an Hour by Kate Choplin, Eveline by James Joyce, and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner show who three perceivably frail and fragile women lose themselves in a world that society has created for them. The demands and expectations of society constrain them. Thus, Louise, Eveline and Emily have more in common than meets the eye.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature Writing and Arguing about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 5th ed. Longman, 2011. Print.
Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature Writing and Arguing about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 5th ed. Longman, 2011. Print.
Joyce, James. "Eveline." Madden, Frank. Exploring Literature Writing and Arguing about Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 5th ed. Longman, 2011. Print.
