Suhail 1 Hamza Suhail
Professor Ashraf
English 130
27 September 2017
Essay 1: A Comparative Analysis of Elements of Fiction in Romantic Era Literature
Throughout the ages, society has attempted to control its individuals on the premises of providing stability, security, and social acceptance. In the Romantic era, writers took to their pens to cleverly express their outright dissent with regards to the laws and norms. This is the case presented in both Herman Melville’s Bartleby, The Scrivener and Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour. Both of them vividly illustrate the enigma that is humanity and how the rules and law do not facilitate individual development to a large extent. These fictional stories track the silent rebellion of the
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The narrator’s powerlessness and blindness in the face of the lurking presence of Bartleby illustrate his willful ignorance of the situation, to an extent. Bartleby embodied a character that rebelled against societal norms and his ultimate death represented an escape as well as possible worldly defeat, after he was relinquished into society’s merciless arms. The narrator was a fabric of this very society that Bartleby had attempted to rebel against.
In Chopin’s piece, the stark contrast between the language utilized throughout strongly suggests that a female voice is narrating the occurrences in the story; this technique allows the reader to comprehend a woman 's take on gender roles within the strict framework of marriage during the 19th century. For example, in the instance when the news of Mrs. Mallard’s husband’s passing is discovered, her sister is employed to convey the message to the protagonist: "It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing." There is no special quality or rhythm about the writing style used in this part of the text. The rest of her communication with individuals other than herself are described similarly.
On the other hand, the language used when she is alone with her thoughts is so colorful, poetic, and rich with imagery that it emphasizes the importance of the relationship with the self before
People one can never really tell how person is feeling or what their situation is behind closed doors or behind the façade of the life they lead. Two masterly crafted literary works present readers with characters that have two similar but very different stories that end in the same result. In Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby the Scrivener” readers are presented with Bartleby, an interesting and minimally deep character. In comparison to Gail Godwin’s work, “A Sorrowful Woman” we are presented with a nameless woman with a similar physiological state as Bartleby whom expresses her feelings of dissatisfaction of her life. Here, a deeper examination of these characters their situations and their ultimate fate will be pursued and delved into
The narrator’s sense of compassion is first revealed with frustration towards Bartleby, it is Bartleby oppression towards the narrator, which creates multiple theories of exploiting capitalist through his civil disobedience in producing work. The narrator is able to support ‘sentimental reasonableness’ and is constant throughout his story of Bartleby.
Men and women are faced with inevitable walls as they go through their daily lives, the strength of their character is derived by how they tackle these walls. Herman Melville gives us a glimpse at how walls can eventually destroy us if we give into them. In his short story, Bartleby the Scrivener, the narrator tells the story of a clerk he once employed, Bartleby. At first, Bartleby seemed to be the perfect employee, but he eventually began to shirk his work and depart into himself. Through the narrative, the narrator gives his account of how he dealt with Bartleby and gives the reader a look at the walls Bartleby dealt with in part of his life. The walls Bartleby continuously encounters throughout the text are a symbol of his isolation
In the past many decades the definition of what a marriage means changed dramatically in some areas. For the author of both stories, Kate Chopin, she wanted the reader to get something out of the story. She likes to explore all types of themes in her stories such as, racism, the roles of women, and adultery. With these themes and messages she struggled to have most of her stories published. In many of her stories she passed along these messages through the manner of a marriage. In her short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree 's Baby” she showed just how different marriages could be as well as how similar they can be. Chopin portrays the lives of the main characters, Louise Mallard from “The Story of An Hour” and Desiree Aubigny
Relationships seem to be the favorite subject of Kate Chopin’s stories. As Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin is concerned with exploring the “dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women” (Bauer 146). In “The Story of an Hour” Chopin deals with the subject of marriage. She illustrates the influence of family alliance on individual freedom. According to Wohlpart,“The Story of an Hour” describes the journey of Mrs. Mallard against the Cult of True Womanhood as she slowly becomes aware of her own desires and thus of a feminine self that has long been suppressed”(Wohlpart 2). The Cult of True Womanhood in the XIX century included “purity” and “domesticity”. The former suggested that women must maintain their virtue. The latter – denied them their intellectual and professional capabilities (Papke 12). Being the victim of this Cult, Louise Mallard was a good example of a wife without “her own desires and feminine self”.
Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor discusses many topics and insights that can be found in literature. Foster explains how each are used and the purposes they serve while providing numerous examples. Many of Foster’s insights can be found in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” which was written during a time in history when women were often restricted by society and marriage. The story speaks of a woman who felt freed from the burden of marriage when she thought her husband died, only to die the moment she realized he was actually alive. Foster’s insights about weather, heart disease, and flight that are evident in “The Story of An Hour” greatly influence the story’s interpretation in several ways.
When looking back at older works of literature, a person can always draw parallels between the lessons found written during that time period and the current time period. This is due to the fact that these themes are easily applicable on an individual level no matter what the current society is like. Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” is no exception with its lessons primarily focusing on isolation, the desire to avoid confrontation, and compassion. Through closer examination of these three themes, it becomes obvious to the reader just how necessary these ideals are in today’s society.
Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” and Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, both demonstrate the theme of isolation and going against the oppression that was around in their time. Kate Chopin’s main theme is about how married women have less freedom and are restricted in the 19th century. She portrayed it by talking about the experience in Mrs. Mallard’s point of view when, she heard her husband was presumed dead in a train accident. The way “Bartleby, the Scrivener” was written, through the use of the setting imply that Bartleby is going against something he himself cannot change. Bartleby’s action was going against the working world, by refusing to eat and participate in the economy, since Bartleby was not cooperating with anyone and protesting by himself. Compared to “Story of an Hour”, “Bartleby, the Scrivener” shows more of the theme of justice because Kate Chopin’s story was more focused toward Mrs. Mallard without explaining the circumstance of why she wanted freedom. While “Bartleby, the Scrivener” showed more detail regarding the setting of Bartleby, which makes it easier to understand that he is rebelling against the system for his belief, even if he cannot change anything by himself. Both works demonstrate the theme of isolation and resistance, however Herman Melville express the theme better because of his use of characterisation and setting involved in the story.
The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” argues that an individual discover their self-identity only after being freed from confinement. The story also argues that freedom is a very powerful force that affects mental or emotional state of a person. The story finally argues that only through death can one be finally freed.
While Glaspell communicates women’s view of marriage through significance of the canary and setting, Chopin makes use of the symbolism in Mrs. Mallard’s room door along with the front door of her home to illustrate the struggles that women during her time. After news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard retreats back to her room, having no one accompany her. She resides there long enough that her sister, Josephine, must “implor[e] for admission” with “her lips to the keyhole” (Chopin 16). Josephine is convinced that grief has consumed her sister who was making herself ill. Although she does weep over the death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard “was drinking in a very elixir of life” (Chopin 16). The door that divides her and the rest of the characters represents a separation from her ordinary life and the life that she must keep private. Only behind this door does Mrs. Mallard feel safe to confide in her feelings, which was that of joy and a profound desire for a freedom that “would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin 16), without concern for what others will make
From the way, the author tells Bartleby’s story, we can tell that his tone reflects these two feelings and it successfully speaks to us the Narrator’s courtesy and his emotional involvement in the events that are written in the story. Through the narrator’s perspective, we can identify with narrator and see Bartelby as both pathetic and a little frightening, like the narrator does.
Question 1: From a Marxist perspective, Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby the Scrivener” can be interpreted as a story proving that capitalism makes it unnecessarily difficult for its subjects to succeed, forcibly enslaves its subjects to its system, rids its subjects of aspirations and purpose due to the impossibility for creativity, and deceives its subjects into believing that money can alleviate emotional issues.
“Bartleby the Scrivener” delves into the life of a worker at a New York City Law firm. Herman Melville provides a drab and bleak outlook on the conditions of labor and mental state of the workers at the firm. Though the story can be seen as a depiction of the isolation and lack of passion found in big city labor, I believe that Melville provides much more in his writing. Within the details provided in the story, he manages to forge a metaphor for the power of transcendental ideals such as self reliance and choice within a society. He illustrates a culture run not by one’s own beliefs, but rather the generalized other and people plagued by authoritarian ideals. By the end of the tale of Bartleby and his influence within the firm Melville strives to change society by informing the reader of the importance of non-conformity and belief in one’s ideals, but also the danger of following through with that in society.
Chopin shows the suffering of women through the irony of the story, Louise Mallard’s heart condition, and Mr. and Mrs. Mallard’s relationship. She was hoping to show a reflection of the society as a whole because she believed that men and women are equal. Although Kate Chopin’s stories were written during a time where women were not given many rights, her writing mirrors the hopeful liberation that women will
She illustrates the issue first through Mr. Mallard’s death that creates his wife’s mixed feelings of grief and happiness (Chopin 429). According to Mrs. Mallard, the positive part of the story resides in the fact that she acquires her freedom and self-esteem back long years after engaging in her marriage which she indirectly describes as a state of imprisonment with a person she has to be submissive to. The irony comes towards the end with the narrator mentioning “a joy that kills” (Chopin 429). When Mr. Mallard actually crosses the door, Chopin describes the wife so shocked by his return that she immediately surrenders to death from desolation and despair (Chopin 429). His sudden yet unexpected return washes away the brief moment of freedom she dreams of in front of the window, that leads her to take the initiative to strive for it after his death. Frustrated and determined to make a difference, Chopin’s intent for creating such a tragic story resides once again in her will to relate her personal struggles from being “restrained under Catholic dogma at home” (Snodgrass) to her writings about the “revolt against double standard” (Snodgrass). She also wishes to continue supporting women of her time by showing the struggles in their battles for freedom and independence from men’s