Connection in Howards End

In his ironically titled story, “Devotion,” Adam Haslett introduces Owen, a middle-aged man who lives with his sister in their deceased parents’ home in England, and as they both prepare for a visit from a special friend, his hidden fears and emotions are awakened. As the author reveals the intricacies of the bond between the siblings it is clear their relationship isn’t as loving and healthy as it could seem, but is instead a harmful relationship that keeps them away from a normal life in a larger world. Relying on flashbacks, letters, and symbolism to unravel the reasons Owen and Hillary live together in their parents’ home, Haslett also conveys how fear of being alone can make a person selfish and cause them to inadvertently ruin someone

Mrs. Mallard and Mrs. Sommers have a fair share of intemperance. Mrs. Mallard has come to the realization that the death of her husband is not only a tragic occurrence, but also a beneficial cutting of her previously binding marital ties. The crisis of her grief has given her new insight on her life, and Mrs. Mallard understands that her marriage has limited her independence and freedom. Due to this realization she immediately forgets about the accident and starts to think about her freedom: ““Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering” (paragraph 14). It is only an hour after Mrs. Mallard has received the bitter news of her husband’s death. Considering that her husband is gone, instead of mourning, she is overwhelmed with the freedom she

The reader might question as to why Mrs. Mallard’s feelings towards her husband’s death change so quickly. Was she previously unaware of the “subtle and elusive” (227) thoughts that made her believe that this death might be a blessing in disguise? Mrs. Mallard, before her husband’s death, had a romanticized view of her marriage. While she believed she loved Brently and was happy, after his death she became aware of the freedom she would now experience without a controlling husband. The “powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence” (228) would no longer be present. Mrs. Mallard was aware of her yearnings of independence and joy, but would never voice them while locked into her marriage with Brantley. While at first, it may seem as Mrs. Mallard was unaware of these feelings, the death of her husband was just the catalyst that allowed her deepest feelings to be revealed and her dreams of independence to finally

eye on the institution of marriage is very characteristic of her stories (11). In "The Story of an Hour", we do not so much see as intuit Mrs. Mallard's skeptical eye.

Initially, Mrs. Mallard reacts with great sadness over the news of her husband’s death. Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffers from “heart trouble”, Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister decides to “hint” her the news of Brently’s death in “broken sentences”. Josephine assumes that Mrs. Mallard “[loves]” her husband, and naturally

She wanted to be a role model for her children and at the same time, she wanted to become friend with them. Helen valued education, and she wanted Julie to go to college and have a successful life. However, after she found out that Julie had secretly being together with Tod, the poor, unambitious man. She was disappointed, betrayed, sad. Julie moved out of Helen’s home. Later, when Helen found out that Julie and her husband Tod had nowhere to live, she let them move in with her. She is a permissive parent, yet, she cares about her children, provides them as much support as she can. Helen stayed calm when Gary told her he wanted to live with his dad for a while. I can see her heart was bleeding when she heard her son’s words. She gave Gary his father’s phone number anyway, and Gary talked to his dad over the phone and figured out the cruel fact that his dad didn’t care for them anymore. Helen wanted to comfort Gary but he refused to talk. I felt Helen’s guilt and desperation at that moment. After she broke into Gary’s room and found out that Gary was carrying the bag that contains pornography, she immediately asked Tod’s help to talk to Gary. She had a chance to talk to Tod and had learned that Tod came from a broken family. She had a better idea of who Tod was and his help to Gary gained Helen’s respect. Helen supported Tod and helped her daughter Julie overcame the tough situation in marriage. Helen

Edouard, Sarah’s father in-law, was forever traumatized into silence about seeing Sarah return to the apartment to find her dead brother. Edouard had nightmares and would never forget what he had witnessed. As Julia read Edouard a letter from Genevieve to Gaspard’s family about Sarah, her life, and her now joining the DuFaure family “He sounded like he was crying, but he appeared to be doing everything he could to make me think he wasn’t” (195). Seeing Sarah return to the apartment to find her brothers dead body locked away had been a defining moment in Edouard’s life and being able to hear the letter about Sarah’s new and better childhood with the DuFaure’s he gained some closure, at least Sarah found a great family after what she had gone through. William Rainsferd was also greatly affected by learning about his mothers true identity. He rethought his entire life, caught in a whirlwind of emotions and new information, and finally at the very end of the book made peace with the new knowledge and used it to better his life. His life was forever changed by learning more about

The story continues to reveal a conflict Mrs. Mallard may have had in the relationship with her husband. Though she speaks about him lovingly and knows that he loved her, there is something deeper that is brought to the surface in

Mallard lets the reader know she feels imprisoned by her life as Mrs. Mallard, Mr. Mallard's wife. Mrs. Mallard feels stifled and bound by her limited opportunities. Josephine and Mrs. Mallard may be sisters, but they have very different outlooks on a woman's role in society.

This begins first that she assumes the role of a male figure in the absence of her husband in the life of her son “I’m going to make myself a cup of tea. Mind, now, not a word about tonight to your father.” (Callaghan 5). This conflict that was internal was due to the absence of her husband. Moreover, Mrs. Higgins was conflicted from all the decisions her children has been making from Alfred stealing to when Alfred’s “young sister had kept repeating doggedly that she was getting married” (Callaghan 6). Mrs. Higgins has a breakdown as Alfred describes her “Her face as she sat there was a frightened broken face utterly unlike the face of the woman who had been so assured a little while ago” (Callaghan 5). The realization the protagonist had was that she was conflicted with all the wrong choices she made and the people around her had made, her broken spirit symbolizes that she may have made the wrong decision earlier. The theme of realization and resolution is again developed from the conflict that the protagonist had faced in her life, the realization she has after dealing with all her conflicts as she reflects on the table. The realization Alfred has when he sees the conflict that his mother has gone through, he finally matures and understands the sacrifice of his

The characters of the women are deliberately sad and lonely. The narrator’s wife before getting married to the nameless narrator indented to marry a military officer and wasn’t much happy about the issue, due to which she attempted to suicide. Even Robert’s wife was always pitied, as her husband was unable to see her and look at her romantically.

Concerning her love affairs, it must be mentioned why she got involved in so many relationships, even with a seventeen-year-old student, resulting in the loss of her good reputation and dismissal from a high school. The reason is simple: she has longed for happiness and love. She has been trying to find another man to be happy. She herself describes it: „After the death of Allan - intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with.“ (Williams 118). However, when she comes to her sister Stella and her husband Stanley, she keeps lying both to herself and to them. She pretends to be nothing but a respectable and honourable woman. She tries to persuade them that she is flawless, although her pretentious refinement looks

While Mrs. Mallard remembers Mr. Mallard as a kind and tender man who loved her, she also viewed him as the oppression that marriage put upon women and men. While Mr. Mallard was kind and loving to his wife, he was also controlling and overbearing. Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister and Richards, Mr. Mallard’s friend is there to break the news of Mr. Mallard’s death. Richards has learned of Mr. Mallard’s death at the newspaper office, not wanting to believe the information that was received, Richards waited for the new to be delivered for a second time before enlisting the help of Josephine. They are both there to support Mrs. Mallard and their support shows that they care for Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.

Claudia expresses again and again how marginalized she and her sister perceived themselves to be, "Adults do not talk to us - they give us directions" (10). When Claudia thinks back to a childhood illness she suffered, she remembers her mother's irritation at finding her sick in bed. Claudia questions the reliability of her perceptions of pain and confusion, "But was it really like that? As painful as I remember? Only mildly. Love...eased up into that cracked window" (12). Claudia's mother's irritation is tempered with compassion; she coats Claudia's phlegmy chest with salve and "hands repinned the flannel, readjusted the

The failings of not marrying for love are again made apparent by Austen through the account of Lydia and Wickham and their shortfalls. Lydia and Wickham’s relationship was built on a mixture of youthful attraction and naivety. In the letter she sends to Harriet,