'How Vainly Men Themselves Amaze' Interpretation

The short story, “The Daemon Lover” follows a narrator that strongly believes she is in an eternal relationship with her husband-to-be. As her wedding day arrives, her fiancé is nowhere to be found, leading her to starvation as she waits for him to appear, while also going the distance in search for him. Through the use of symbolism, personifications and foreshadowing, the author, Shirley Jackson, is able to portray the narrator’s unrequited love. One primary example in the text is that the narrator was unable to go to a store to eat, because she wanted to wait until her husband, Jamie, had arrived. She states that, “there was nothing to eat in the apartment except the food she had carefully stocked up for their life beginning together: the unopened package of bacon, the dozen eggs in their box, the unopened bread and the unopened butter; they were for breakfast tomorrow” (Jackson 3). The food she mentions in the story represents the love of the narrator for her husband to be. It signifies that she is willing to provide everything she can, but the same is not returned to her. In addition, she repetitively mentions unopened packages – a reflection of her own love for Jamie. Both the unopened packages and her love are untouched and left to

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows one to explore many ironic instances throughout the story, the main one in which a woman unpredictably feels free after her husband’s assumed death. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to illustrate the struggles of reaching personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself to reach self-assertion while being a part of something else, like a marriage. In “The Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, celebrates the death of her husband, yet Chopin uses several ironic situations and certain symbols to criticize the behavior of Mrs. Mallard during the time of her “loving” husband’s assumed death.

This is a sign of immorality. Tom Buchanan is an arrogant and ignorant character throughout the novel. His wealth and power allows him to be as immoral as he is. Tom uses Mr. Wilson’s wife as a mistress the he uses only for physical pleasure. Mr. Wilson does not know that he is in a position of being cheated on.

In the dram “Trifles” Glaspell uses symbolism and irony to prove how men’s lack of empathy toward women cause their downfall. This is the investigation drama where some officers are investigating a crime scene where a woman, Mrs. Wright, reportedly murdered her husband and while the officers were investigating they brought their wives to collect some clothing for her. By what they were saying, the officers were laughing at their wives because they thought they were paying attention to unimportant things, thus ‘trifles’. Where all the wives solved the case and the men did not.There is an obvious segregation between the men and the women, social, psychological, and physical.“Nothing here but kitchen things”.This was the first belittling comment

In addition to the silly depiction of Carol and Howard as people who so dread public humiliation as singles that they gladly agree to attach themselves to the first appropriate suitor, Gallant also employs an ironic tone and various figurative terms of language to comment on the laughable yet somewhat pathetic circumstance in which the couple find themselves. Many distinctions are made between the ?illusion? of love as a wonderful thing complete with ?violets,? a ?misty background,? and the romantic ?moonlight,? and the actuality of a practical marriage. Though not every proposal can be so romantic, Gallant deliberately emphasizes the underwhelming quality

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” examine the complex relationship between a husband and wife. The two works take two different approaches to convey the same message: Marriage is not a fairytale, it requires sacrifice and unselfish behavior in order to work. Relationships are difficult to begin and harder to maintain. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and Aylmer and Georgiana are two relationships that shatter the surreal perception of marriage and expose readers to the raw truth, marriage is not a fairytale.

These three brides represent the femme fatale, the fatal woman. The over sexualised women whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. These women serve as monstrous reminders of what happens if the boundaries of proper behaviour and traditional gender roles are crossed. These women, although beautiful, possess the wrong type of beauty, one of which brands them as evil, openly sexual and seductive women. Who, in addition lack the chaste passivity and fragility of the ideal Victorian lady, thus making them deserving of some form of punishment in order for them to be returned to their pure, innocent, albeit dead, human form.

In “The Other Paris” by Mavis Gallant, Irish Setters, not love, is said to be the true basis for happiness. Of course, only according to society, Howard, and Carol, two young adults who have been scared and brainwashed into a rash proposal and subsequently rushed engagement. Gallant uses sarcasm to create a narrative voice that she uses throughout the passage where she characterizes Carol as a self-deceiving, but hardworking woman, and Howard as a cautious man, to provide social commentary through their actions and reasoning to themselves and to others for getting engaged.

To begin, Annabelle and Lolita [were] both identified in positive ways; H.H. uses the rhetorical strategy of listing to characterize them . [For example], in chapter 10, he writes, “frail, honey- hued shoulders, same silky.. head of hair” to modify Lolita. In chapter 3, he relates Annabelle by saying, ”honey-colored skin””thick arms””brown

In the two stories “Desiree’s Baby” and “Lamb Of The Slaughter” the author portrays a selfsame story that shows a wife and a husband who adored one another, but doesn't stay like that transiently. Both story have complications and explication. The theme of the story is love is something you don’t take for granted it takes a strong emotional couple to keep stable

This Greek myth attempts to discourage two types of undesirable behavior . This myth teaches one not to put themselves in others’ problem . Secondly one should not be vain and so unrequited . In the myth it states “ Echo kept Hera listening for hours on end to hear stories and her gossip … to keep her from seeing Zeus” . This shows how echo put herself in Hera and Zeus’ problem . Zeus was down on Earth cheating on his wife with the nymphs . this shows he was being vain and unrequited . Also if one is not going to be faithful to another then don’t commit and make a promise to it .

Contrary to to traditional Mother roles in gothic literature, the Mother in ‘The Bloody Chamber’ embodies Strength and Courage. Through Carters feminist style of writing, the mother is seen as a knight in shining armour. The ‘indomitable’ (p1) woman is a figure of strength and courage; she has shot ‘a man – eating tiger with her own hand” (p2), and holding all the traits of a masculine hero. Traditionally, these traits symbolise her possession of the power traditionally possessed by men. Moreover, her overwhelming power is influential; she is in the position of true power, in no way passive or innocent. The passing down of her husband’s “antique service revolver” (p2) contradicts societies expectation of women. Traditionally, possessions are handed down to a fathers heir, however the mother receives this symbolic item instead. This item represents both the mothers strength and her physical power. Yet she is equipped with ‘maternal telepathy’(p41), which adds another dimension to her empowerment as it is a feminine strength, suggesting Carter is employing the notion that women may embrace their femininity whilst still retaining an advantage over men. However, her masculine qualities cannot be ignored. The windswept image is one of strength, portrayed towards the end of the novel, when she saves the damsel in distress, a role usually dominated by men. Her ‘white mane’ (p40) and “wild” appearance alludes to the image of a hunting lioness, a symbol of strength. She is the embodiment of “furious justice”. This

Lucy Westenra, signifying the stereotypical victim, of “unequalled sweetness and purity,” symbolises the change in feminine identity within the story after she shows deviant traits, transforming from her previously repressed tender character into a strong sexual demon.

Mrs Hayward is a contradictory character who is established through Stephen’s fragmented memory to be both a character of smiling perfection and a broken woman, sitting in the dust weeping. She is both the embodiment of a perfect British wartime wife and a character of suspicion; a spy, a traitor, the epitome of deceit and the focus of two young boys’ overzealous imagination.

Traditional gender roles of men and women are associated with Lily’s painting. In the novel, men are portrayed as tough, smart, and rational. For example, Mr. Ramsey is described as being “lean as a knife, narrow as the blade of one...” (Woolf 8). Women, on the other hand, are portrayed as caring and gentle, caring for their families. Mrs. Ramsay is a