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A Rose For Emily Repression Essay

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A Rose For Emily Repression Essay
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner are two short stories that share very similar characteristics. The two stories are simply comparable due to the exquisite details each author provides. These characteristics are especially shown in the protagonists, the settings, and the mood of “repression” that is revealed throughout both works. To begin with, both authors characterize marriage and womanhood. The two women are both presented in a male dominated society where women are socially limited and are “expected” to do certain things based on gender. Emily Grierson in “A Rose for Emily” has a persistent father. He believes that “none of the young men [are] quite good for Miss Emily and such” (Faulkner …show more content…
Both are set in the 1900s where men are dominant over women. This aspect of the setting is obvious in both stories. Miss Emily is tied down by her father and believes she is not good enough for anyone, while Mrs. Mallard is tied down by marriage because that is what is expected of her. The setting of these stories are ironic because when the women feel like they have received what they were forced to not have, they die. The setting in both stories is what shape the protagonists’ actions. In addition, the idea of “repression” is shown throughout both selections. In “A Rose for Emily”, Emily Grierson is repressed to date men because of her father, and Mrs. Mallard in “The Story of an Hour” is repressed by her husband. Both characters feel as though they are suffocated from being who they want to truly be. The idea of repression in this story is very important because it contributes to the decrease of sanity in both women. Both stories show similarity based on the most important aspects of a story. Without these certain aspects, similarity would not be shown. It is evident that these two selections are comparable due to characters, setting, and the idea of

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