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Eveline vs Loius Mallard

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Eveline vs Loius Mallard
Liberation and freedom are exquisite possessions. The possible attainment or loss of it can both cause equal amount of anxiety as revealed by lead characters in the two short stories we shall now discuss. Eveline in James Joyce’s short story Eveline and Mrs. Mallard in Kate Chopin’s ‘The story of an Hour’ are standing at the threshold of a new life. The difference between the two is that while Mrs. Mallard is eagerly looking forward to the new life, Eveline is deeply scared of the unknown. When you are at a point in your life that offers an escape into the enchanting world of the unknown, not everyone is very welcoming of it. Eveline is in love with Frank or rather Frank is deeply in love with her and wants to whisk her away to Buenos Ayres where the two would get married and live a life of her dreams. She would be in a new land where “people would treat her with respect (Joyce 4)” and it would be exciting “to explore a new life with Frank (Joyce 5).” But all that is not enough to convince her that freedom would real

In The Story of the Hour, Chopin gives us a tale about a woman, Mrs. Mallard who suffers from a heart condition. One day, Mr. Mallard's friend, Richards, learns that Mr. Mallard has died in a railroad disaster. Mrs. Mallard's sister Josephine tries to break the news to Mrs. Mallard softly because of her heart condition. Shock she immediately starts weeping in her sister's arm. "She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance" Chopin pg. 1. Chopin makes a point to note that Mrs. Mallard receives the news different from what most women would, which is usually denial before finally accepting the news as a truth. Mrs. Mallard soon locks herself in a room with a window, hurls herself into a large chair and, sobbing, she gazes out at the world bustling around her. Soon, her sobs turn to gasps. She approaches a climactic moment where "her bosom rose and fell tumultuously" (Chopin pg 1)

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