The hatredtowards Mr. Mallard and why she
The Story of an Hour and Gail Godwins A Sorrowful Woman are both similarpieces of literary work in that both stories offers a revealing glimpse ofextremely unhappy marriages. Both Mrs. Mallard and the unnamed mistress in ASorrowful Woman called (the wife) seem to reveal a problem or possibly a diseasewhich is plainly inherited through the institution of there marriages. They areso unhappy with the lives they lead and the person(s) in them they seem to drivethemselves to there own death. The Story of an Hour seems to pick up in themiddle of an on going battle of Mrs.
Mallards feelings towards that of herhusband Brantly Mallard, (which seems to be a decent guy from this short storyintroduction). This is why you really can not come to grasps with her hatredtowards Mr. Mallard and why she feels it. There is little introduction of thehusband Brantly Mallard which leaves any thought or opinions of him completelyto the imagination, while in A Sorrowful Woman the wife seems to be a veryselfish, and self centered person who can care only for herself. Godwindescribes mostly all characteristics about the husband and wife in that the wifetells her husband that the sight of himself and the child made her so sick shedid not want to see them ever again.
The husband being his very understandingself-comments he understood such things, and asked what would she like him todo (33). In the begging Mrs. Mallard is so overwhelmingly happy (acting verydistraught) to receive the telegram informing her of Mr. Mallards death butshe had to conceal her happiness simply because there were loved ones in herpresence including her sister Josephine and Mr. Mallards great friendRichard. It was he (Richard) who had received intelligence of the death as hewas in the newspaper room and heard fist word of the rail road disaster withBrently Mallards name at the top of the death list. Josephine had deliveredthis information just before Mrs.
Mallard had stormed off to her room for theconcealment and solitude that she had needed (12-13). For the wife in ASorrowful Woman loneliness and solitude was all that she had wanted out of herfamily member role throughout the story. She was placed to bed the first nightand was given a sleeping draught that was guaranteed to put her to rest swiftlyafter informing her husband that she wanted to be away and out of the sight ofhim and their little boy. For many days straight the wife remained there aloneand to her self only to appear to wonder throughout the house aimlessly a fewshort times when the house was vacant. For Mrs.
Mallard remaining in her roomresting in her roomy armchair staring aimlessly out of the open window was torejoice and unleash her true feelings of Mr. Mallards death after a few shortmoments of morning (12). While in A Sorrowful Woman the wife was detained by herown state of misery and loneliness for she wanted to be away from both herhusband and her child also (the majority of the time) sitting in her big chairstaring out at the snow-ridden branches wearing her slacks and an old sweater(35). While there is no major role playing by Mr. Mallard in The Story of anHour the husband in A Sorrowful Woman tries to be very caring in every waypossible to his wife. The day after everything took place he brought herbreakfast in bed and let her lay to rest until it grew dark again, and aftertaking there son for a walk he brought her up a tray of buttered toast, celerysticks and soup.
She says to him I am the luckiest woman, (crying) he thenreplies nonsense, you need a rest from us, referring to there son andhimself (34). He would then continue to take over all of the house hold dutiessuch as: fixing her meals/sleeping liquids, doing dishes, making dinner for thehimself and there son, taking and picking up there son from school, and holdingdown his employment at the office as well. All of these chores were beginning tobecome too much for him to handle by himself so with his wifes permission hehired in the perfect young girl that was very dynamic. After a short period oftime the wife fired the girl because she had brought the child in to see hismother and he sat a grasshopper in her hand which made her become very irate.The husband then apologized to her and said he would take care of it but wasvery disappointed that he had to let the girl go. As time went by his wifebecame more and more distant moving into a room by her self, limiting thehusbands ability to see her, as well as her sons. With the women from bothstories still locked away in their rooms the time passes.
As Mrs. Mallard issitting in her chair whispering over and over Free body and Sole free hersister Josephine comes to the door and urges her to come out, so she finallydoes so and carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory (14).She then clasped to her sisters waist causing them both to descend down thestair with Richards waiting at the bottom. At that same moment in time the frontdoor opens and Brently Mallard walks through the door with his gripsack andumbrella.
He was no where near the accident and at that same moment Mrs. Mallarddied with what the doctor called a heart disease. And as for the other distantwife on her last day of living she withdrew from what had became her domain forone last noble accomplishment. She had cooked supper to last many weeks, twoweeks of fresh-laundered sheets, 5 loafs of bread, and had hand-knitted twomatching sweaters.
The man and child ran to the little room, could not containthemselves to knock flung back the door and there lie his wife/mother restlesswithout the slightest movement and last deed; her freshly-washed hair. Inrelationships people must work together as a family in order to survive andremain a hole. It is apparent in both The Story of an Hour and A Sorrowful Womanthe families did not work together as one unit. It appeared both wives was sosubmerged in there own sorrow and grief that no matter how hard they could havetried they would have never nor ever wanted to see it through to have what oncemay have been and could have been a very beautiful relationship.English Essays
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