The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and A Wall of Fire Rising by Edwidge Danticat both explore the idea of freedom and its consequences in varying ways. The former is a short story about the protagonist, Louise Mallard, who discovers her newfound freedom upon learning that her husband has died; however, her newfound joy is short-lived as she soon dies due to shock. On the other hand, A Wall of Fire Rising tells the story of Livernois and his wife Giselle’s daily struggle to make ends meet while living in poverty in Haiti. Throughout their hardship they remain hopeful for a better future. Both stories present characters who have been oppressed by external forces to some extent—societal expectations or economic oppression—but ultimately discover freedom in different forms: emotional liberty for Louise Mallard, and literal escape from poverty for Livernois and Giselle.
Compare and contrast The story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and A wall of Fire Rising by Edwidge Danticat.
In The Story of an Hour, when Louise first hears about her husband’s death she experiences a wave of emotions ranging from grief to surprise that eventually turns into relief once she realizes that it means she can finally be liberated from what was likely an oppressive marriage. Her sense of liberation (or “joy”) is so intense that it leads to her eventual demise when Brently comes back alive after all; his return serves as a reminder that she will still be bound by societal expectations even if he had died permanently. In contrast, Livernois and Giselle never find emotional liberation throughout their struggles but instead pursue physical liberation from their circumstances through emigration to New York City at the end of A Wall Of Fire Rising. While they have achieved physical freedom through escaping their current situation with no certainty on what life awaits them there, it remains unseen whether or not this new found physical liberty will ever lead them towards emotional fulfillment as well since they are forced to leave behind family ties in pursuit of wealth elsewhere.
Additionally, both authors use symbolism within the texts to convey ideas related to freedom and confinement: Chopin uses color imagery such “blue sky” or “yellow cottonwood leaves”to illustrate how free Louise feels which contrasts greatly with the dullness associated with being married as seen when mention items like furniture (elegant armchairs) or clothing (a gray suit). Likewise Danticat writes about various symbols representing defiance against oppressive forces such as fireflies been seen around night time which often brings comfort for those stuck up under blockade situations where no hope seems possible unless one takes a risk like leaving home .Furthermore people also tend to feel more connected with nature due its natural beauty conveying feelings similar akin towards ones created during moments experienced while being free personally connecting readers emotionally with main character since we are able root along him/her for achieving personal goals set out earlier
In conclusion both stories focus on themes related mainly centered around finding true form offreeedom yet each work achieves this goal differently: The Story Of An Hour emphasizes internal exploration whereas A Wall Of Fire Rises focuses on external battles against socioeconomic oppression while also examining implications linked individuals take when striving towards liberating oneself physically/mentally making these two pieces perfect examples further highlighting difference between pursuing basic liberties while risking potential losses versus gaining individual rights leading towards greater self-gratification at expense previously known culture/lifestyle
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