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The Birthmark (1843) tells the story of a scientist Aylmer who was obsessed with the idea to remove his wifes stain. The Story of an Hour (1894) is the psychological description of a young womans feelings when she hears the news of her husbands death. The analysis of these two short stories shows that The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin apply the point of view and some themes similarly, but use tone differently.
Although Hawthorne, in his story, raises many themes (perfection, the fight against natural laws, etc.), his story relates to Chopins The Story of an Hour as it narrates the tragedy of oppression inside a family. Even if Georgiana earlier recognized that her birthmark could be seen as a charming feature, she decides to risk her life to satisfy her husbands whim. She says: Either remove this dreadful hand or take my wretched life! (Hawthorne, 1102). As for Chopins The Story of an Hour character, Mrs. Mallard, her thoughts about her husbands death include reflections on lack of freedom in marriage. These are thoughts of that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature (Chopin, 276). Finally, in both short stories, husbands are the reason for wives deaths. In The Birthmark, Georgiana becomes the victim of her husbands ideas of perfection and egoistic intention to play God. Louise Mallard of The Story of an Hour has a weak heart, and it breaks when the sudden appearance of her husband, safe and sound, destroys her dreams of freedom. Hence, the stories are similar in their coverage of the problem of marriage and the subordination of women to men.
Tones of short stories are different: at the end of each story, readers have disparate feelings connected with the sense of predictability of the ending. Hawthornes The Birthmark is full of mysterious signs of impending disaster. For example, Aylmers dream when he was inexorably resolved to cut Georgianas heart (Hawthorne, 1102), or description of Aylmers failed experiments. The text is full of words frightful , mystery , shock , trouble , horror , so the tragedy becomes a logical and expected outcome. Chopins The Story of an Hour , by contrast, has some unexpected twists. Its tone shifts throughout the story from a burst of suffering to calm sadness, from sadness to incredible feeling of deep happiness, and then from glee to frustration. That transition from a feverish triumph to sudden death (Chopin, 277) startles readers and produces an ironic effect. Therefore, the tone in each story works toward different aims to create the atmosphere of mysterious horror or ironically describe vicissitudes of life.
The narrator in both short stories speaks from the omniscient third point of view and observes the events, characters feelings, emotions, desires, motives, etc. Such perspective helps writers create a feeling of complete immersion into a fictional world, allowing the reader to reflect on the factors that influence the characters actions. In The Birthmark, the narrator describes Georgiana and Aylmers feelings and intentions, creating a sense of contrast between the unconditional love of a suppressed woman and the destructive ego of a dominant husband. Similarly, the contrast in The Story of an Hour is created by a widowed womans feelings and expected behavior: readers can note that Mrs. Mallards intentions and actions could be interpreted differently. That is the reason why the last line, she had died& of the joy that kills, causes a sad grin in a sympathetic person. The use of omniscient third point of view in these stories works alike, creating contrasting dimensions.
All the things considered, both The Birthmark and The Story of an Hour raise the theme rather revolutionary for the 19th century: the tragedy of oppression inside a family. The stories are similar in the way that narrators describe the characters actions and their inner world. However, stories vary in a tone that creates a different atmosphere and defines the effect from endings.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour . Seeing Ourselves, edited by Alan Cheuse, Applewood Books, 2007, pp. 275-77.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Birthmark . The Complete Works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, 3rd Edition, Delphi Classics, 2016, pp. 1101-7.
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