Analysis Of `` The Chrysanthemums `` And Chopin s `` The...

Oppressiveness of Marriage Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† show their reader two women stifled in the lives they lead. Specifically, the institution of marriage has left them feeling oppressed in irrevocable ways. In each story, the woman is presented with a moment of release, only to have it dashed shortly thereafter. While â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† features a smaller moment, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† allows the reader to examine how this oppression can affect a woman when taken to its extreme. Both stories offer a view of how the institution of marriage can lead to oppression in ways that are not always obvious. Both â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† begin with protagonists clearly suffering from the oppression they feel in their marriage. It is the boredom and lack of purpose that both feel which drive them to their unhappiness. To start, Steinbeck’s Elisa All en, is shown caring for flowers as her husband works. She has a talent with them and is given the chance to foster that talent, though she seems to no longer find it rewarding. The author wrote, â€Å"The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy† (Steinbeck). Elisa has drive and determination with no rewarding outlet, which leads to her frustration. Chopin’s Mrs. Mallard suffers from oppression too, though the reader is given less information about her. Her condition is more acute her health affected in ways Elisa’s is not. Mrs. Mallard is