The stories “The Story of an Hour” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrate the struggles which women face at homes with domestic violence. The stories outline the conflict between females and males, for example, Mr. Mallard felt that his wife was ungrateful and non-trustworthy. I believe that Mrs. Mallard did not mourn her husband’s death since she felt that their marriage was the source of repression in her life (Chopin, 1981). In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Jane’s husband limits her freedom by forbidding her from thinking freely. Jane feels trapped in her marriage due to the domestic violence that surrounds her. The stories “The Story of an Hour” and “The Yellow wallpaper” illustrate different scenarios of women under domestic violence.
The common thing about the women in the stories is that, Jane is concerned about her illness and John’s violence, while Mrs. Mallard is bothered by Mr. Mallard’s controlling nature. (Chopin, 1981). The major difference between Mrs. Mallard’s and Jane’s lives is that Jane is mentally unstable. (Gilman, 1998). Mrs. Mallard chooses peace and freedom over her husband’s life since she is contented by Mr. Mallard’s death. When John, Jane’s husband, dies, Jane is not bothered and feels happy and relieved. Jane and Mrs. Mallard found happiness after the death of their husbands, and I find the situation acceptable since the women were hopeless when their husbands were alive.
The endings of the stories are surprising, since I did not understand how Mr. Mallard died of a heart attack caused by happiness while John passes away when Jane stepped on him. The authors in “The Story of an Hour” and “The Yellow Waller” convey to the readers that women need care, and domestic violence can turn love into hatred. The authors in the two stories try to show readers that in marriage there is a need to accept each other and end suppression of women’s ideas.
References
Chopin, K. (1981). The story of an hour. Jimin Recordings.
Gilman, C. P. (1998). The yellow wall-paper and other stories. Oxford University.