ESSAY3COMPARISONCONTRAST.docxBarros’ ENC1102
Essay 3: Comparison / Contrast. Two Stories by Kate Chopin
“The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”
Main characters: Calixta (“The Storm”) and Louise (“The Story of an Hour”)
A thesis you might want to use: Calixta’s and Louise’s reactions to their marriages
Another possible thesis: Calixta and Louise: similar, yet so different
|
CALIXTA |
|
LOUISE |
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DIFFERENCES |
SIMILARITIES |
DIFFERENCES |
|
Of Spanish (Cuban) descent |
Both lived in Louisiana during the second half of the 19th century |
Not clear ancestry/ethnicity, probably White |
|
Attractive, good looking |
Both are frustrated women who apparently married the wrong partners |
No physical description given, only that she is young. |
|
Hot tempered |
Both their husbands love them, in their own ways |
Mild manners |
|
Apparently healthy |
Both are young women |
Has a heart condition that kills her at the end of the story |
|
Not very well educated |
Both escape their situation briefly and find joy |
Apparently well educated |
|
Has one child |
Dependent on their husbands |
No children |
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Low social class, rural |
Not honest about their feelings |
Middle class, urban |
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In love with Alcee, as part of a love triangle, adulterous, though she stays with Bobinot. |
Both feel a certain degree of affection for their husbands |
Not in love with Brently, but she doesn’t have any other lover |
|
She is apparently happy, but must be frustrated inside |
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She is definitely unhappy |
