It has been seen throughout history that authors of famous works of literature have used their platform to bring attention to challenging obstacles humans face in life. In “Animal Farm”, George Orwell critiques the history of the Russian Revolution. J.D. Salinger discusses the hardships of growing up in “Catcher in the Rye”. The stories “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin are also pieces of literature that bring notice to life’s challenges. Both of these stories use one important component of literature to garner awareness; their characters. The characters, the Narrator from “I Stand Here Ironing” and Mrs. Mallard from “The Story of an Hour”, each face different types of dilemmas that readers can
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The protagonists, Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator, both encountered their problems as a result of the harsh societies they lived in. Mrs. Mallard was a part of a patriarchal society that caused her to be so overprotected by the people around her. The Narrator happened upon her struggles as she was a part of the disastrous economic downturn of The Great Depression. The worlds that the characters resided in caused them to be confined and made them hungry for freedom. Both characters wished to live their best lives, but knew they could not because of their environment. In “I Stand Here Ironing” the Narrator starts off by saying “I stand here ironing, and what you asked me moves tormented back and forth with the iron” (Olsen 217) to show that she understands very well that the path of her daughter’s life is in her hands, but that she knows it will not be the best life she can give her as she is inhibited by her surroundings. Mrs. Mallard realized that “there would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private upon a fellow creature”(Chopin 129) after her husband’s death. The love of her husband held Mrs. Mallard back as she couldn’t be her own person. Although made to seem weak and ignorant, both women were not oblivious to their problems. Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator realized they could never be successfully independent women given the worlds that they lived
The protagonists, Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator, both encountered their problems as a result of the harsh societies they lived in. Mrs. Mallard was a part of a patriarchal society that caused her to be so overprotected by the people around her. The Narrator happened upon her struggles as she was a part of the disastrous economic downturn of The Great Depression. The worlds that the characters resided in caused them to be confined and made them hungry for freedom. Both characters wished to live their best lives, but knew they could not because of their environment. In “I Stand Here Ironing” the Narrator starts off by saying “I stand here ironing, and what you asked me moves tormented back and forth with the iron” (Olsen 217) to show that she understands very well that the path of her daughter’s life is in her hands, but that she knows it will not be the best life she can give her as she is inhibited by her surroundings. Mrs. Mallard realized that “there would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private upon a fellow creature”(Chopin 129) after her husband’s death. The love of her husband held Mrs. Mallard back as she couldn’t be her own person. Although made to seem weak and ignorant, both women were not oblivious to their problems. Mrs. Mallard and the Narrator realized they could never be successfully independent women given the worlds that they lived