The Life of Solitude
To many, loneliness, and solitude could be considered synonyms; however, when looked at closely, they are actually quite the opposite. Loneliness can be described as “a painful negative state where we feel alone, and cut off and estranged from other people” (“loneliness”). On the other hand, solitude can be described as, “a positive state where we are perfectly happy to be by ourselves, relish and enjoy our own company” (“solitude”). While both words similarly describe a person’s physical state of being alone, the emotional response behind each word is drastically different. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Haruki Murakami’s “Tony Takitani”, loneliness and solitude are significant in each story and play an important role in the character development of Mrs. Mallard and Tony Takitani.
In “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard gets a …show more content…
In “The Story of an Hour”, solitude seemed to be Mrs. Mallard’s saving grace when she found out about her newfound freedom almost immediately after her husband’s death. While, loneliness seemed to be a comforting, secure feeling to young Tony Takatini. When things went awry, both individuals found themselves in a whirlwind of emotions. Mrs. Mallard was struck by a false sense of hope when she thought she would finally be able to live for herself and not in the shadows of her husband, while Tony commenced a new chapter in his life where he thought he would finally escape the constant feeling of loneliness. Both individuals were wrong with their assumptions and for Mrs. Mallard, the news of her solitude being taken from her resulted in her death, while the true feeling of being alone shattered Tony Takatini with despair. In the end, both have a false sense of hope and security, only for their desires to be crushed before their very
To many, loneliness, and solitude could be considered synonyms; however, when looked at closely, they are actually quite the opposite. Loneliness can be described as “a painful negative state where we feel alone, and cut off and estranged from other people” (“loneliness”). On the other hand, solitude can be described as, “a positive state where we are perfectly happy to be by ourselves, relish and enjoy our own company” (“solitude”). While both words similarly describe a person’s physical state of being alone, the emotional response behind each word is drastically different. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Haruki Murakami’s “Tony Takitani”, loneliness and solitude are significant in each story and play an important role in the character development of Mrs. Mallard and Tony Takitani.
In “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard gets a …show more content…
In “The Story of an Hour”, solitude seemed to be Mrs. Mallard’s saving grace when she found out about her newfound freedom almost immediately after her husband’s death. While, loneliness seemed to be a comforting, secure feeling to young Tony Takatini. When things went awry, both individuals found themselves in a whirlwind of emotions. Mrs. Mallard was struck by a false sense of hope when she thought she would finally be able to live for herself and not in the shadows of her husband, while Tony commenced a new chapter in his life where he thought he would finally escape the constant feeling of loneliness. Both individuals were wrong with their assumptions and for Mrs. Mallard, the news of her solitude being taken from her resulted in her death, while the true feeling of being alone shattered Tony Takatini with despair. In the end, both have a false sense of hope and security, only for their desires to be crushed before their very