Kate chopin uses very discriptive language to describe the scenery in which Mrs Mallard sees "the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life", the delious "breath of life".
Towards the end of the eight paragraph we get the idea that Mrs Mallard is thinking positivity of her husbands death, "it was not a glance of reflection, but a glance of supension of intelligent thought", "she began to recognise this thing that was approching to posses her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will".We sence from this that she is ashamed of her positive feelings towards her husbands death, "But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutley.And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.
Now we finally know that she is actually looking foward to her future years without her husband.She now realises that, "there would be no one to live for", "she would live for herself".She, expresses this by the words "free,body and soul free!".
"And yet she had loved him-sometimes often she had not.What did it matter! what could love , the mystery, count for in face of his poession of self-assertion which she suddenly reconised as the strongest impulse of her being!"
This shows that not only is she just thinking positivily about her husbands death but now she is saying that its the best thing that`s ever happend to her!she even questions her ever loving him.She is caught up and enjoying this moment of thought so much that when her sister interepts she tells her ebruptley to "go, away"- angry that her sister had ruined her thoughts of happiness she explains to her self that the "days would be her own".
"She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long,It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long".
This shows that she looks forward to a long life without her husband, but "shudderd",(hated) the thought of a long life with him, these are very powerful words that kate chopin uses, and they shock us! when her sister finally gets through to her she places great sympathy upon Mrs Mallard, again showing that this news should be a huge burden to a wife.
On the way down stairs Brently Mallard walks in (her husband)We notice here that for the first time in this short story Kate Chopin uses Mrs Mallard Madin name!-"Joesphines piercing cry at Richards quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife"-learning her name just before she dies captures our extreme sympathy for the character we`ve felt we know so much about her, but don`t, leaving us in such mystery and thought, "when the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease....of joy that killed," they say here that she`d died through happiness of knowing her husband was alive, we know that she`d died through the shock and dissappointment of him still living and ruining her dreams, and as pirations. Kate Chopin uses alot of descriptive language and uses alot of emotionand feelings, predictable from a female writer along with the fact that her husband had died did, she feel the same as josaphine? Her experiences of this made her story very realistic.
Thomas Hardy begins "the arch deciver" with the non-out of the ordinary, compliments of a woman towards his main character, Tony kytes.
"T was a little,round,firm,tight face,with a seam here and there left by the small pox, but not enough to hurt his looks in a woman`s eye,"
Straight away we know that this story is going to be about a desirable man-(in which i expected), you can see from the above Thomas Hardys`s idea of a perfect woman an "idealistic" woman, always paying compliments "he was a womans favorite".This maybe shows how Thomas Hardy liked to be seen.
Carrying on we find out "disapointingly", that "Tony got fixed down to one in particular, Milly Richards", this gives us a clue that theres going to be trouble!.
Whilst riding the wagon on the way home he spots unity at the foot of the hill.
"a handsome girl, one of the young women he`d been very tender towards, before he`d got engaged to Milly."We scence danger, that something might happen between these two, that will change his marriage proposal.When she asks for a lift home, we are in suspence of what may happen next between them.
He uses "charming", langauge."That i will darling!",
She finally states "I should have made`ee a finer wife"
Thomas Hardy has now showed us that a man has choices of wives, and that men are so important to a womans life that they would "fight",for a mans affections and hand in marriage.
When he spots Milly his fiancie he asks unity to hide in the "back of the wagon" "and perhaps i shall put a loving question to you after all instead of Milly".So now we know that he`s going to ask Unitys hand in
marriage rather than Millys.
When milly comes aboard the wagon,still with unity hidden in the back they talk pleasantly of the surroundings which Thomas doesn`t discribe to well as Kate chopin had, he mainly concentrates on the plot of the story whilst Kate Chopin focues more on the feelings of her character, and the scenery.
From this I`d think that Thomas Hardy`s story so far aims at men.
Then suddenly, when we think things can`t get any worse Tony spots another maiden "the very first woman that Tony had fallen in love with "-Hannah Jolliver, so again we find out that there`s another fairer than milly and unity.
"Milly, would you do me a favour -my coming wife, as i may say?","would ye creep under the empty sacks just here in the front of the wagon?".
Hannah then comes aboard and they talk about his marriage to milly in when he dinies.
When she asks if he`s settled it with milly he replies "n-no,not exactly"- he`s smitten with Hannah and we can see that Hannah is his number one choice."couldn`t for the life of him think why he had ever said a word about marriage to Unity or Milly while Hannah was in question."."I think i can get out of it and ask you that question!".
Firstly he is to marry Milly, until he sees Unity who persuades him into asking her instead, and then again he asks Hannah, whom he loves the most.
Hannah then gestures she would like him as a husband."I wouldn`t say no.if you asked me".
In paragraph seventeen he spots his dad, and asks his advice telling of the three girls in his wagon, his dad suggests he go for Milly "then stick to Milly....she is the best"..."but look at that".Hannah losses control over the horse and the wagon.
Whilst Tony rushes back to the wagon, Unity and Milly find each other, they argue untill the wagon turns on it`s side reveling the 3 maidens.
"Tony came up ,frightened and breathless, he was relieved enough to see that none of his "darlings", were hurt", Thomas Hardy uses the word darlings to show that he cares, for each of them, and that they all "belong" to him.
"dont ye quarrel my dears", as if they are all fighting for his love.
"I`ve asked Hannah to be mine, and she is willing."
"I do refuse thee." she shouts.
"well will you, Unity dear, be mine?(asks doubtfully.)
"take her leavings?," "not I" so when Unity refuses-
"well Milly," "it do seem as if fate has ordained that it should be me and you or nobody."
she falls straight for him
"you didn`t really mean what you said to them?"
"not a word of it!".
He kisses her and puts the wagon to rights and rode home.
I think the main differences between these stories are the different languages used.I think Kate Chopin, being a woman, has used alot more descriptive and flowery than Thomas Hardy the themes are also different Kate Chopin, trys to put across, that women don`t need men and can actually be better off without one!, and that they should be more independant.I think this story was aimed at women, unlike Thomas Hardy`s in which i think is aimed towards men, with a totally opposite theme to Kate Chopins.I also noticed that both stories began with information of each character, Josephines with her "heart trouble" and Tony with his scared face from small pox.
The different perspectives, towards marriage also showed the Thomas Hardy saw it as a man having many choices of women, where as Kate Chopins image of marriage was restriction.All the women in each story rebelled against marriage also i noticed yhat each story had endeed unacordingly to plan the women refusing Tony and Mrs Mallard`s husband being alive.
Melissa Jayne Kiley
IIA
