Dissecting Tim O'Brien and Kate Chopin

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Young 1 Luis Young Mrs. Donato English 11 H 1 November 2013 We are products of events that happen to us, and the situations that we are placed. Products of our environment, we are molded by these experience that prompt growth and change. Both Tim O'Brien and Kate Chopin's short stories reflect a social issue of their time, either mirroring their own experiences, or plausible situations of that time period; Chopin's being unbalanced romantic relationship dynamics of the mid to late 1800's portayed in "Story of An Hour," and Tim O'Briens experience emulated in his story "On The Rainy River," an excerpt from his most widely known book, "The Things They Carried." However, both stories share a similar theme, that of their own lifes under control by that of surpressor, either directly or indirectly. Speaking generally, Chopin's life and family heritage consisted of women who broke the mold, so to speak, most being working, something practically unheard of in that time period. Reactions to her first published works were mixed at best, cauing somewhat of a public outcry at the questioning of the societal morals of the community. At the age of 20, she married Oscar Chopin, then son of a wealthy cotton growing family. According to all accounts, he adored her wife, admiring her independence and intelligence, "allowing" her unheard of freedom. This is one of the examples of the misogynistic mindset in the age she was raised, that certainly fueled her writing. Young 2 Though there are many parables to pull from the text, one sticks out among the rest, explaining the range of emotions that Mrs. Mallard felt upon hearing of her husband's alleged death. "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to

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