I will be discussing the point of view with which Kate Chopin has written “The Story of An Hour”. This story can be read quickly and has a powerful impact. There is no room for flashbacks or background information. Chopin makes every sentence essential to the story. Since the story does not have a first-person narrator he or she is not a character in the story.
This truthfulness however lands her in a bad place as she is disowned by her father for not professing her love. Gonerill and Regan are the complete opposite here as they show dishonesty in lying about how much each of them loves their father. As soon as their father has given them their share of inheritance they become ungrateful and no longer care for their father. ‘And in good time you gave it.’ Here Regan tells Lear that he took his time
The narrator, also the daughter, explains her joy and pride for her new articles of clothing. She says, “ My shoes are my greatest joy, black patent-leather miracles, and when one is nicked at the toe later that morning in class, my heart will break.” When the daughter describes the shoes as miracles, she shows how proud she is to have them. This alone is due to her mother buying them. The mother takes great care in preparing her daughter for her first day of school. She shows her support by serving a large breakfast of oatmeal sweetened by brown sugar and milk, spending a hour on making her girl’s hair look perfect, and by dabbing of bit of precious gardenia perfume behind her ears.
These short phrases quicken the pace making his words increasingly dramatic and emotional. A father is a figure to look up to, but Keller has made Chris so ashamed and disgusted, he is unable to even face his own father. When Chris reads Larry’s letter, it is also evident that Larry turned himself in because he couldn’t live with the shame of being part of the Keller family: ‘I don’t know how to tell you what I feel… I can’t face anybody…’ (The ellipsis’ add drama and emotion to his words.) In effect, Larry’s suicide is the reason for Keller’s suicide. Throughout the play, Kate is incredibly loyal to Keller, and even when she finds out the truth about Larry, she doesn’t get angry with him, and she stands up for Keller when Chris talks badly of him.
From the first few lines of conversation between the Bennets, Austen shows the reader that theirs is not a happy marriage, nor a marriage of equality. Their marriage was based on a need for money and social status not a marriage reached through love or even any such feeling towards one another. As well as it not being a loving relationship, Mr and Mrs Bennet have completely different personalities. Mr Bennet seems to be an intellectual man who likes to sit quietly and read, whereas Mrs Bennet gives the impression of being slightly eccentric and focuses solely on getting her daughters married. Austen tells us that Mr Bennet was “a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic, humour, reserve and caprice”, where Mrs Bennet is “a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper”.
She plans to get new shoes for her daughter, some fabric to make clothing, new stockings, and hats for all the children. She feels excited about her children’s new outfits and pleased that the purchases will save her time in “darning,” and last longer than the clothing she is usually able to afford. On the day of the shopping spree, she feels tired because she had not eaten. She prepares to fight the crowds in order to find the best deals. While at the store and resting at one of the counters, her hand touches a pair of silk stockings.
She insists on keeping the same predictable routine: going every Sunday to the park, hearing the same band play, sitting in the same special seat and purchasing a honey cake on the way home religiously as if all of it is written in a script. Miss Brill is separated from the reality of the situation, off in her own imagination, and narrating her story due to her lack of social skills and personal life. “Miss Brill always looked forward to conversation [in the park].” This refers, not to her dialogue with others, but how she intently listens to strangers’ conversations. She makes note of several elderly people and judgementally exclaims how they “looked as though they’d just come from the dark little rooms…!” To her, they are dull, odd and not essential to the performance. It is not until a young couple expresses with laughter, “Why does she [Miss Brill] come here at all – who wants her?” that Miss Brill realizes she is identified with the older generation.
And also by cutting short the time he spends with Hanna to be with Sophie and the rest of his friends. But most importantly he is mostly guilty when he doesn’t save Hanna’s life when he could have reveled about her illiteracy. But he does not, which leads to Hanna’s eventual death. Even in the roles of husband and father Michael is charged with guilt. “(he) could never stop comparing the way it was with Gertrude and the way it had been with Hanna.” (pg.171) but does not tell her what he expects of her.
In the beginning, Chopin describes that the goddaughter Babette, is eager to go visit family and rather then disappoint her goddaughter, Maman explains when the trip will happen in a way that the goddaughter can physically understand. This means instead of telling the girl that the trip will happen in months from now; she tells the girl in a way that she can track her self and understand. The godmother uses the ripening of Figs as a way to mark the passage of time that can be easily measured. The author, Chopin, uses this as an example of older wisdom that understands how time goes quickly when anticipating an event, however, children always feel that time goes too slow. She further points this out with the main character commenting, “how early the figs have ripened this year” however the child felt “they have ripened very late.” Chopin further expands upon the difference between young and old mannerism by metaphorically describing Maman to a statue designed by a well-known artist, Michael Angelo, to emphasize the elderly’s love of life and it not being necessary to rush to the next event.
Modernism in Bliss by Katherine Mansfield ‘Bliss’ by Katherine Mansfield could be read as sentimental prose however, it is a revolutionary Modernist story still being read and analysed in the 21st century. It is the story of Bertha Young, a ‘happy’ housewife and Mother. Set in one day as Bertha prepares for a dinner party she is having for her ‘modern, thrilling friends…just the kind of friends they wanted.’ At the start of the story Bertha is experiencing a feeling of joy that she has never felt before ‘a feeling of absolute bliss’ though she has difficulty in articulating and explaining this feeling. She longs to share, to understand and find somebody that can also identify with this feeling. Bertha is looking forward to a dinner party she is giving for some friends - a bourgeoisie bohemian set of artists who are grotesque exaggerations, shallow and meaningless people.