compare the symbolism in the story of an hour and a rose for emily  i want to look at the similarities and differences in the two stories if there are any. .

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yayahelligan | College Teacher | (Level 1) eNoter

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There are quite a few similarities between the two protagonist characters, in the short stories “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.

Besides both stories having a setting in eras past, where men were dominate and women had few if any choices, the two main characters, Louise Mallard and Emily Grierson are similar because they have both had long standing health issues to deal with.

Both women found a period in their lives, where they are considered a widow, Emily after her sweetheart dies and Louise when she thinks her husband is dead. Both women have shut the outside world off in some way. In “The Story of an Hour” Louis Mallard “would have no one follower her,”(Chopin 315) and “Go away, I am not making myself ill. (Chopin 315)“ In “A Rose for Emily,” It was said that after Emily’s father’s death, “she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all.” (Faulkner 358)

Both Emily and Louise have been felt sorry for and protected or sheltered by others at some point in time. Emily had Colonel Sartoris and her negro, Tobe. Louise had her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richard. Both women died of broken hearts, Emily because she found herself alone, but may have had intentions of it being that way, maybe she bought the toilet set to make others believe that she had conformed to marriage , where instead she poisoned him so she would not have to and Louise because she had conformed and was not happy because she found that she was not alone and wanted to be free.

In both stories, women were expected to marry and be submissive to their husbands, because that is how the societies that they live in, viewed the role of a woman. I did not see either woman conforming to society, because Louise was elated that her husband had died and considered herself free at last where Emily dated a man that her family would not approve of and killed him, which would not of been acceptable in any era, but especially not in a male dominated era.

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