"A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell (p. 189) and "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (p. 331)

Reason for the women acting the way the do:

The two women in the stories, “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin at the way they do in the stories because of the lives they have lived. They feel trapped and unloved. They imagine a better life if they were free, free from their husbands and the lives they have became accustomed to. Mrs. Wright shows the despair that has taken over her through the way she stays confined to her home and the way she has became withered in her appearance and personality. Mrs. Mallard shows her despair by the way she seems so upset about her husband’s death but then a realization of how she is finally going to live the life so wants. She describes that she cared for husband but not as much as she would like. Marriages are not always the dream that every woman dreams of when they say those sought after words “I do”. Sometimes women become dependent on their husbands and stay in bad marriages because they feel they cannot make it on their own. During this period in time women were expected to take their vows seriously and till death do you part was just that!

Differences in the two women:

Mrs. Mallard seems to come from a well to do family and has a lavish lifestyle. She is able to pay for medical help for her heart problems. I feel if Mrs. Wright would have become sick there would have not been much medical care for her.

Mrs. Mallard wears finer clothes and keeps up her appearance while Mrs. Wright has to wear rags and doesn’t feel the need to worry as much about her appearance.

Mrs. Mallard puts on a show to everyone and hides her true feeling about her marriage. Mrs. Wright does not hide her feelings from others because she doesn’t have anyone who visits her and doesn’t seem to get out of her house. But the neighbors and town members know of her turmoil and how her husband is.  

            The houses of both women are different. Mrs. Mallard lives in a city and has furniture that is not worn. Mrs. Wright has an old farm house and withered furniture. She had to can her own jams which, with Mrs. Mallard’s health conditions, I do not believe that she has to do too much work in her home.

            Mrs. Mallard had family and friends that come to her in her time of need. Mrs. Wright had no one except for her bird that once had life but now rest mangled in a little box.

Similarities in the two women:

Both women seem to not be affected by their husband’s deaths in a bad way. They seem happy and relieved to rid themselves of their sorrow.

Differences in the two men:

            The men in the stories are very different. Mr. Mallard seems to really love his wife and take care of her even in her declining health. Mr. Wright seems to be mean to his wife. He controls her and does not let her have the things she wants. I feel that his wife must of went behind his back and bought the bird that the traveling salesman was selling with jars of her jam. Her husband did not like this and allowed the bird to stay until his fury built up in him and he killed the bird and blamed it on her for not keeping it quiet.

            Mr. Mallard seems like a traveling business man who is always neat and clean. He has finer things and carries a “grip-sack and umbrella” which Mr. Wright would probably never carry. Mr. Wright seems like a farmer that is always dirty with work and doesn’t keep himself up.

Similarities in the two men:

Both men seem to worry about work and confine their wives to their homes. They do not allow them to have jobs outside of their homes. Both men make their wives feel distressed and wanting out of their relationships.

Differences in the two stories:

          The transportation is different in both of the stories and the communities that each of the ladies lived in.

           

          In “A Jury of Her Peers” telephones are being used but in “The Story of an Hour” the death is found out by a telegram.