Married Relationships in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the main characters in both stories and explains how these characters and the both stories' theme of death reflect the dull, lifeless state of most marriages. The paper points out that while Chopin and Joyce may have approached the subject of married relationships differently, in the final analysis, both authors end up with a telling commentary on how individual personalities and the drudgery of daily life result in a deadening of marital relationships and the individual spirit.

From the Paper:

"Marriage is commonly defined as an intimate union of a man and woman, involving a special kind of love and commitment that facilitates a harmonious relationship and family life. Too often, however, the reality of marriage proves to be far removed from the idealized images projected by society and religion since individual personalities and the drudgery of daily living lead to a deadening of relationships. Indeed, this is precisely the revelation that both Kate Chopin and James Joyce make in The Story of an Hour and The Dead although the two authors approach the subject of married relationships from rather different perspectives. Both Chopin's Mrs. Mallard and Joyce's Gabriel are depicted as awakening to the true state of their respective marriages. The difference, however, between the two protagonists is that while Mrs. Mallard awakens to her need for liberation, Gabriel regrets the lack of passion in his dull existence with his wife."

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