The Role and Image of Women

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a compare and contrast analysis of "The Horse Dealer's Daughter" by D. H. Lawrence and "A & P" by John Updike. It examines how both stories give a different perspective of how the women are treated by various characters in the story and in effect, by society itself. It shows how the women in both stories are similar because of the conflicts within themselves that they experience due to the pressure and expectations of society whereas they differ in the way they are treated by others, particularly by male characters and the way society treats them. It provides a character assessment of the main protagonists in each story and discusses how they deal with the criticisms placed upon them by the other characters and by society.

From the Paper:

"One of the first factors that make both short stories different is that they are written in a different time period. "The Horse Dealer's" is set in the year 1922, while "A & P" is set in the year 1962. The difference is time periods affects the way women are treated in the society, since society in 1922 is more conservative than the society in the year 1962 wherein society is more tolerant of liberal ways and ideas, most especially to women. While Mabel is treated unfavorably by other people because of her somewhat reclusive nature, preferring moments of solitary in the churchyard than mingle with other people, and because of her family's descent to poverty, Mabel's society is condemning on her, even stabbing behind her back about her "newly- acquired poverty"(" although as a matter of fact she was exposed to the stare of everyone who passed along the churchyard wall."

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