Resemblance of Themes
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The Introduction
The struggle for individual autonomy free of oppression is clear in the three stories. Women are depicted as struggling to accomplish their purpose to achieve happiness and the struggle ends up in a variety of ways. The three short stories have a similarity of theme in terms of oppression, male dominance and an aspect of escape. The short stories also have an aspect of a woman in a form of oppression, a man in dominance and the struggle to escape a variety of situations. I am analyzing three short stories namely, “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin which is a short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson which is a literary fiction and “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty which is a short story. In this article, I submit that the woman deserves autonomy free of male dominance and unwarranted oppression.
The Three Thematic Similarities
Oppression
In the article by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard gets the information that her husband who has been oppressing her had died in an accident. She locks herself in a room to savor the taste of the new found freedom. She craves autonomy from his iron fist decision making. She constantly says the words “Free! Body and soul free”, were showing that she was in an unhappy marriage. After her husband returns she collapses and dies due to shock. The fictional literary piece “The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator identifies herself with the image of a woman in yellow wallpaper who seems trapped just like she is in real life by her husband John. John prohibits her to do the things she loves such as writing. After she defies her husband’s advice she realizes new found autonomy and freedom to make her own decision and write. In the short story “A Worn Path”, the bias and struggle by the old lady is evident of oppression that she has witnessed in her time. Her interaction with the white hunter is reminiscent of the days black women were discriminated by the dominant white men. The gender bias, racial mockery and poverty depict the oppressive state women have been subjected to by a dominantly white society.
Male dominance
An unhealthy male dominance is depicted in the “Story of an Hour” short story. “She would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature”. This illustrates that she was dominated by her husband for a long time and desired autonomy. She feels that she has a new page to rewrite her story and make her own decisions without male dominance now that he is “gone”. In the literary piece “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator states, “He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction”. The husband giving her special direction depicts male dominance. The male dominance is also depicted in the way John manipulates her into being only dependent on him alone. However, she finds her strengths after realizing that following John’s instructions is making her unhappy. In the short story “A Worn Path” as phoenix faces the difficulties to access medical care through the hard terrain in the woods she meets a hunter who mocks her difficult journey by telling her that the distance he has walked is the same distance he walks while hunting. The rough terrain to access a simple checkup at Natchez shows the struggle black women face. This story depicts that women despite the difficulties they face also have to deal with a male dominated world and ask for help when necessary.
Escape
The theme of escape from oppression is evident in the short “Story of an Hour”, as Mrs. Mallard is shown to celebrate the demise of her husband and thus signs of her true feelings are evident in the way she constantly claims to herself in saying the word free three times under her breath. In the “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator describes how she spends the whole day staring at the yellow wallpaper and thus freeing the woman from the image as they tear the wall paper together and she frees the woman, while symbolically freeing herself and escaping from John’s dominance. In the short story “A Worn Path’, the aspect of escape is evidenced by a woman defying all odds and travelling in a dangerous terrain just to seek medical attention. The effort she makes to get the outdated money in form of a nickel from the white hunter is relatable to the effort to escape from poverty since her grandson has organized a free delivery of medicine and checkup. The woman is seeking autonomy and self-reliance.
Conclusion
In conclusion all through the three literary pieces the themes of oppression, male dominance and the need to escape has been clearly depicted. This shows that women have the will and power to change the narrative to their favor if they have the will. It is clear that the characters in the stories end up free from the bondage that they seek to escape. Thus women should realize that the power to change the course of their lives lies with them and the results of an autonomous future, freedom and self-belief re worth every step of the way.