Troubled Souls
"The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin, and "A Domestic Dilemma," by Carson McCullers, contain two examples of troubled women in difficult domestic situations. The two characters and their problems are drastically different, yet hold similar qualities. Louise Mallard, main character in "The Story of an Hour," lacks love for her husband, and is glad to hear the report of his death because of the freedom the news heralds to her. Emily Meadows of "A Domestic Dilemma" is troubled by alcoholism brought on by loneliness, depression, and neglect. In each story, an internal problem causes conflict, and moves the troubled character towards disaster; however, the nature of these problems and the details of the disasters differ widely between the two stories. Much can be learned not only from how Emily and Louise fail to deal with and are enslaved by their problems, but by what they could and should do to bring about good resolutions.
These two stories were written roughly half a century apart. Set in the late eighteen hundreds, "The Story of an Hour" is just that -- the narrative of Louise Mallard's thoughts and actions for an hour after she hears of her husband's death. Her first reaction is reasonable, yet not typical, hinting that something is not quite as it should be. Chopin explains, "She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment..."(par. 3). Soon after, however, Louise's problem begins to emerge. The reader learns of it at the same time as Louise. "There was something coming to her..." says Chopin; "She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name,"(par 10). Louise's problem is not foreign to her because it is an exterior problem, but, just the opposite, because it is so deep inside her.
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