Analysis of Literary Texts | Assignment

Running Head: ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TEXTS
Analysis of Literary Texts
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TETXTS1
Part 2
Theme of “The Story of an Hour”
There are a few major themes in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”. As the story
begins with the news of the death of Mr. Mallard, the themes of the story comes into a perfect fit
like that of a puzzle. Initially Mrs. Mallard experienced a certain amount of resistance in her
body and mind, as she made an attempt to deny the change that befell on her following the death
of her husband. As the initial shock and tears of the news passed away, she could knew that the
following years would belong to herself and no one else. This articulates the other theme of the
story, independence and liberty (de Deus Rocha, 2018). These two aspects were missing from
her life, as she never knew what it felt to be on her own free will. However, it is important to
keep in mind that she had been tied down by her marriage, her physical ailments, and even her
home from where she fails to depart throughout the entire short story. Death forms anther major
theme in “The Story of an Hour” as the characters are made to explore the possibility of the
various range of emotions that one might feel for the demise of their loved one. However, the
theme of death is portrayed in a very unusual light as the first news of death brought misery and
liberation with it. While the death of Mrs. Mallard at the end of the story was because of a heart
disease, that was caused due to extreme joy, this only the surface to the real cause beneath it.
To conclude, Chopin deliberately uses the words “joy that kills” in order to make her
readers understand that cause of Mrs. Mallards death was because of the moment when she knew
that the promise of a future of her own shall no longer exist as her husband is alive, and back
home- it kills her; literally and figuratively (KACHA, 2018).

ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TETXTS2
Part 3
Cultural perspectives in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker
African American writer, Alice Walker’s novels, and short stories are known for treating
the various insights in the black culture and its treatment of the black culture. The short story
“Everyday Use” portrays the cultural conflict that is present in the different sections of the
African American society. It is the story of struggles of survival in an environment that is hostile
(Elmore, 2019). The emerging consciousness poses a challenge in terms of bias of culture, along
with a fight against racism that leads to the creation of a different culture.
The opening lines give the readers an insight of how the mother and her second daughter
Maggie have prepared for the daughter who was sent away for studies, the comparatively fairer
skinned daughter, (Dee Webb, 2019). The demarcation between the two cultures, one being the
old and dominant African culture, Dee, has taken up a different name in order to resist the norms
that she refers to as repressive as she says- “She’s dead. I couldn’t bear it any longer being
named after the people who oppress me.” The other side of the line is the mother and her other
daughter, Maggie (Elmore, 2019). The mother is the guardian figure of the family, “a large, big-
boned woman with rough, man-working hands”. She has been a regular visitor of the church as
well as raised money for the education of her “fantasy” child, Dee. The white majority, which is
dominant, is although not directly portrayed within the narration of the story, but the presence of
the looming figure in the background is obvious. The number of changes that were taking place
in the characters over the very short period captured in the text is immense (ZHAO, 2017). Dee,
who initially regarded her own culture, as old and backdated, now understands that being black