Despite these differences, there are also many similarities between the two. The plot similarities are obvious, including the fact that both have affairs beginning and continuing in similar circumstances. Both have husbands that they do not wish to leave, partly out of habit and partly out of pity. They compartmentalize their lives and are able to think of themselves as somehow different people when with their husbands and with their lovers. In this, as in their inability to choose a partner, to overcome their fear and guilt and shame, or to find something in their lives that makes them truly happy, both of these Annas are very ineffectual and weak. In both cases there is a sense of guilt and shame associated with the affair, even though in the Russian Anna's case this sense of shame is far greater than in the modern Anna's. She obsesses constantly on her shame and her fear that the man will no longer respect her: "You don't respect me now... I have become a vulgar, vile woman whom anyone may despise." (Chekov, 216) the American Anna, while still feeling the same shame, seems to think that it is shared equally with her partner in adultery: "she felt a declaration of shame between them." (Oates, 228)
There are other similarities and differences between the two which may be owing more to the point-of-view from which the story has been written than from the actual characters involved. For example, in Chekov's version there is a sense of Anna as a very innocent creature who may be being drawn into this affair without realizing quite what she is getting into. However, in Oates version this perception is both addressed and denied....
Joyce Carol Oates and the Traits of the Mid-Twentieth Century Writer Just as society changes over time, writing changes over time. Writers today rarely write in the same forms as Shakespeare once did. As well as style, the subjects of writing change, with this expected since society has changed over time. For example, it is hardly likely that Shakespeare would have written about the issue of feminism. Even looking at writing
Chekhov likened his characters to a child who is just starting to understanding a new concept and meaning of love, leading him to further evaluate himself not just as a lover to Anna, but as a man and individual as he appears to Anna and other people: He had two lives: one, open, seen and known by all who cared to know…and another life running its course in secret… everything
Tone and Voice Life can be very difficult and unexpected things can happen which change a person and their family forever. Works of literature have the ability to transform the perspective of the reader and to inform the reader about some of the least pleasant aspects of life. In the essays "What Broke My Father's Heart" and "Patient" the authors Katy Butler and Rachel Riederer put the reader into a position
Conflict Between Exterior and Interior Life Kate Chopin's "The story of an Hour" offers a story behind a story. First it can be noted that this talks about Mr. And Mrs. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard received a news that her husband has just died. This prompted for a roller coaster of emotions to build inside her heart and mind. First, she felt sadness. She was saddened by the fact that she is now
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