Circumstance And Chopin's Short Story example essay topic

#1) If one were to look up realism in the thesaurus, romanticism will be found as the antonym. However in the works of Harriet Prescott Spofford and Kate Chopin these two elements go hand in hand. Focusing on Spofford's short story, "Circumstance", and Chopin's short story, "The Storm", these two selections maintain a smooth transition between realism and romanticism. In Harriet Prescott Spofford's "Circumstance" she tells of a woman who is visiting a sick neighbor. Where they live neighbors are miles apart, with the woods between being home for many wild animals, as well as Indian tribes. The woman stays with the neighbor too long and does not realize night is approaching, and she hurries home.

Spofford begins the story in a very realistic tone. On her way home she is attacked by a sort of mountain lion. Spofford gives a romantic description of the beast, never giving the exact name of the animal. "Suddenly, a swift shadow, like the fabulous flying-dragon, writhed through the air before her, and she felt herself instantly seized and borne aloft. It was that wild beast- the most savage and serpentine and subtle and fearless of out latitudes- known by hunters as the Indian Devil". (86) In her definition she keeps the beast from being real.

Describing the animal as a beast, a flying dragon, and a devil gives the reader a mysterious impression of the animal, rather than being realistic and calling this flying dragon a lion. Throughout the story the woman is in the Indian Devil's grasps, in and out of consciousness, awaiting her rescue. Knowing when she can no longer soothe the beast she will be killed, she struggles to sing her soothing songs. Romanticism takes over at the end of the story.

Her husband begins to get nervous. He takes their child and his gun out to find her. Her husband finds her high in the tree branches in the clenches of the beast. He shoots the beast and saves the day, in Romanticism good always prevails. As they venture home, "There is no home there.

The log-house, the barns, the neighboring farms, the fences, are all blotted out and mingled in one smoking ruin". (94) Indians came and destroyed everything. Had the beast not attacked her, she along with her husband and child would have been brutally murdered. One can almost hear violins playing in the background with such a Romantic ending. Kate Chopin's story, "The Storm", also bounces between Romanticism and Realism.

The story was too realistic for her time, dealing with "taboo issues including female sexuality and adultery". (Notes) This story "centers on conflict in a woman's life between building it around her husband and family, or focusing on herself". (Notes) While her husband and child are in town, a big storm develops, keeping the two stranded in town. Taking shelter from the storm enters Calixta's (the wife) old boyfriend. The realistic elements are that their old emotions develop during this brief reunion.

They have a "quickie" while the storm passes. However, a "quickie" does not belong to Romantic elements, a "quickie" is purely Realistic. Chopin twists this event into Romanticism with descriptions such as; "her face that was warm and steaming"; "Her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seed" and; "the fear in her liquid blue eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire". (552) Not to mention all of this is even before the heavy petting Romanticism. When Chopin gets rolling with the story it begins to read like a late 19th century "Penthouse Forum."Firm, elastic flesh,"Her mouth was a fountain of delight,"penetrated depths,"quivering ecstasy,"borderland of life's mystery,"breathless, dazed, enervated", and "heart beating like a hammer upon her" (552). Through all the romantic elements, Chopin eases back into Realism.

The old boyfriend gets back on his horse and get the hell out of there before her husband comes home. Continuing with realism the husband returns without a clue as to what has been going on in his home, and presents his wife with some fine shrimp from town. While they get ready to feast on some shrimp, her old boyfriend in hopes of another storm, writes to his family who is away, telling them not to hurry back. Book: The Heath Anthology of American Literature 3rd edition.