“The Story of an Hour” and my opinion of death
Death is a painful rite, particularly for the loved ones left to absorb the pain. No strategies have proven to work in alleviating pain for the loved ones. However, “The Story of an Hour” reveals a different perspective of death and the variance of angles different people perceive the state. While the rite is hurting too many people, the ones affected directly by the end of life might have a different perspective based on the level of interaction they shared with the departed. Louise mourns for an hour alone for her beloved husband. It is important to note that she confirms her husband looked at her lovingly, held her hand occasionally, and shared some loving memories. However, Louise looks through the window and sees no changes in the sky as the clouds remained fluffy. She hears people going about their usual errands at the neighboring environment and birds singing in the air. The story highlights the need not to stay grounded, as life would continue notwithstanding the level of closeness the departed shared with their loved ones. Additionally, the story challenged the traditional approach of remaining in mourning state for long, instead of looking for the positives emanating from the event. Therefore, the novel challenged my opinion of death by focusing on the positives rather than the negatives only.
On the contrary, the story of “A Rose for Emily” by Faulkner is a case where Emily does not take advantage of her father’s death to lead a happy life. Faulkner indicates that Emily’s father drove away from her suitors, which ensured she remains singles for very long. If Emily had wanted a more joyful life, she would have married one of her suitors after her father died. On the contrary, she remained single and closed the doors from the neighbors and friends to reason with her. The story challenges the power of the dead over the people left behind, indicating that the dead remain dominant over their loved ones as the latter can stick with the decisions of the former. Overall, the two stories challenge death as painful and grounding even in life, slightly impacting different individuals differently based on their perspectives and levels of interactions with the departed person.
Rituals vs. Traditions
A ritual is an act that society performs or observes I specific occasions, festivals, events, and ceremonies. Burial is one example of a ritual where a community performs particular actions for the dead before and during the funeral. On the other hand, traditions change within the community set up from one generation to another. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” reveals the struggle between traditions and modernity based on Jefferson’s account. The community expects people to mingle and marry at a certain age. Still, the case of Emily’s father driving away every possible suitor of Emily ensured she remained single for so long. Traditions are passed down from generation to generation. Marriage is a generational thing that society passes down to the new members to carry on. Therefore, while it is a common tradition that parents are happy when their children marry to maintain their generation, Emily’s father stood on the way ensuing his daughter remained single for many years. Members of the community called upon Emily’s blood-kin cousins to talk to her about marriage. “Two days later, we learned that she had bought a complete outfit of men’s clothing, including a nightshirt, and we said, “They are married.” We were really glad. We were glad because the two female cousins were even more Grierson than Miss Emily had ever been” (Faulkner 7). Therefore, despite the social expectations, some people maintain the legacy of their predecessors who institute change in the society irrespective of the strong tides of changes in the community.
On the same note, death is hurting for all family members who remain behind, as they will never see the departed again. However, “The Story of an Hour” brings forth a different perspective as it focuses on making Louise free for the rest of her life. Traditionally, the widow cries for the departed husband and mourns for as long as possible until she healed of the wounds of death. However, Louise wept for an hour and knew she would cry again when she sees her husband’s corpse. However, after the hour of being alone mourning, she quickly embraced the future of being free from oppression. Traditionally, many people will hear the news “with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.” Louise mourned at once in her solitary room, where no one joined her. Through the open window, she looked into the fluffy clouds, birds singing outside, and people going about their typical responsibilities outside of her house. Therefore, the ritual of mourning uncontrollably did not affect this story as the protagonist mourned once and embraced the future. The traditions of the widow sticking down until the corpse is buried were challenged in this case. Therefore, the story challenges the traditions and rituals associated with the effects caused when death occurs.