June 4, The Story of an Hour

1. What do you think is the larger meaning or message of this story? That women are not always truely happy to live the life of traditional wives, serving their men, etc.. 
   
2. What are some of the symbols you notice in "The Story of an Hour"? What do these things represent? She could see the signs of Spring outside of her window; the breath of rain was in the air. This symbolized her new life after the winter of her relationship, and the flash strom of the news of his death. 
   
3. In both of the stories for today, the female characters end up isolated in a room. How do these two rooms and situations differ? One is isolated in the room to take a breif moment to heal, to feel into the return of her autonomy and power. The other was in a type of forced confinement that became isolation within her own madness.  What does the room represent for each woman? For one it represents a safe place to heal, for the other it represents confinement and her own inner madness. 
   
4. How does the grief of Mrs. Mallard compare with that of Shaila Bhave in "The Management of Grief"? I haven't read TMOG. How does the point of view impact our observation and understanding of the grieving process? How do the settings of the two stories impact their handling of the information?