Common Themes in Short Stories - Essay Example

These two short stories exemplify why people should be careful for what they wish for, as they might get it all and then some that they did not intend for. Each story begins with the female protagonist in their most typical forms of life. Mrs. Mallard of Chopin’s tale is stated to have heart trouble, yet her story starts with everything in her life being normal. de Maupassant’s Mathilde, a woman who is neither rich nor poor, but unhappily so, has grown used to her place in life. When the inciting incident of both stories make themselves known, so do the deepest wishes of these women. Mrs. Mallard’s husband dies in a train accident, which leaves Mrs.

Mallard in a state of shock and numbness; after a while, though, she realizes that she has been given a freedom that she has not felt since before she had gotten married. Mathilde, while always wishing to be rich, does not reveal how deep this desire is until she and her husband are invited to an important dinner. Then things, for both women, begin to spin wildly out of control. Mrs. Mallard’s deepest wish of freedom does not make it known until after she is done mourning the loss of her husband.

“She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her . When she abandoned herself, a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under the breath: ‘free, free, free!’” (Chopin). . Under different circumstances, Mathilde found herself wanting more than what she had. She had grown tired of not being wealthy and of wanting material possessions that she and her husband could not afford. “She suffered endlessly, feeling herself born for every delicacy and luxury” (de Maupassant).

Mathilde was of the lower class, but she felt like this was an error. When the opportunity arose for her to mingle among those of a higher class, she set out to find an outfit that would help her to blend in. Her husband had little quarrels about buying her a new dress and Mathilde was able to borrow an exquisite diamond necklace from one of her friends. She was as far off from being rich as always, yet now she was being presented with the chance to be one of the wealthy, even if only for one night.

It only took Mrs. Mallard a short time to fully embrace the thought of being free from her marriage and from a life that was run by someone else. “Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her . days that would be her own” (Chopin). She had finally got her wish of complete and unshakeable liberation. However, her sister, Josephine, begged for Mrs. Mallard to come with her downstairs and Mrs. Mallard obliged. Upon entering the entrance hall, Mrs. Mallard is greeted with the sight of her husband, alive and well.

The story ends with the death of Mrs. Mallard, who died “of heart disease--of the joy that kills” (Chopin). Mrs. Mallard had wished for freedom, and now, in her death, she could not be anymore free. Mathilde’s end was not as horrific, but it was no less fun. After borrowing her friend’s necklace for the dinner, she comes to discover that she had lost it sometime during the festivities. Unable to find it, Mathilde and her