The Theme of Escape in Two Nineteenth Century Short Stories

In the nineteenth century many people suffered from injustice and inequality. In Victorian time the society was patriarchal this meant that women were subservient to men and the only choice they had was marriage. The story of the Unexpected by Kate Chopin is the story of a woman who escapes the way of living in which she is controlled by men and goes on to challenge society and the way women are treated in the nineteenth century.

Dorothea is struggling to live her own life. Randall to whom she belongs and through whom she lives her life parts from her at the beginning of the story, as he is ill. Dorothea loves him and when they part from one another Kate Chopin describes it as “lingering kisses and sighs.” This shows a lot of passion and affection between the couple, which surprises the reader as you would not expect this explicit behaviour in Victorian times. Dorothea could not bear to be apart from Randall. She uses word like “torture” and “impatient” which shows how Chopin has expressed how Dorothea is feeling. Randall gets quite ill so Dorothea is not allowed to see him. When he does return Dorothea’s feelings have changed.

Kate Chopin illustrates this by stating, “this was not the man that went away” Straight away this tells us that she could be feeling different. “The man she loved and promised to marry.” She has changed her mind because Randall returns to her looking disfigured. “Hideous transformation…. skin waxy and hectic…clothing hung loosely.” How Chopin writes this shows that Dorothea was very much in love with Randall’s face, his looks, maybe not his personality as we have nothing yet that proves this. I think that Dorothea was very disappointed and had missed him and she wanted to see him very badly. Although he was not fully recovered yet she should have waited a bit longer. Randall is very much in love with Dorothea at this point in the story but Dorothea in not in love with Randall and this is causing a conflict.

Dorothea has a brief respite from having to talk to people. She has most probably used this time to think through what happened with her and Randall and to reflect her true feelings for him. This part of the story becomes exciting. In Dorothea’s mind she is not happy in how her life is being lived.

Dorothea wants a dramatic change in her life style.

Dorothea wants to escape.

We get the feeling in Dorothea’s life she is living in the Patriarchal society. Randall controls everything she does. Even the way she thinks. When Randall becomes ill and Dorothea has a lot of time on her hands she starts to think about her life. She has time to think because she is allowed to think, as Randall is not there to control the way she thinks. At this point in the story Kate Chopin lets the reader know that Dorothea is unhappy. Randall’s “frenzy of passion” intensifies Dorothea’s disgust for him. We know from this that Dorothea really does not want Randall to be in her life for the reason that he is the controlling influence, or for her to be in Randall’s life for the reason that she is no longer physically attracted to him. The only thing that she can do to be able to escape from the life she is living is to run away.

Dorothea got out of the door and was “fleeing as if death himself pursued her.” The metaphorical meaning is in fact that Randall is death and he is chasing her. Dorothea has made up her mind about running away after a conflict of thoughts and a lot of soul searching. I am sure she felt calm and fulfilled for going ahead with a plan which is only a dream for Victorian women in the nineteenth century.

She begins on a familiar roadway, then it grows unfamiliar – a new path a “rough and unfrequented road.” She is making the choice of saying no to marriage and saying no to patriarchal society. By taking a new direction, her journey through life has taken a new path. The road is also rough, “no human habitation.” She has to be brave and independent.

By shedding her past life, she feels alive for the first time. “She was alone with nature; pulses beating in unison.” Although she may be scared of what lies ahead Kate Chopin is describing this as Dorothea feeling excited to be alone for the first time. She is proud of herself for managing to get away from the life she was living.

I think that Dorothea’s escape was definitely successful. Dorothea wanted to get away because she was unhappy. She walked out the door without turning back or wanting to. There was no sight or hint of regret on how she was feeling but instead excitement at the new life ahead of her waiting to be enjoyed. This escape was not only successful in the way it worked. It was successful for Dorothea’s character. She was gaining something out of it. She was gaining a new life.

The main idea to focus on in the short story of the Poor Relations by Charles Dickens is poverty. This story was set in the urban city of London where it is a cruel world, and poverty plays a major part in this.

Michael lives on very little money. He lives a lonely life. He goes out to the coffee shop to stay warm. His family refer to a fire as “making a mess” and object to it. He goes to this coffee shop in London in the day when his family think he is out at work. He wanders the streets of the city until it is time to go home and he dines at a cost. Michael is a depressed man. He has a lonely routine which in monotonous, uninteresting and boring. He is living with out love.

In the story Michael the narrator tells the readers of him failing in life. He refers to himself as what he “supposed to be”. This shows us that he does not have any confidence and that he is always belittling himself. We know this also by him saying, “I am nobodies enemy but my own.” This line is said many times throughout the story. By saying it Michael is never gaining confidence or getting any reassurance because it is putting himself down each time. Even early in the story we see a reason that Michael should want to escape but we cannot figure out yet whether if the escape he makes later on in the story is going to be successful. Michael has little confidence.

Little Frank is the son of Michael’s first cousin and whom he takes great fond to. He wants him to grow up like him. But unlike Michael’s shyness he wants to bring him out and for him to be noticed. “I have a particular affection for that child, and he takes very kindly to me.” From this we see that their friendship is infinity and although of the big age gap, Michael considers him as a great companion.

In the story their friendship becomes jeopardy as Franks mother disapproves of Michael. We never really find this out in the story, but the reader can make sense because Frank’s family is from a high class. Frank has a picture of Michael from when he was younger and “bright faced,” meaning he was happy. But Franks mother took it away from him to be able to black out Michael from his life completely.

This is the idea about Michael we have that it true. The beginning part of the story was written in third person, and now it moves onto first person as Michael as the narrator is describing how he got himself in that low position of life that he lives.

Michael lived with his Uncle Chill. From this name the personality of being stubborn, mean, greedy and a miser is expressed. He is a scrooge like character. In his Uncles house Michael lives in a small room in the attic of the house. Described as a “prison room.” Uncle Chill is a very successful businessman but keeps it all for himself. He lives in a very nice house but still makes his own nephew live in a small chamber and pay rent. Uncle Chill wanted him to be successful in life as well.

Christiana and Michael are very much in love with each other. She has no fortune and her mother was desperate for her to have some. The only way for her to get any was to marry a workingman, which Michael is. Michael wrote his uncle a letter to say he was going to marry her and ask for permission from him.

The morning that Uncle Chill was due to give his response to Michael about the letter was described as “cold Decembers air.” Michael is “shivering.” This shows no warm feelings. Making everything tense about what his Uncle was going to say.

Michael did not know that it was going to be rejected.

In Michael’s life his main priority is not money but love. He loves Christiana enough to marry her. He does not know that Christiana was after his fortune.

When Uncle Chill objects it was an outrage. “When did you ever calculate, or look forward you contemptible dog.” He throws Michael out of the house. He is no longer allowed to lodge there.

This is very ironical, as when Uncle Chill said that he would not want him to marry Christiana, her mother will not let her either. She leaves him and his life “is shadowed”. Nothing was exciting in his life anymore.

In Michael’s dream he lives in a castle. It is a society that does not focus on money, or greed. That is what Michael thinks should happen. He describes the next part of the story in the Poor Relations in third person again. He is telling a story about what he actually imagined him living life, with out the society that is focussing on money. When Michael is telling this story one Christmas he says about Uncle Chill throwing him and then Michael is telling it about how he sees it. Him living in a castle married to Christiana happy with children. This dream world is so real to him. It has replaced him saying, “he has failed.”

We really as readers and the audience can see that even though Michael really has failed in life he can still escape into a world to him that everything is happy. This is Michael’s way of escaping in the story. He cannot be happy in the way of life he lives; Dickens makes this very effective by the changing of backgrounds in what he is talking about. You can imagine it very clearly in a film where he slips into his dream whilst telling a story of what it is actually like to what he dreams is to be like when he has escaped.

Unlike poor relations Dorothea has made an effort to change society and her escape was to be more independent. Michael does manage to escape but I do not really think that his escape was that successful because he has not escaped forever from that life but when he wants to escape he goes into his dream world. Where as in the way that Dorothea has escaped she has escaped completely from her old life into a new life for her to discover yet.