Analysis Of Setting In "The Story Of An Hour" And "Popular Mechanics"

Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and Carver's "Popular Mechanics" both use setting to develop their theme. The relationship in marriage breaks down if the couple does not truly love each other. Both stories have similar settings, such as both went into the social environment of a relationship, but some contents of the setting of each story have differences. Each story's theme is conveyed by the setting, such as social environments and time, of the story. In "The Story of an Hour," Chopin, the author, uses the 1900s in order to convey the theme of the story. In "Popular Mechanics," Carver, the author, uses two different settings in order to develop the theme. In summary, the settings of "The Story of an Hour" and "Popular Mechanics" help convey the theme.

The setting in "The Story of an Hour" and "Popular Mechanics" both deal the social environment of a couple's relationship. For example, "Story of an Hour" tells of a wife by the name of Mrs. Millard, who has heart disease, who discovers her husband had died in a railroad accident from the lips of her sister Josephine. But, Mrs. Millard reacts in a different manner most confusing. "When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free!" (Chopin 15). Instead of feeling sorrow for the death of her husband, she leaps into a state of joy because freedom steps in her life. Likewise, in "Popular Mechanics," the couple struggle through a relationship. "He was in the bedroom pushing clothes into a suitcase when she came to the door. I'm glad you're leaving! I'm glad you're leaving! She said. Do you hear?" (Carver 264). Though one never knows if the couple was married, the social environment in the relationship between the two individuals was argumentative which ends in the collapse of the relationship such as Mrs. Millard's relationship with her husband. In short, the settings in "The Story of an Hour" and "Popular Mechanics" demonstrate the similar collapse of each couple's relationship.

Even though "Story of an Hour" and "Popular Mechanics" has similar settings in the stories, there are differences in the setting of each story. For example, in "The Story of an Hour," the setting takes place somewhere in the 1900s during the day. "There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window" (Chopin 15). Mrs. Millard sat in her house during the day as an upper-middle class woman having nothing to do because she lived in a class not too rich or too poor. "There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body..." (15). She felt bored because she had nothing to do, which was a common scenario for upper-middle class women during the 1900s. Unlike the setting of "The Story of an Hour," the setting of "Popular Mechanics" takes place during the modern era of 1990s in a post-winter season during the late evening. "...the snow was melting into dirty water...cars slushed by on the street outside, where it was getting dark" (Carver 264). The description explains the setting as to be during the middle area of winter and spring and set in the modern era because of the presence of cars. In summary, the setting in "The Story of an Hour" and "Popular Mechanics" has differences in season and time.

Chopin used setting in "Story of an Hour" to convey the theme of her story. For example, she used social environment of the 1900s in order to develop the theme. Mrs. Millard was an upper-middle class woman who was depressed because she had nothing to do. She lived a life not too rich or too poor so she had nothing of importance to worry about. But, when she hears of her husband's demise in a railroad disaster, she leaps for joy for now she can live her own life. "And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter!" (Chopin 16). Mrs. Millard wanted to live her own independent life instead of living behind the shadow of her husband. But, when she sees that Mr. Millard is alive and well, she dies. "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills" (16). Mrs. Millard realized that she would have to go back to the depressed life she once lived, and she did not want to live her life any longer. The theme of "The Story of an Hour" conveys the logic that if one does not truly love his or her partner, the relationship will not result in a joyful relationship. In summary, the setting of "The Story of an Hour" helps develop the theme that a marriage cannot end well if one individual does not truly love his or her partner.

In "Popular Mechanics," Carver used the post-winter season as the setting for the story. For example, in the introduction, Carver describes the landscape as being filled with dirty water because of the snow melting. "Early that day the weather turned and the snow was melting into dirty water. Streaks of it ran down from the little shoulder-high window that faced the backyard" (Carver 264).