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DOCUMENT

SCORE

Midterm Exam
Essay

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Midterm Exam Essay

Throughout the works of Dark Romanticism, Realism, and
Naturalism, authors convey a specific message, unique to that
of each literary movement. Pieces, including The Scarlet
Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Story of an Hour," by
Kate Chopin, and "To Build a Fire," by Jack London, are all
prime examples of the literary movements that they reflect.
While Dark Romanticism explores the gloomy inner workings
of the mind, Realism covers the truly realistic characteristics of
life, and Naturalism portrays the thought that nature is
indifferent to humanity. Each composition not only mirrors the
literary movement of the time but the overall beliefs of society.
In these works of Hawthorne, Chopin, and London, varied
characteristics of each literary movement connect and contrast
to the gender status during their time periods.
Gender roles seen in the nineteenth century are nothing like the
world today. While present-day women have the right to vote
and participate in the government, women in the 1850s were
not so lucky.1 1848 marked the year of the first women's rights
convention and outbreak to new feminist ideas all over the
nation. They still continued to struggle to gain their rights, and
this is reflected 2 in books like The Scarlet Letter. During this
period, the literary movement of Dark Romanticism was
booming and finding its way throughout several works of
literature. For the first time, literature examined a shadowy

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approach to the fantastical, bringing in lots of creepy symbols,

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horrific themes, and insight into the physiological effects of

guilt and sin. All of these characteristics and elements of Dark
Romanticism show up in Hawthorne's work, The Scarlet
Letter. Not only does the book capture the darker side of
society during this time, but it also demonstrates the inferiority
women faced. Hester's feminist values are clearly represented 3
throughout the novel. For example, the letter "A"'s 4 meaning is
reassigned 5 when the narrator explains that "[M]any people
refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification.
They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne,
with a woman's strength" (Hawthorne 134). The narrator
continues to mention that "the very nature of the opposite sex,
or its long hereditary habit, which has become like nature, is to
be essentially modified, before [women] can be allowed to
assume what seems fair and suitable position" (Hawthorne
137). Hawthorne most likely wrote the character of Hester to
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reflect this outbreak of new feminist ideas and show how

society began to change because of them.
These thoughts about women's rights are also reflected 6 in the
Realistic short story, "The Story of an Hour." Characteristics of
Realism, including accurate representations of the middle class'
authentic thoughts, paved the way for an accurate view of the
world's thoughts about women's rights. The story entails a
woman who has just heard of the new of her husband's death.
While she is overcome 7 with sadness, she explains that "she
saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to
come that would belong to her absolutely" (Chopin 2). She is

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relieved from the controlling vibes that her husband often

possessed and becomes 8 overwhelmed with the amount of

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new freedoms she obtains. For this woman to feel so relieved

about someone's death speaks for 10 the amount of constriction
she was feeling, which truly reflects the conflicts women had
to face in their fight for freedom. Chopin clearly felt for the
fight 11 for women's rights and wanted to demonstrate that
throughout her story. Many other works of Realism show this
communication about women's rights vividly and accurately.
Naturalism also displays these idealistic values, while bringing
in the concept of nature to enhance them. "To Build a Fire" is a
key example of Naturalistic 12 story that contains elements that
expose the world honestly and as straightforward as possible
with a lack of happy endings. The prominent concept seen in
the other literary movements is that men are superior to
everything, especially women. While this may be true of Dark
Romanticism and Realism, Naturalism twists this thought,
making nature superior to everything. For instance, in Jack
London's "To Build a Fire," the man believes that he can
prevail in hypothermic weather, but ultimately gets crushed by
the power of the nature.13 The narrator makes clear that "he
[did not] think about man's general weakness, able to live only

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within narrow limits of heat and cold" (London 65).

Contrasting to the previous literary works and social roles
during the time of Naturalism, men are deemed inferior to all
in the story. In the early twentieth century, women started the
push for their finalized freedoms and this story is a reflection
that men can be conquered by something, whether it is nature
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or women.

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The uniqueness of each story brings out the true characteristics

of each literary work they represent. The idea that women are
inferior to all is especially eye-catching in the works of
Hawthorne and Chopin. Conflicting to the time period 14 when
it was written 15, London's story shows that man can be
conquered and does not reign superior. Only twelve years after
the story was written 16 did women receive the right to vote in
America, marking a revolutionary time in the United States'
history. Women's inferiority and men's superiority are key
elements to success in the works of all literary movements
during this time. The Scarlet Letter, "The Story of an Hour,"
and "To Build a Fire," all reflect and contrast the gender roles
in the time periods of which they were composed.

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