“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth” - John F Kennedy. Freedom is a broad term that varies from culture to culture allowing individuals to be unique in their own way. Through Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of the Hour”, and Christina Rossetti’s poem “Promises Like Pie-Crust”, freedom has become a luxury both characters of the stories feel deprived of. Throughout these two pieces of literature there are many similarities and differences between the way freedom is portrayed. Chopin and Rossetti reveal how freedom, although a blanket term, in different circumstances can create more than one outcome, allowing individuals to have multiple experiences.
What is Freedom? If it is looked up it would resemble having the power and the right to think, speak, or act how you choose. In both Chopin’s story and Rossetti’s poem freedom has become a…show more content… In both entries freedom is viewed in separate ways. One wanting no change in the relationship, where the other wants change. In “The Story of an Hour”, Louise Mallard wants to become independent and free. Chopin states, “there would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin). Here, Louise wants to break away from the routine she has fallen so deep into. She will focus on herself and all the opportunities she wishes to take. Where in “Promises like Pie-Crust”, the speaker does not wish for anything to change. The speaker wants the freedom already in place to stay the way it is. Once the promise has been made the amount of freedom in the relationship will shift. The speaker explains, “Let us be the friends we were, nothing more but nothing less” (Rossetti). The speaker wants the structure of the relationship to allow everyone to have freedom the way it’s been. They believe that once a promise is created you can no longer hold the freedom you once
