SSRJ #3 Collette

My first Response to the story "The Hand" was that I could relate to the woman in that bed. She was so enamored and excited for her new love that she was looking through rose colored glasses. It takes time to really get to know someone and it is not until that honey moon stage is over until that starts happening. I loved in the story how that hand symbolized so much of her new husbands personality and how he reacts.

Collete used the hand in the story as her literary symbol. This hand symbolized the young brides future with her new husband that lies by her side. This beautiful, flawless hand she saw is now transforming into the gnarly, hairy man hand that is slightly starts to disgust her. I think that the author used the hand to symbolize the unfolding of a relationship and marriage. The characters in this short story will soon find out all of these characteristics of each others personalities. His hand is reacting to all the noises and sounds but it is to symbolize fear and defense. His hand takes on these beastly forms and she sees his darker side in  his hand. This hand is showing the new bride what she will start to find out about her husband. In the story, the husband does not wake up or open his eyes at all. The author kept the focus on the hand only to for the readers to imagine this hand as the husband himself. The hand takes on forms when awakened or startled. For example when a car comes by in the story, the hand....

"....offended, reared back and tensed up in the shape of a crab and waited, ready for battle."

This hand, in defense took on the symbolic for of a crab and was defending itself. The author makes this hand mutate into other living things so the reader can imagine this hand as its own entity. In the end, even as the wife is grossed out by the hand, in he morning she kisses it to show her husband of her unconditional love.

I would have love to read this story if the roles were reversed and the man was in the same position.

SSRJ #1 Chopin

My first response to Kate Chopins story was sorrow. In the middle of the story i felt happiness for the characters feeling of relief, joy and freedom. she felt so trapped in a world that she was unable to change until a surprising turn of events. I can relate to the feeling of being stuck in a relationship that you are afraid to leave and have settled in. Then one day, your world shifts slightly allowing you to break free finally. Along with the joy of her freedom, the character also expresses shame and grief with the same emotions. I enjoyed how the author described what could be mistaken for complete sadness but turned out to be the overwhelming joy of her future ahead that finally only belonged to her.

The element i believe the author used is situational irony. The reader sees a situation unfolding and imagines detail after detail that some small hints in the beginning may have been lost. One important detail as the characters heart condition. You really start to sympathize with the characters as her joy for her future becomes so exciting. It was sad that it had to take her husbands death for this freedom to be hers but she didn't care. In the end it was her death that actually happened which is shocking and the complete opposite of hat was foreseen in her future. It didn't take her husband dying rather her own death to solidify her freedom.

I wonder what the reaction would be if her husband cam e home just ten minutes later of any time after she was able to confide her new found joy in anyone else?