Authors set up the main characters for challenges they must overcome during the course of the story. These stories often have conflict that is similar and can be compared.
The protagonists of “The Story of an Hour,” “A Worn Path,” “A Rose for Emily,” and “The Secret Lion,” by Alberto Rios are all struggling with society, supernaturals and other characters. Each story’s protagonist faces problems within society. Chopin tells his audience that Mrs. Mallard is struggling with this issue because she lives in a male-dominated world. Rios’s problem is the desire of everyone to have both protagonists mature but their refusal to do so. Welty addresses racism and poverty by showing in Phoenix that they were widely known at the time when the story was set. Faulkner reveals to the reader that Emily’s town thought she was too robust for someone like Homer Barron.
Second, they reveal that their protagonists are dealing with supernatural complications. Mrs. Mallard developed a heart condition. The boys are unhappy because they don’t want to age, but it is an involuntary trait of human nature. Phoenix’s oldness and bad eyesight interferes with the journey she is on. Emily’s dad was overly protective, and this is why Emily behaves in the manner she does.
Each story has a protagonist who faces problems with characters from other stories. Mrs. Mallard doesn’t want to be bound by her husbands rules but will be judged by others. Their mother was not happy with them because they were acting like kids. The nurse and front desk attendant treated Phoenix like a charity patient because of her appearance when she went to the doctor to get her grandson’s medicine. Emily was not under the authority of her town’s residents, no matter what she did.
Conflicts also arose between the characters in each story. Mrs. Mallard posed her own dilemma because her desire to free herself from her spouse was hindered by her love. They knew it was time for them to grow up, but they were stubborn. Phoenix is in a struggle with herself as she has delusions and speaks to non-existent characters. Emily was isolated from society after her death, and began acting in an odd way. The Story of an Hour”, A Worn Path”, A Rose for Emily”, & “The Secret Lion”, all have barriers to overcome with the society, supernaturals, other characters and themselves. The protagonists of Rios’s, Chopin’s, and Faulkner and Welty stories all failed to achieve their goals.
