The Compare and Contrast of
The Interlopers
And
The Story of an Hour
When comparing “The Interlopers” to “The Story of an Hour” you will find many
differences and similarities.
The Story of an Hour depicts a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who finds out her husband died
and she gets a sense of freedom. Not that her husband was a bad man, just she
realized without him she was no longer tied down. She stares out the window and a
sunny landscape until her sister coaxed her out of the room. Much to her surprise her
husband returned resulting in Mrs. Mallard’s death by a heart attack. Ending the story
with “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that
kills.”
The Interlopers stars a man named Ulrich von Gradwitz, who is in a fight with his
neighbor, Georg, over a piece of land. When the men go out on a ‘hunt’ with their men
they find each other and yell threats of killing each other. Finally in the midst of a great
storm a tree falls trapping each of them. After a sometime Ulrich suggest that they patch
up their relationship and in lines 150 to 160, Georg agrees saying, “How the whole
region would stare and gabble if we rode into the market square together. No one living
can remember seeing a Znaeym and a von Gradwitz talking to one another in
friendship. And what peace there would be among the forester folk if we ended our feud
tonight. And if we choose to make peace among our people, there is none other to
interfere, no interlopers from outside. . . .” then their happiness sailed even more when
they spot their men heading down the mountain. But tragedy strikes when Ulrich notices
something, in lines 200 to the end, ““Are they your men?” asked Georg. “Are they your
men?” he repeated impatiently, as Ulrich did not answer. “No,” said Ulrich with a laugh,
the idiotic chattering laugh of a man unstrung with hideous fear. “Who are they?” asked
Georg quickly, straining his eyes to see what the other would gladly not have seen.
“Wolves.”” Implying their deaths.
The similarities in these two stories are somewhat hard to see, because both stories are
so different from one another. But if you look closely you will find the comparisons such
as both stories have happiness before they die, which in both stories they do in fact die.
Both are having conflict with someone or themselves, it’s obvious in The Interlopers
who is having conflict because of the two men fighting, but in The Story of an Hour is a
little harder to spot. The story states how “she was beginning to recognize this thing that
was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as
powerless as her two white slender hands would have been.” Talking about the feeling
of somewhat happiness that her husband was gone and she was now free. One of the
more obvious similarities would be misfortune striking in both stories, from Ulrich and
his neighbor getting trapped under a tree to Mrs. Mallard’s husband dying.
The contrasts between these two tales are a lot easier to see, The Interlopers is about
two men (The Story of an Hour is about one woman) which get trapped under a tree,
which is a huge difference to Mrs. Mallard’s feeling of freedom. The setting of The
Interlopers is a stormy, gloomy, dark wood unlike the setting of The Story of an Hour
which is sunny and cheerful little house that looks out over s forest of trees where little
birds hop around. And last but not least Ulrich and his neighbor can see their death
running towards them in the form of grey fur and large teeth, whereas Mrs. Mallard is
taken by death unexpectedly.
Although there are many differences and similarities, both stories are so unique that
you’ll just have to read them yourself.
Reply to: [email protected]
Work sited
The Interlopers— http://www.anderson.k12.ky.us/Downloads/The%20Interlopers[1].pdf
The Story of an Hour— http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/