The Chaser

The story was about a young man named Alan Austen, who was desperately in love with

a woman named Diana which cannot reciprocate his love. Due to his desperation, he decided to

go to an unusual shop that sells love potion. The old man introduced a mixture called glove-

cleaner or life-cleaner which means to kill someone without any evidence. This short story

featured a fantasy genre where love potions existed. The author used the third-person limited

point of view to narrate Alan Austen's feelings.

Love, the reason we're doing crazy stuff for the person we've had feelings for. The

problem with Alan, he let himself be consumed by these intense feelings without being rational.

Being in love was not easy especially if it's unrequited love. As a guy, I understand Alan’s

frustration towards Diana but I will not force her nor take away her freedom. I’m going to be the

gentleman that the woman in my dreams deserves because women are gifts given to a man.

The title of the story, “The Chaser” means that Alan is chasing the love of Diana who

can’t love him back. The chaser also portrays the poisoned drink intended to kill the woman

when Diana will become unbearable to him. The reason behind the old man selling love potion

maybe he used to be like Alan who was in love but not reciprocated. He even introduced the

“glove-cleaner” or “life-cleaner” because he is certain that men will come back to get rid of their

women. The theme of the story is that we should think before we act because not everything is as

it seems.
 The Story of an Hour

The story entails feminist literature where it established equal rights for women. It was

written from a third-person omniscient point of view in which the narrator knew the characters'

feelings and thoughts. Louise Mallard is the main character of the story where she was a married

woman with a troubled heart. She experienced a conflict within herself where she kept fighting

with her true feelings towards her husband's death. The ironic twist in the story was everyone

believed she died from the extreme joy of seeing her husband alive, it was the opposite.

Based on the story, Louise Mallard suffered not because of her condition but because of

her unhappy marriage. She described her husband as loving and caring and yet she can't

reciprocate her husband's love. This portrays that marriage in the late 19th century was extremely

constraining. The story of an hour gives a realization that a woman should not be forbidden to

live according to her will. Also, it teaches us that everything can be taken away from us and we

should learn to treasure our lives.

The title, "Story of an Hour" refers to the different events that happened to Louise

Mallard's life within one hour. The story begins with Josephine and Richard being careful in

delivering the bad news to Louise. When she knew about her husband's death, the setting

changed where she found new hope and peace knowing she can live her own life without her

husband. The repetition of the word "open" symbolizes the freedom she will finally have after

being repressed in her marriage. The overall theme of the story is that freedom is worth pursuing

at all costs, which is clearly illustrated by Louise Mallard in her room.