Introduction
Storytelling plays a crucial role in the life of every individual. As such, it is important to understand that this process includes not only fictional narratives found in books and movies but also the anecdotes and myths about everyday life that form people’s reality. For instance, one can believe that there is only one truly suitable romantic partner for every person. Such a story then would greatly affect the consequent behavior of an individual when he or she intends to find a spouse. Moreover, there is also collective storytelling that is related to the expectations and attitudes formation in certain groups, otherwise known as social norms.
In this regard, the two short fictional works, namely Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and Judith Ortiz Cofer’s Volar, help the readers to better understand the association between storytelling and individual identity. The former story describes the feelings of the main heroine – Mrs. Mallard – who has just known about the death of her cold and possessive husband. Her sister, husband’s friend Richard, and others presume that this news would devastate the widow and attempt to provide emotional support. However, they are not aware that Mrs. Mallard is not grieving; rather, she is eager to embrace a new future where she is ‘free’. The latter story, on the other hand, presents the life of a young girl who lives in a poor barrio and, in order to compensate for one’s insecurities, dreams about being a Supergirl. Through these stories, the writers show how personal dreams can serve as the key to understanding and shaping a person’s soul and how predominant social storytelling may lead to an inadequate perception of reality. Additionally, the authors describe how family members’ storytelling can support and protect their relatives’ identities.
Dreams and Hopes as Storytelling
Both Chopin’s and Cofer’s works discuss how the person’s dreams and hopes, on the one hand, reveal his or her internal demands and, on the other hand, help to shape the individual identity. In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard, instead of feeling devastated knowing the news concerning her husband’s death, starts imagining the better future that she would have. “She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin, 2018, p. 570). As it is seen, Mrs. Mallard’s married life with an authoritative husband did not satisfy her, and, thus, she started building a story where she was “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin, 2018, p. 570). Therefore, it can be argued that the main hero’s personal storytelling helped her to shape a new identity of a woman that does not depend on anyone and lives to fulfill one’s dreams.
In a similar vein, the narrator in Volar dreams of being a Supergirl who is strong and independent. Such an image allowed the small girl to address the insecurities of real life, such as living in a poor barrio and being scared of the landlord. Moreover, the main heroine’s interest in flying is explained by the vulnerabilities of her mother, which the child can unconsciously understand. Indeed, the mother exclaims, “Ay, si yo pudiera volar!” wishing to be independent of the husband’s will (Cofer, 2018, p. 308). As a result, to address those insecurities, the main heroine creates the storytelling of the powerful and self-sufficient girl. This, in turn, leads to the formation of the identity that is ready to face all the world’s challenges as a superhero.
The Criticism of the Collective Storytelling
Additionally, both authors mention that sometimes collective storytelling fails to recognize the existing social diversity and, thus, wrongly identifies and labels other people. In Chopin’s story, the society that surrounds Mrs. Mallard mistakenly assumes that she is mourning the death of her husband, which corresponds to the prevailing norm of behavior in such cases. Thus, when the central heroine suddenly dies, people believed that “she had died of heart disease – of joy that kills” (Chopin, 2018, p. 570). However, nobody understands that the main character is happy, not devastated by the news.
Similarly, in Volar, the child presumes that her parents are disappointed with the fact that she would interrupt “their time together at the beginning of each day” by waking up early (Cofer, 2018, p. 306). Yet, although that version coincides with the collective storytelling that parents enjoy the time without children, it may as well be that the girl’s mother and father do not want her to hear them fighting. Moreover, knowing that their daughter likes being in the ‘fantasy lands’, the parents may want the child to spend more time dreaming rather than listening to the barrio news. Therefore, it is seen that collective storytelling can negatively impact an individual’s ability to perceive other people’s identity.
Family Support and Identity
Finally, Chopin and Cofer describe how family members can create supportive stories that would protect people’s identities. In The Story of an Hour “great care was taken to break to her [Mrs. Mallard] as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin, 2018, p. 569). Moreover, later “Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for admission” because she thought that her sister would become ill (Chopin, 2018, p. 570). Indeed, bad news such as the death of a family member can strongly impact the person’s psychological state. Thus, people usually start questioning many aspects of their lives, including their identities. In this regard, through her caring actions, Josephine seeks to communicate to her sister that whatever bad occasions occur, Mr. Mallard can always rely on the support and help of close people.
In Volar, the family support of identity, although not stated directly, can still be observed. For instance, the narrator says, “I’d wake up in my tiny bedroom with the incongruous—at least in our tiny apartment—white “princess” furniture my mother had chosen for me (Cofer, 2018, p. 306). Therefore, it is seen that the main heroine’s mother wants to support the child in overcoming her insecurities by purchasing the ‘princess’ furniture, which should make her daughter feel special and important.
Conclusion
Overall, storytelling can have a great impact on individual identity. Both Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and Cofer’s Volar reveal three aspects of such a causal relationship that deepens the reader’s understanding of the process. Firstly, the authors show that dreams and hopes can be regarded as stories that people tell themselves. Through this type of storytelling, people can abandon the dissatisfactory reality and create better worlds. However, at the same time, it can be argued that through dreams, individuals also shape their new identities. Secondly, the writers reveal that there is collective storytelling – or common themes and behavior that people expect of certain situations. However, they argue that the existence of such mental patterns that dictate how one should interpret different situations may sometimes lead to failure to recognize social diversity and identity variations. Lastly, the authors describe how storytelling can be used by family members to support their relatives’ identities which may manifest itself not only through words but also through material things and actions.
References
Chopin, K. (2018). The story of an hour. In K. J. Mays (Ed.), The Norton introduction to literature (Portable 13th ed., pp. 568-570). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Cofer, J. O. (2018). Volar. In K. J. Mays (Ed.), The Norton introduction to literature (Portable 13th ed., pp. 306-308). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.