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Comparing Two Stories with the Same Theme

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A Comparison of Two Stories with the Same Theme
Angela Baer
ENG 125: Introduction to Literature
Instructor Hinton
September, 3, 2013

In comparing two short stories that include similar themes such as Country Lovers (1975) by Nadine Gordimer and The Necklace (1884) by Guy de Maupassant; it is apparent that not only do they share the same theme of gender roles and marriage they also share the underlying theme of prejudice and stereotyping as well. Both women in these stories marry within their socioeconomic caste and race. However, both women also suffer from prejudice, whether by their hand or the hand of someone else. It is a struggle of women that has been handed down through the ages. The fact that these two stories Country Lovers (1975) and The Necklace (1884) were written almost a century apart and contain the same theme proves this plight for equality of women. Country Lovers (1975) by Nadine Gordimer not only deals with gender roles and arranged marriages but also with racism. This underlying theme of racism is not surprising; since Gordimer lived in South Africa during the apartheid movement. Ms. Gordimer was very much against this socioeconomic movement and included this tone in her writing (Clugston, 2010). Ms. Gordimer once wrote that the importance of great literature is its power to change the consciousness of the reader even if they are unaware it had been done (Gordimer, 2001).This idea is what she wished to accomplish with her writings. She wanted to bring attention to the inequality between gender and races. Country Lover’s is a tale about a young interracial couple in South Africa. The girl Thebedi is the daughter of a native worker who works for the boy’s father. The boy Paulus Eysendyck is the son of a wealthy white farmer. Thebedi and Paulus are young and have not fully realized what society expects of them. When they boy

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