Emotions play a vital role of every person’s daily life. Emotions are what shapes us, makes us who we are, and what we do. It is the human condition to feel emotional influence weaving through our conscious and subconscious mind that binds our personality together. Even in making a rational decision, our instinct is still driven by the feelings (fear, excitement, etc) that will result in the end. For example, what are the rewards and/or punishments that will result from my decision? The four short stories “A Curious Call,” “The Four Sisters,” “Eleonora,” and “Aurelia's Unfortunate Young Man” each portray an emotion such as love, jealousy, devotion, hesitation, and dedication.

In the short story written by Charles Dickens called “The Four Sisters,” Dickens tells a story of four women living a lifestyle that superficially appears perfect, but is quickly turned into turmoil when they marry a man named Mister Robinson. The short story’s principal emotion is that of love, specifically in how it is capable of destruction. Love can appear to be generally positive but it can very easily spawn negative emotions like jealousy. After Robinson makes the proposal of marriage to youngest sister, the eldest sister steps in and tells him that should he marry one of the sisters, he must marry them all. Obviously, she was jealous of the soon-to-be wed sister and as the reader finishes reading the story, it is discovered that Mister Robinson has an affair with the eldest sister after the marriage.

“Eleonora” by Edgar Allen Poe writes the tale of an unnamed man living with his aunt and cousin in a place called the Valley of the Many-Colored Grass. As with Dickens’ story, Poe wrote this story to represent love, but also addition to the aspect of devotion. This is represented by the man’s love for his cousin, Eleonora, and the oath he made to stay loyal to Eleonora before and