1.

"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe (Romanticism)

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story that delves deep into the psyche of an unnamed
narrator, whose mental instability leads to murder. The narrator, insisting that they are not
mad, begins by describing their acute sensitivity to sound, particularly to the heartbeat of an
old man they live with. The narrator becomes obsessed with the old man’s eye, which they
describe as a "vulture-like" eye with a film over it. This eye, the narrator believes, watches
them in an unsettling way, and they become convinced that it must be destroyed.

For seven nights, the narrator sneaks into the old man’s room, intent on killing him, but
each time the eye is closed, and the narrator cannot bring themselves to act. On the eighth
night, however, the old man awakens, and his eye is open. Overcome by terror and
excitement, the narrator leaps into action, suffocating the old man by pulling a bed over
him. Afterward, the narrator dismembers the body and hides the pieces under the
floorboards, certain that no one will discover the crime.

However, the narrator soon begins to hear a faint, rhythmic sound, which they believe to be
the old man's heart still beating beneath the floor. This noise grows louder and louder,
gnawing at the narrator’s sanity. When police officers come to investigate after neighbors’
report hearing a scream, the narrator confidently welcomes them, believing they have
covered their tracks. But as the sound of the heartbeat becomes unbearable, the narrator is
overwhelmed with guilt and paranoia. Unable to bear the noise, they break down and
confess to the murder, pulling up the floorboards to reveal the body.

The story masterfully explores themes of guilt, madness, and the unreliability of perception.
The narrator's increasing instability and obsession with the old man's eye highlight Poe’s
use of psychological horror, a hallmark of Romanticism. The story also delves into the
darker aspects of human nature, focusing on the inner workings of the mind and the fine
line between sanity and madness.

2. "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (Realism)

Kate Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour" is a brief yet powerful story that examines the
emotional complexity of marriage and personal freedom. It begins with the introduction of
Louise Mallard, a woman with heart trouble, who is gently told by her sister, Josephine,
that her husband, Brently Mallard, has died in a train accident. At first, Louise reacts with
immediate sorrow, weeping openly in her sister’s arms before retreating to her room to be
alone.

Inside her room, Louise sits in a chair by the window, observing the world outside. It is
spring, and the scene is full of life and renewal, with the trees budding and birds singing.
As she contemplates her new reality, a strange feeling begins to grow within her. Instead of
being overwhelmed by grief, Louise starts to feel a sense of freedom. She realizes that, with
her husband gone, she is no longer bound by the expectations of marriage. For the first
time, she imagines a life lived for herself, with no one to control her decisions or limit her
independence. She repeats the word "free" to herself, relishing the possibilities of her
future.

Louise’s realization of her newfound freedom is both exhilarating and overwhelming.

Although she acknowledges that she had loved her husband at times, she now understands
that the institution of marriage had imposed restrictions on her autonomy. The thought of
living for herself, without the obligations that came with being a wife, brings her a
profound sense of joy.

As Louise prepares to leave her room, feeling empowered by her revelation, there is a
knock at the door. Her sister, Josephine, begs her to come out. When she finally does, she is
greeted by a shocking sight—Brently Mallard, her husband, walks through the door, alive
and well. He had not been involved in the train accident after all. The sudden reversal of
her circumstances is too much for Louise to bear, and she collapses and dies. The doctors
claim that she died of "heart disease—of the joy that kills," but the story leaves readers to
wonder if it was not the shock of losing her freedom that ultimately caused her death.

"The Story of an Hour" reflects the Realist tradition by portraying a complex and realistic
internal emotional journey in a short space of time. Chopin’s exploration of marriage,
gender roles, and personal freedom resonates with themes of autonomy and identity,
making the story a powerful critique of societal expectations for women in the late 19th
century.

3. "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway (Modernism)

"Hills Like White Elephants" is a modernist short story by Ernest Hemingway that
masterfully uses dialogue to explore complex themes of communication, decision-making,
and gender roles in relationships. The story is set at a train station in the Spanish
countryside, where an American man and a woman, referred to as Jig, are waiting for a
train to Madrid. The landscape is described with two distinct sides: one barren and dry, the
other lush and fertile. These contrasting images symbolize the emotional and moral conflict
at the center of the story.

As the couple sits drinking beer, their conversation revolves around an "operation" that the
man wants Jig to undergo. Although the procedure is never explicitly named, it is heavily
implied to be an abortion. The man downplays the seriousness of the operation, telling Jig
that it is "just to let the air in" and that everything will go back to the way it was before. He
tries to reassure her by saying that he loves her and that he only wants her to do what will
make her happy. However, it becomes clear that he is pressuring her into making this
decision, despite his claims of support.

Jig, on the other hand, is hesitant and conflicted. She looks at the distant hills, which she
says "look like white elephants," a metaphor that suggests something unwanted or
burdensome. Throughout the conversation, she alternates between appeasing the man and
expressing her inner doubts. The dialogue is full of subtext, as neither character openly
discusses their true feelings or the deeper implications of the choice they face. The lack of
direct communication between the two reflects the emotional distance growing between
them.

As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Jig feels isolated and uncertain about her
decision, while the man continues to push for the abortion, emphasizing that it will solve
their problems and allow them to continue their carefree lifestyle. However, Jig realizes
that their relationship has already changed, and the carefree life they once shared may no
longer be possible. The story ends ambiguously, with Jig agreeing to discuss the matter
further but leaving the final decision unresolved.

"Hills Like White Elephants" is a quintessential example of Hemingway’s "iceberg theory,"

where the deeper meaning of the story lies beneath the surface of the dialogue. The story’s
minimalist style and lack of explicit resolution force readers to engage with the subtext,
making it a powerful exploration of the complexities of relationships, communication, and
personal choice.

4. "Happy Endings" by Margaret Atwood (Postmodernism)

Margaret Atwood’s "Happy Endings" is a postmodern short story that deconstructs the
traditional narrative structure by offering several different versions of the same plot, each
with a different set of circumstances but all leading to the same conclusion: death. The
story opens with the line, "John and Mary meet," a simple premise that sets the stage for
multiple variations of their life together.

In Version A, John and Mary fall in love, get married, have children, and live a happy,
conventional life. They both have fulfilling careers, retire comfortably, and die peacefully.
This version of events represents the "ideal" happy ending, but Atwood quickly undermines
its simplicity by offering alternative versions.

In Version B, Mary loves John, but John doesn’t love her back. He uses her for sex and
continues an affair with another woman. Mary, desperate for John’s affection, eventually
kills herself, and John marries the other woman. This version explores the darker, more
tragic side of relationships, highlighting the imbalance of power and unrequited love.

Version C presents John as an older man married to someone else, who has an affair with
Mary, a younger woman. When Mary finds out about John's wife, she becomes
disillusioned. In Version D, Mary and John experience life’s challenges, such as illnesses
or financial troubles, but still end up dead. Each version offers a different perspective on
relationships, highlighting the arbitrary nature of events and the inevitability of death.

In the final Version F, Atwood reminds readers that no matter how the story unfolds, the
ending is always the same: death. Through these variations, Atwood critiques the notion of
a "happy ending" and the conventional structure of storytelling, pointing out that life’s
complexities cannot be neatly summarized with a perfect conclusion.
Atwood’s postmodern approach challenges readers to think about the purpose of
storytelling and the artificiality of narrative conventions. By offering multiple versions of
the same story, she emphasizes that what happens in the middle is what truly matters, rather
than the simplistic endings often found in traditional literature.