Thesis: In "The Tempest" and "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, the wives seem to share the nasty qualities of selfishness, infidelity and confusion.I. The most common element found in both literary works is that both women seem very selfish. In "The Story of an Hour", Mrs. Mallard seems overcome with joy over the death of her husband.B. Like Mrs. Mallard, Calixta, the wife of "The Tempest", is also extremely selfish.II. The second most obvious theme in both stories is their unfaithful commitment to the sacrament of marriage.A. Mrs. Mallard was never physically unfaithful, but mentally and emotionally she became lost in the idea of ​​her new life without her husband.B. In opposition to Mrs. Mallard, Calixta acted on her emotions and became physically unfaithful.III. In addition to selfishness and infidelity, both women give the impression of confusion.A. Mrs. Mallard's confusion begins with her first feeling of "sudden and wild abandonment", but soon after she begins to experience strange feelings of relief. Calixta also experiences confusion when "Alcée's arm surrounds her..." and "...pulls her closer to him spasmodically." DeceptionIn Kate Chopin's "The Tempest" and "The Story of an Hour", the common theme of each short story is the deception of marriage. "The Tempest" involves two married couples in which a woman, Calixta, and a man, Alcée, from each marriage, have an affair with each other. Calixta has a little boy with her husband and Alcée's family is in Biloxi. The affair takes place at Calixta's house when Alcée asks to stay with her until the end of the storm, while her son and her husband are absent...... middle of paper...... it should be honored and it's horrible to see marriage as some sort of joke and a waste of time. In conclusion, the women in the two stories have experienced two very different situations but are generally facing the same things. Selfishness plays a role in their thoughts and actions and infidelity plays a role in the overall happiness of their marriage. With both selfishness and infidelity controlling their thoughts and emotions, they become confused and lose all control of the situation. Basically, it is shocking how lightly matters are taken into consideration and how the loss of a loved one does not affect people the way it should. Eighth Shorter Edition, Richard Abcarian and Marvin KlotzPage 750-754