-
Essay / Literary Analysis of “Frostbitten Faithlessness”
“Frostbitten Faithlessness” is a short story about a woman's lack of decision-making and fidelity. Ann is John's wife and they live on a farm, presumably in Canada. She seems angry and unhappy when it comes to her marriage. John implies that he thought Ann, as a woman, should not have to take on important work. He reflects this concern when he assures that "she won't need to go near the stable" and reminds her that "everything is fed and watered now to last until night." Although this is nice for Ann to do, she becomes annoyed with him and feels diminished as a human. She tries to distract herself from negative thoughts while John is away by going to "paint the kitchen woodwork" white, which foreshadows her husband's fate. Ann's emotion is compared to the freezing weather outside, using the pathetic fallacy of the literary device. John recognizes Ann's change in mood, describing that "there was a sullen stillness in her face" to foreshadow his wife's depressed and withdrawn nature, describing how it was almost "as if she recognized the mastery of snow and cold. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay John expands our knowledge of the situation, making it clear that Ann's mind is just as disorganized as the storm. Ann's anger is prevalent throughout the story, particularly with the repetition of "don't mind me", which is an expression easily confused with sarcastic and passive aggressive. Ann's short-tempered nature leads to inevitable conflicts. A wide variety of conflicts arise throughout the short story. Initially, conflict arises between John and Ann, when John assumes that she cannot be enough without him. John passively belittles Ann Ameloot by saying "That's what you need, Ann - someone to talk to besides me", showing that John believes that Ann relies on him and only communicates with him. The conflict continues throughout the story, between Ann and herself when she calls "herself an idiot" for worrying about John being out in the storm and between her and the weather. environment that Ann and John find themselves in puts their lives in danger This is shown when Ann becomes curious and wants to check the stable When opening the door, she was pulled out by the force of the storm, where "just during. for a moment the wind held her, numbed and swayed” (30), showing that the force of the storm is too much for Ann to handle. To review, Ann is a woman very easily distressed, which. is reflected in the weather and personal problems. The way Ann admires small things without John is different from Ann's temperament. Imagery and onomatopoeia play an exciting role in the short story "Frostbitten Faithlessness". in the story to describe a person's appearance, to explain extreme weather conditions, and to explain the tasks Ann must complete. Before Ann becomes unfaithful to her husband of seven years, she describes John as "a slow, unambitious man, content with his farm and cattle," which provides insight into John's age and his satisfaction in his work. He is described as being "naively proud of Ann", which also makes it seem like he thinks she doesn't have the experience to keep up with him. When describing Steven, whom John has invited to keep Ann company, she mentions how he is "handsome, clean-shaven and young." With her description of her husband and Steven, it is obvious that she is unhappy with the person she married..