Women in the Victorian era, and analysis of "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner and "The Storm" by Kate Chopin. something about a blank page that allows your emotions and true feelings to flow onto it without judgment. It is your own creation, untarnished by the opinions of others. These recorded feelings allow unfettered access to the author's perspectives. As such, we are granted unique access to the mindsets of two authors and their personal approach to the conflicts of two unique women in the Victorian era. William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Kate Chopin's "The Storm" both look at women's sexuality, their domestic lives, and their unique behavior that goes against the norms of that era. “A Rose for Emily” is a short story about a woman who is part of the city’s elite class. After experiencing death, she withdraws from society and locks herself away in her mansion as the town around her changes. The story is told from the perspective of the townspeople and how they gossip about the apprehensions these women are experiencing. “The Storm,” on the other hand, is the story of a housewife and her ensuing sexual affair during a storm with a past love. Meanwhile, her husband and son must endure the approaching storm in town while said affair occurs. These captivating stories tell how the deepest layers of our desires remain unchanged throughout the history of the humanities. Both stories delve into women's sexuality on a level that I find particularly unexpected given that they were both written in the late 19th century, a time of pervasive Victorian ideals. What perplexed me most, especially in "The Storm", was how uninhibited this woman was in her pursuit of sexual... middle of paper ... in the modern city and in the ruling class. These women both go. against the dictated Victorian “norms”. We find a clash between Calixta who chooses a normal form to escape these burdensome ideals and Emily who is driven mad by the immense burdens that society imposes on her. They reflect how, even in the face of the most restrictive societal demands, our cardinal needs find ways to be satisfied. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” evoke themes that were clearly ahead of their time. They capture the oppression of the time and reveal through their writings humanist quests that we can still relate to today. This doesn't mean much because it is clear that regardless of the ideals of the society of that era, we remain human and are motivated by the most basic facets of our brain to pursue our fundamental pursuits. No society can ban them.