Through his main character, Dmitri Dmitrich Gurov, Chekhov is able to show how a man can be held back from the very freedoms in life by society and its laws and institutions. ... The depression of being with a person who you neither love nor care about took a great toll on Gurov. ... Having children is a symbol for a unity and bond between a family, something that Gurov was adamant in not having with his family. ... This shows how Gurov had high expectations of himself to become something greater in life, to obtain a deeper purpose in his life, yet he was held back by society where he had to ...

• Word Count: 956
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Wilkins Freeman best represented a woman's struggle for independence through the character of Louisa's relationship with Joe Dagget. ... The character of Joe Dagget has many characteristics that a typical woman would desire in a man. ... "(661) What is interesting is that Freeman describes death as something great which happened to Louisa. She is advocating for women's freedom through the death of her family, when Louisa comes to recognize the great path of independence, and becomes a strong symbol of the strength of a woman as she is able to thrive on her own. ... Freeman ...

• Word Count: 2223
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Through means of reversal, Chaucer leads his main female character down the road of maleness. ... The reader first meets the pilgrims in the General Prologue (GP), where Chaucer provides subtle indications to the type of character he describes. ... Chaucer has come under critical disapproval for not adhering to socially prescribed gender roles for feminity in his character WB. ... How she chooses to travel is a minor aspect of crossing the lines of cultural gender expectations. ... The one weakness that comes forward in the WB character is when she steps out of the male role back into the fema...

• Word Count: 2959
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography