The purpose of this essay is to study various kinds of tension and violence existing between men and women in short stories Her Table Spread by Elizabeth Bowen, Rope by Katherine Anne Porter and The Time of Death by Alice Munro. In my essay I will view the character features of the principal characters seen mainly from the point of view of the opposite sex. It's my intention to show that the author's sex influences the contents of the short stories. I,m also going to find out whether the violence is physical or mental.

Her Table spread by Elizabeth Bowen will be discussed in chapter one. I will prove that there is one very dominating woman who, perhaps unknowingly and unintentionally, uses violence against the principal male character of the story. I'm also going to show that the man, who creates most tension between a man and a woman and who in fact may have the leading role, is only mentioned by name, he is not in the story itself. The essay will also show that a romantic tension between the principal characters can only be experienced once in the whole story.

In chapter two Katharine Anne Porter's short st

Here, even though it's a funny situation, one can sense a real thing between Mr Alban and the women. The real feeling is there, if only momentarily.

The most erotic feelings are found in Rope, which in places has very erotic scenes. In this story the characters go from love and tenderness through even physical violence back to erotic and finally tender tension between man and wife. However, the truth is that the tension is relaxed after many accusations and the hostile feelings don't disappear, they are only set to the background.

Some topics in this essay:
Rossiter Alban, Death Death, Table Spread, Mars Mercury, Miss Cuffe, Anne Porter's, Elizabeth Bowen, Alice Munro, Despite Alban's, Alban Viennese, short stories, table spread, miss cuffe, various kinds, physical violence, erotic tension, mentioned name, women short stories, kinds tensions, spread elizabeth, violence sometimes, table spread elizabeth, various kinds tensions, spread elizabeth bowen,