In Editha's stories, The Story of an Hour and The Yellow Wallpaper, the realistic writing technique is demonstrated by the omission of fixed, idealistic endings stories that are not realistic. . Authors incorporate their characters' lack of freedom and tragic endings into these stories, leading readers to experience a realistic conclusion rather than an idealistic one. Editha, written by William Dean Howells, is a short story about the naive opinions of a young woman. about war and heroic love. Editha foolishly wants her fiancé George to prove his love for her and believes that going to war would be “the completion of her ideal” (p 372). She considers love as an act that must be established by a heroic act, as the author states: "if he could do something worth having conquered her - be a hero, her hero - it would still be better than if he had done it before. asking him; it would be more grandiose” (p 372). George's view of the war is very different from Editha's; he knows that war causes a lot of pain and suffering since his own father lost his arm during the civil war. When Editha cleverly persuades George to enlist, he loses his freedom, declaring, "I know you always have the highest idea." When I disagree with you, I have to doubt myself” (p. 373). At this point, George gave up his freedom to follow his own beliefs. He further states: “There is a kind of fascination in it. I suppose that deep down in his heart every man would sometimes like to have his courage tested; to see how he would act” (p 373). As the story unfolds, George goes to war only to meet his untimely death during his first skirmish. The ending of this tale is a realistic ending rather than an idealistic one. The ideal ending would have been one in which Georg...... middle of paper ......operation as she finds comfort in the yellow wallpaper. The story ends with a completely crazy narrator. Her husband unlocks the bedroom door to find her crawling in a room full of torn yellow wallpaper and he passes out. The ending of this tale is also a realistic ending as opposed to an idealistic ending. The ideal ending would have been if John had been wise enough to seek help for his wife instead of ignoring her condition due to the fact that he could not recognize her inability to help her. In conclusion, these stories show the lack of freedom of three characters. human nature forces us to think that everyone has the right to impose their ideals on others. The tragic endings of these stories demonstrate the realistic endings of this period. One can only assume that the endings of these stories would be more idealistic in our contemporary times..