The Chrysanthemum Eating Mule

According to Darwin, the key to life is survival of the fittest. In the story "Mule in the Yard" Mrs. Hait displays independence and strength by not letting her stubbornness get the best of her when the mule run uncontrollably through her yard and finally burning here house down. On the other hand, in the story, "The Chrysanthemums", Mrs. Allen demonstrates here desire for independence but she fails to adopt the masculine traits when the she sees her once lively mums drying at the side of the road.

In Faulkner's short story, he shows how Mrs. Hait wants so badly to revenge her husband's death. Mannie Hait was a strong, independent and self-assured woman. She once loved her husband dearly, and still has a burning love for him yet. By not allowing herself lose composure, she devises a plan to prevail the old mule that wickedly burnt her house down. At this point, Mrs. Hait has the same fiery burn to settling the scores with Mr. Snopes. Every time this man comes to Mannie Hait's mind, her blood curdles to get back at that no good for nothing snake. This part of Mannie shows her independence to strive and live without her husband, but also her strong love for him. Her love for him peeks through the most when she runs into the blazing house and grabs his picture for both memory and incentive to outwit Snopes.

Mrs. Hait's love for her husband spreads throughout her appearance as well. To keep him close to her, Mannie wears the hat her ten-year dead husband formerly wore, as well as a pair of men's shoes, not Mr. Hait's, but still not a stylish woman's shoe.

Mrs. Hait is such a strong woman to live without remarrying in the time of her life; 1909, when no woman would think to live without a man, or even taken seriously for not having a male figure to "keep her in line" or "tell her how to live her life appropriately".

In contrast to Mrs. Hait, Mrs. Allen is a quiet house wife, who also loves her husband dearly, but needs him desperately to have anyway feeling of autonomy. Mrs. Allen is interested in the independence of