Consequences of Mental Abuse There are many derivatives of abuse. Most readers would consider abuse to be physical, but some of the most damaging abuse is emotional. Emotional abuse can cause women to rebel against their own sanity and explode with irrational behavior. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Louise Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death results from the emotional lapse between Louise and her husband. Minnie Wright in “A …showed first 75 words of 920 total…

…showed last 75 words of 920 total…how mental abuse can cause such affliction that murder seems justifiable. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” reveals how the power of hurting the spirit so badly can cause a person to create her own reality. All three heroines eventually react to the mental abuse, and consequences are severe. The mental abuse present in these fictions allows for a deeper insight into the damage that may occur. They are timeless reminders of injustices long ago.