Many intriguing characters in literature are devised from the apprehension women have encountered with men in the institution of marriage. Although portrayed differently, marriage is perceived as a constraint to the protagonists. This has been presented very well in “The Way Up To Heaven” penned by Roald Dahl who blatantly critiques the accepted societal roles of women in the mid-twentieth century and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin who highlights a woman’s plight in the 19th century. This is not only painted through the events of the stories, but also through the way each protagonist evolves into a dynamic character. The two main characters in these stories show many similarities, but they are also remarkably different in the ways they deal with their problem to gain independence.
One vague yet important point that can be noted in the opening paragraphs is that both women are portrayed as frail. The main character in ‘The Way Up To Heaven’ is a housewife, Mrs. Foster who has “an almost pathological fear of missing a train, a plane, a boat, or even a theatre curtain.” (p.1). Dahl sets up the story by introducing Mrs. Foster and her nervous disposition and then begins the next paragraph by saying, “It is really extraordinary how in certain people a simple apprehension about a thing like catching a train can grow into a serious obsession.” (p. 1). Comparatively, in ‘The Story of an Hour’, Kate Chopin reveals a complex character that changes from “a woman afflicted with heart trouble” (p. 1) to ‘a goddess of Victory” (p. 3). The opening sentence of the story foreshadows the ending by hinting that Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition will affect the plot of the story. As the stories unfold, I discovered that Mrs. Foster’s “fear of being late” (p. 1) and Mrs. Mallard’s “heart trouble” (p. 1) may have resulted from their reaction to their inferior status in a male-chauvinistic culture.
As the protagonist of the story, Mrs. Foster is mentioned many times. However, Dahl never mentions her first name in the story; he always refers to her as Mrs. Foster. In contrast, he does mention her husband’s full name as “Mr. Eugene Foster” (p. 1). By only allowing us to view the protagonist as Mrs. Foster, Dahl illustrates that the societal status of women were seen only through their husbands. Women had no role of their own. The seemingly small decision on Dahl’s part to exclude Mrs.
On the surface, the protagonists of Silko's "Yellow Woman" and Chopin's "Story of an Hour" seem to have little in common. Yet upon closer inspection, both stories relate tales of women who are repressed by the social tenets that define their roles as wives.
Women have traditionally been known as the less dominant sex. Through history women have fought for equal rights and freedom. They have been stereotyped as being housewives, and bearers and nurturers of the children. Only recently with the push of the Equal Rights Amendment have women had a strong hold on the workplace alongside men. Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men. This tension is derived from men; society, in general; and within a woman herself. Two interesting short stories, “The Yellow Wall-paper and “The Story of an Hour, “ focus on a woman’s plight near the turn of the 19th century. This era is especially interesting because it is a time in modern society when women were still treated as second class citizens. The two main characters in these stories show similarities, but they are also remarkably different in the ways they deal with their problems and life in general. These two characters will be examined to note the commonalities and differences. Although the two characters are similar in some ways, it will be shown that the woman in the “The Story of an Hour” is a stronger character based on the two important criteria of rationality and freedom.
Marriage is an important theme in the stories Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. When someone hears the word “marriage”, he thinks of love and protection, but Hurston and Chopin see that differently. According to them, women are trapped in their marriage and they don’t know how to get out of it, so they use language devices to prove their points. Chopin uses personification to show Mrs. Mallard's attitudes towards her husband's death. Louise is mournful in her room alone and she is giving a description of the nature as a scene of her enjoying “the new spring life” and “the delicious breath of rain was in the air” (Chopin1).
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of the Hour” and Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” are viewed from a woman’s perspective in the nineteenth century. They show the issues on how they are confined to the house. That they are to be stay at home wives and let the husband earn the household income. These stories are both written by American women and how their marriage was brought about. Their husbands were very controlling and treated them more like children instead of their wives. In the nineteenth century their behavior was considered normal at the time. In “The Story of the Hour” and “The Yellow Wallpaper,” both women explore their issues on wanting to be free from the control of their husband’s.
In “Hills Like White Elephants” and “The Story of an Hour”, the woman in each story imprisons in the domestic sphere. In “Hills Like White Elephants”, the woman in this story conflicts between keeping the baby or getting abortion although the relationship with her boyfriend would not improve as he said. In “The Story of an Hour”, even though Louise Mallard, an intelligent, independent woman understands that she should grieve for Brently, her husband and worry for her future, she cannot help herself from rejoice at her newfound freedom. The author of this story, Kate Chopin suggests that even with a happy marriage, the loss of freedom and the restraint are the results that cannot be avoid.
How does one compare the life of women to men in late nineteenth century to mid-twentieth century America? In this time the rights of women were progressing in the United States and there were two important authors, Kate Chopin and John Steinbeck. These authors may have shown the readers a glimpse of the inner sentiments of women in that time. They both wrote a fictitious story about women’s restraints by a masculine driven society that may have some realism to what women’s inequities may have been. The trials of the protagonists in both narratives are distinctive in many ways, only similar when it totals the macho goaded culture of that time. Even so, In Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing we hold two unlike fictional characters in two very different short stories similar to Elisa Allen in the “Chrysanthemums” and Mrs. Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour”, that have unusual struggles that came from the same sort of antagonist.
In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived. The shock of seeing him alive is too much for her bear and she dies. The meaning of life and death take on opposite meaning for Mrs. Mallard in her marriage because she lacked the courage to stand up for herself.
Historically, women have been treated as second class citizens. The Napoleonic Code stated that women were controlled by their husbands and cannot freely do their own will without the authority of their husband. This paper shows how this is evident in the "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and " A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner. In both stories, the use of literary elements such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and significant meaning of the titles are essential in bringing the reader to an unexpected and ironic conclusion.
Marriage can be seen as a subtle form of oppression, like many things which are dictated by social expectations. In Kate Chopin’s The Story of An Hour, Louise Mallard finds herself in distress due to the event of her husband’s death that makes her question who she is as a person. The author cleverly uses this event to create the right atmosphere for Mrs. Mallard to fight against her own mind. As the short story progresses, we see that Mrs. Mallard moves forward with her new life and finds peace in her decision to live for herself. This shows that marriage too is another chain that holds oneself back. Not wanting to admit this to herself, Louise
In the opening of this short story, “The Story of an Hour”, written by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard is identified as a woman with “heart trouble”. Although it is never specified in the story as being strictly physical, “heart trouble” alludes to the emotional distress Mrs. Mallard is in at the time according to the heavy burden her marriage lays upon her and her freedom. After her husband’s tragic death in a railroad incident, Louise realizes that now without the weight of a husband upon her, she is free to live her life for herself and as is satisfies her. By being circumscribed to a constricting marriage and not possessing the free will to express thoughts of her own, she is lead to a unique conclusion of her current condition. Louise is
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a provocative story that may have kicked-off "modern" feminist literature. Originally written in 1894, the story addresses women’s role in the late 19th century, directing harsh attack against the Victorian ideal of “the Angel of the House” that was mainly dominant at that age and it saw woman as a docile, self-sacrificing, and naive creature that have no sense of individuality. Highlighting such a bold perspective, Chopin’s story reflects the unusual reaction of her protaginist upon learning of her husband’s death. Chopin describes Louise’s emotions as shifting between grief and ecstasy at her newfound freedom. It is through such story that Chopin is able to accantiuate her very outstanding ideology
In her short work “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin alludes to the lack of freedom women had in her lifetime, particularly those who were married. The tale cleverly employs a theme of liberation through the use of metaphors, symbols, and careful language. Chopin herself grew up in a home with and was raised by three independent women who were all widows. In the story, this autonomy projected onto a female whose husband is recently deceased is used to contrast the apparent shackles of married life for a woman in this time. Further, it argues Chopin’s view that no person’s will should be bent to fit another’s desires under any circumstances.
Kate Chopin is able to illuminate her stories with clever language and meaning. As well as an immense criticism as to how society oppresses the individual in the glorified institution of marriage. Through language, she is able to introduce the thought of deeper meanings. “The Story of an Hour” being a prime example of the individual that has a need for freedom for herself. Through symbolism and straightforward comments, the freedom that Mrs. Louisa Mallard is notable just as her marriage is oppressive.
The short story “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin and the poem “The Martyr” by Herman Melville are both pieces of literature written in the 19th century and both provide an insight to American culture of that time. I found both pieces of literature to be a bit dark. The short story by Chopin is cleverly written and has dark humor. The poem by Melville is not humorous at all, but more of a serious dark tone. Both literary pieces can still be enjoyable today but I believe they are reflective of their time periods and this is shown by the subject matter and the language.
“There is no perfect relationship. The idea that there is gets us into so much trouble.”-Maggie Reyes. Kate Chopin reacts to this certain idea that relationships in a marriage during the late 1800’s were a prison for women. Through the main protagonist of her story, Mrs. Mallard, the audience clearly exemplifies with what feelings she had during the process of her husbands assumed death. Chopin demonstrates in “The Story of an Hour” the oppression that women faced in marriage through the understandings of: forbidden joy of independence, the inherent burdens of marriage between men and women and how these two points help the audience to further understand the norms of this time.