Inequality Between Men And Women In The 1800s

Around the time of the 1800s, there were extreme differences between men and women when compared to societal standards. They were held to different standards that we do not see in today’s societal norms. Men were considered the breadwinners while women stayed home to cook and clean. Anything other than this was looked at straying away from the status quo, the norm and or ideals of society as a whole. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour,” illustrates the influence of gender inequality between men and women in 1894 through the marriage of the characters, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.
When compared to the women of 1800’s, Mrs. Mallard embodies the true definition of how a woman felt during that time. There are many reasons to believe that Mrs. Mallard felt as if she was being repressed in her marriage. For instance, after being informed about the train accident that took her husband’s life, Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room only to sit in “a comfortable, roomy armchair” that is “facing the open window” (Chopin 215). It can be inferred that Mrs. Mallard positioned the chair to face the window because she was, technically speaking, on the outside looking in.

As she looked out of the window, she noticed the patches of blue sky seeping past the clouds that were piled on top of each other (Chopin 216).

One can interpret that the sky is used to symbolize Mrs. Mallard’s personality shining through the clouds, which can be seen as Brently’s command over her. She later came to the conclusion that she was “free, free, free!” from the control of Brently Mallard (Chopin, 216). Chopin uses the season, spring, as another way to reaffirm Mrs. Mallard that her husband’s death had more positives than negatives. Louise no longer had to accept her husband’s “powerful will” that bends her own (Chopin, 216). Now that Mr. Mallard is out of her life, she can be her own person and make decisions that please

her.
The reader is informed that Louise Mallard was “afflicted with heart trouble” (Chopin 215). Kate Chopin uses suspense and shock towards the end of the story when Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband did not die and that he was “far from the scene of the accident” (Chopin 217). When Mrs. Mallard realizes that her husband is not dead, she dies of “heart disease -- of the joy that kills” Mrs. Mallard really died because she knew that as long as her husband was alive, she would not have her freedom.
Kate Chopin left me with many questions will probably never be answered. A few of these questions are: Why was Mr. Mallard’s name at the “top of the list” if he was not on the train (Chopin 215)? Also, where was Mr. Mallard if he was not near the scene of the accident? Along with the stream of questions, I was also left with sadness. I felt sorry for Mrs. Mallard because she had her freedom and it was quickly taken away from her.
In today’s society, woman are empowered to be independent. I think this reflects a positive thing on a woman’s self-worth because the less she is dependent on a man the more she is dependent on herself and thus empowers herself to do great things. When girls are taught to be dependent on a man, they are unable to make choices for themselves and would live in a world of constant demands as opposed to the alternative.