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The story of an hour analysis essay
Analyse the story of an hour
Women in 19th century compared to 21 century
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Women in the 1800s and 1900s have been oppressed by the stereotypes of what it is they are supposed to be. They are to marry young and have children with their husband. They are to take care of the young and perform household chores. They are supposed to love their spouse unconditionally. Kate Chopin challenges this view often in her writing. One of her short stories, “The Story of an Hour” sends a message that women should seek individuality as much as men through her use of rhetorical devices. “The Story of an Hour” begins with an introduction of Mrs. Mallard who has heart troubles. It is discovered that her husband has been killed in an accident. When her sister, Josephine, tells her of the news, she weeps with “wild abandonment” rather …show more content…
Mallard comes to the realization herself that life would be more pleasant now that she is a widowed individual. She may now “live for herself” rather than a falsified housewife (Chopin 124). Imagery once again proves helpful in interpreting Chopin’s theme. Just as when she was crying wildly, Mrs. Mallard’s “bosom [rises] and [falls] tumultuously” as she begins to realize the magnitude of her situation (Chopin 124). Societal code tells her that she should not take joy in the death of her husband, but she cannot hold it back any longer. Chopin compares Mrs. Mallard’s lack of command of her own emotions to the absence of control she has over her actions and body by stating that she was “as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been” (Chopin 124). This simile represents the accepted male versus female roles in society: males have authority and power while women must follow their …show more content…
As she begins to accept the fact that her husband has died, she become increasingly elated. She contemplates her love for her husband, but thinks better of it. Chopin writes “What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!” in reference to Mrs. Mallard’s lack of affection for her husband (Chopin 124). This symbol of love helps to further Chopin’s argument because it represents an unsolved mystery. Love is seen as a typical matter for a marriage, but many individuals did not think of the complete picture years down the road where they may lose the affection that was initially there. Additionally, with the loss of adoration may come the rise to gender stereotypes that Chopin tries to dispel in the short story. As the couple grows together, they will fall into the balance that has been set before them as a married couple with the woman being a care taker for the children while the male provides for the family. Mrs. Mallard no longer has love for her husband and has therefore become an independent woman although she did not recognize it until he was
In the short story, “The Story of An Hour”, written by Kate Choppin, a woman with a heart trouble is told her husband had passed away in a railroad disaster. Mrs. Mallard was depressed, then she came to a realization that she was free. Back in the day this story was written, women did not have many rights. They were overruled by their husband. As she became more aware of how many doors her husband death would open, she had passed away. The doctors had said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills. The irony in the situation was that as she was dying, her husband walked through the door, alive.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” tries to shed light on the conflict between women and a society that assigns gender roles using a patriarchal approach. Specifically, Margaret Bauer highlights, that most of Chopin’s works revolve around exploring the “dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women” (146). Similarly, in “The Story of an Hour” Chopin depicts a society that oppresses women mostly through the institution of marriage, as women are expected to remain submissive regardless of whether they derive any happiness. The question of divorce is not welcome, and it is tragic that freedom for women can only be realized through death. According to Bauer, the society depicted in Chopin’s story judged women harshly as it expected women to play their domestic roles without question, while on the other hand men were free to follow their dreams and impose their will on their wives (149).
A Woman Far Ahead of Her Time, by Ann Bail Howard, discusses the nature of the female characters in Kate Chopin’s novel’s and short stories. Howard suggests that the women in Chopin’s stories are longing for independence and feel torn between the feminine duties of a married woman and the freedom associated with self-reliance. Howard’s view is correct to a point, but Chopin’s female characters can be viewed as more radically feminist than Howard realizes. Rather than simply being torn between independent and dependant versions of her personality, “The Story of an Hour’s” Mrs. Mallard actually rejoices in her newfound freedom, and, in the culmination of the story, the position of the woman has actually been elevated above that of the man, suggesting a much more radically feminist reading than Howard cares to persue.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, it talks about marriage and a woman’s life in the 1800’s. This story illustrates the stifling nature of a woman’s role during this time through Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death. When Mrs. Mallard obtains news that her husband is dead, she is hurt after a brief moment and then she is delighted with the thought of freedom. This story shows how life was in the mid 1800’s and how women were treated around that time.
Chopin shows that some social pressures and responsibilities can in fact hold one back from their own potential as was Mrs. Mallard. Marriage was introduced as one of these social expectations, and Mrs. Mallard’s internal conflict shows the reader that sometimes it is hard to question these normalities. By creating such an internal visual of Mrs. Mallard, Chopin provides a tale of the true importance of seeing past socialistic deception, and choosing to find happiness beyond
In “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard is delighted when she is presented with a chance to take back her lost sense of identity after she receives news of her husband's death. Mrs. Mallard suffers from heart problems; therefore, her sister tries to break the terrible news in a gentle way. After taking in the news of her husband’s death, she slowly awakens to a reality that she would live for herself. There would
Life for a female in the nineteenth century was one of repression of individuality. Once married a woman became legally bound to her husband in a circumstance much like property. Kate Chopin experienced how it felt to be restricted strictly based on her gender. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin encapsulates a theme of confinement, freedom, and powerlessness. Kate depicts the confinement of the late nineteenth century.
Chopin reflects her rejection of the “postures of femininity” through her character’s descriptions. She describes her as “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression.” Describing her as young and calm are what men looked for in a wife in the 19th century. They wanted a submissive woman to tend to their needs as Chopin’s description suggests. Furthermore, Chopin says of her character Mrs. Mallard, “she would live for herself.” Her character believes she will now be free of her marriage, and won’t be “repressed” as aforementioned any longer by her husband. Wives had a natural servitude towards their husbands as husbands worked and went about their lives. All in all, Chopin displays her character as having a joyous moment after the death of her husband because she is let go of being forced into her “femininity.”
Chopin, the author of “The Story of an Hour”, uses many objects to embodies the recurring idea of a woman desires of freedom; portrays by Mrs. Mallard’s. Mrs. Mallard is a dutiful, typical housewife; like any other women in her years, she longs for some freedom in her life. At first, the thought of her husband’s death appalled her. However, did not take Mrs. Mallard very long to realize that her life without Mr. Mallard is an advantage for her. Mrs. Mallard immediately isolates herself in her room, when she discovers Mr. Mallard’s death.
Carefully adopting this thinking, the reader can assume that her marriage is overbearing, equivalent or less to taking care of a child. The reader can also assume that less intimacy may be a red flag in the Mallard’s crumbling marriage. Although Chopin does not mention the husband’s needs, Mr. Mallard probably feels less masculine not having a child to protect and care for other than his wife who involuntarily may have upset her husband, deepening their relationship into a shallow
... This woman suffers a tremendous amount from the commitment of her marriage, and the death of her husband does not affect her for long. A marriage such as this seems so unbelievable, yet a reader can see the realistic elements incorporated into the story. This begs the question of how undesirable marriage was during Chopin’s life. The unhappiness felt by Mrs. Mallard seems to be very extreme, but Chopin creates a beautiful story that reflects upon the idea of marriage as an undesired relationship and bond to some women in the nineteenth century.
“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.
Written by Kate Chopin, the short story “The Story of an Hour” follows Louise Mallard, a woman from the nineteenth century who has just received the news that her husband, Brently Mallard, has passed away in a horrific train accident. Immediately Mrs. Mallard is overcome with grief and sorrow, but her mood quickly shifts when she realizes the independence and free-will she will now have. At the climax of her elation for the future, her husband walks through the door. Mrs. Mallard, shocked and speechless, dies of a heart attack. In the short story, "The Story of an Hour," author Kate Chopin utilizes symbolism, diction, and irony to emphasize the effects of Mrs. Mallard's newfound sense of freedom, and how that ultimately results in her death.
In Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" the author portrays patriarchal oppression in the institution of marriage by telling the story of one fateful hour in the life of a married woman. Analyzing the work through feminist criticism, one can see the implications of masculine discourse.
Kate Chopin, author of “The Story of an Hour” written in 1894 was the first author who emphasized strongly on femininity in her work. In the short story, Chopin writes about freedom and confinement Chopin is an atypical author who confronts feminist matter years before it was assumed. The time period that she wrote in women were advertised as a man’s property. The main idea in the short story is to illustrate that marriage confines women. In “The Story of an Hour” the author creates an intricate argument about freedom and confinement Mrs. Louise Mallard longing for freedom, but has been confined for so long freedom seems terrible. Mrs. Mallard wife of Brently Mallard instantly feels free when her husband dies. The reason she feels this way