Wives in Silko's Yellow Woman and Chopin's The Story of an Hour

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The Roles of Wives in Silko's Yellow Woman and Chopin's The Story of an Hour

The predominant feminist theme that stood out for me in the story 'Yellow woman' by Leslie Marmon Silko and 'The story of an hour' by Kate Chopin relates to the protagonists' expectations of fulfilling thier roles as wives. The two women struggle with what they should think, what is appropriate for them to feel in their circumstances and the obvious restrictions on their freedom.

In 'Yellow woman', the protagonist struggles with her feelings for Silva and the nagging thoughts of her husband and her baby at home. She thinks a lot about how her family willfret because she has been away for so long. She appears to want to remain with Silva yet worries about how evasive he is in connection with who he really is. In the end, she returns home to see her husband Al playing with the baby and decides to fabricate a story on being kidnapped.

Mrs. Mallard in 'The story of an hour', is a woman that has had to live her life composed and in control as the wife of her husband, Brently Mallard. Chopin details Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the news of her husband's death with convolted emotions that were considered appropraite and yet horrifying to the reader. At the end of the story, her death came as no surprise.

In a world where the vast majority of cultures are patriarchal, in response to traditional structures, women often find themselves at war in their minds, hearts and in their own actions. 'Yellow woman' and 'The story of an hour' are examples of how women struggle in a male domintaed society. In these two stories, the women fnd themselves wrestling with thoughts and emotions that our society consider unacceptable. The following statements ,ay be asked and considered of these women:

Why would a married woman go out, spend the night with a man whom she barely knows, when she has a wonderful, devoted husband and child? Mrs. Mallard's cry of ultimate relief and the joy she felt when she learned of her husband's deathis intolerable.

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