Comparing Story Of An Hour And Desiree's Baby, By Kate Chopin

Through history, we have always yearned independence and equality as human beings. Undoubtedly, Kate Chopin is an extraordinary example She has landed a commendable place among American writers worthy of recognition. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850, Kate was raised by strong women who taught her the value of an education. Her family gave her a revolutionary vision and a feminist personality, but it was her talented and passionate skills in writing who gave her an individual voice. During her personal life, Mrs. Chopin built a family of her own, but “[she] became a widow at age thirty-two, with the responsibility of raising six children. She never remarried” (Koloski). Ten years after her husband’s death, Kate wrote a short story named “Desiree’s Baby.” A few years passed, and Chopin’s short story was finally published in Vogue among others. Its strong message about controversial issues such as racism and discrimination of females earned her acclamatory fame and acknowledgment. By the time of her death, Kate Chopin had already written about a hundred short stories and two novels. At the age of fifty-four, she passed away in her native St. Louis leaving her legacy to be studied and awarded for the rest of the world (Koloski). Until this day, “Desiree’s Baby” is one of the most distinguishable works of her career.

This essay will focus on the short story by Kate Chopin and its use of symbols, setting and characters. Desiree’s baby was perhaps one of the best stories I’ve ever read. Analyzing it was not easy at all. Its use of symbols was very hard to comprehend. At first, it doesn’t make sense. But as you think critically, all the symbols, and setting and the characters in this literature plunge together in one amazing story.

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is very intriguing, not only because of the emotional change Louise Mallard goes through the hour after her husband’s tragic death but also the way Chopin uses irony in the story. During this analysis of “The Story of an Hour” we will discuss the summary, plot, setting, tone, theme, point of view, emotions of Louise Mallard and other characters involved in the story. Chopin’s story uses the feelings of a married woman in the late 1890’s and feminine identities, to help the reader better understand married life of a woman during that period in time. In the story, Louise Mallard is a young woman with a heart condition who recently is informed of her husband’s

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a short story of a married woman reacting to the news of her husband’s death occurred in a train accident. During the late nineteenth century, women were to be dependent on their husbands as they did not have any power to express their emotions in the society. Women were meant to do all the household chores and take care of the family while the husband went to work. In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin skillfully uses the character, Mrs. Mallard, and symbols, such as closed door versus open window and heart trouble to give a better understanding of the theme of the joy of independence in the story.

“Desiree’s Baby” is a well-known short story by Kate Chopin. The story is about a young girl named Desiree, whose life had been turned around by a man that brought so much joy and love throughout her life. She married Armand and had a beautiful baby boy, and suddenly everything began to change throughout their relationship. Throughout “Desiree’s baby” Kate Chopin uses representation of harmfulness, prejudice, the difference in gender roles and society to carry out her themes. Kate uses many techniques of foreshadowing and irony to carry out the story of describing Desiree and Armand’s Connection. In Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”, the author uses both foreshadowing and irony to demonstrate the harmful effects of racism in Louisiana before the civil war.

Kate Chopin, who is known for writing about feminist problems wrote “The Story of an Hour,” which presents an unusual view of marriage. “The Story of an Hour” shows irony through marriage between Mrs. Mallard (the main character) and her husband (Brently Mallard), but also through death and the newly given life after one’s death. Chopin’s use of irony throughout the story shows us that marriage might not be all that it seems to be.

Kate Chopin is best known to focus on sensitive women and “accept passion as a legitimate subject for serious, outspoken fiction”. Most of her work makes herself known as one of the well-known feminists because most of her main characters being women. In most of the writing, the main character usually falls hopelessly in love and it ends with a tragedy. In the “The Story of the Hour,” the theme is no different causing most of her writing to go unnoticed due to the fact that her work was “revolting against tradition and authority”. These writings earn her the title of “pioneer in the amoral treatment of sexuality, of divorce, and of woman’s urge for an existential authenticity.”

Not long after grieving, she is now entering this state of joy and happiness, because she is able to do what she wants. Chopin emphasizes this new freedom and independence by adding, “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.” Mrs. Mallard is liberated in the thought of being able to have this power of her right to act and not live by society’s expectations- who most likely expect her to still be grieving over her husband rather rejoices. Kate Chopin again adds that, Mrs. Mallard’s eagerly expresses "Free! Body and soul free!

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” tales a short story of the marital relationship to display and comment on marriage and her attitude towards marital relationships, wives are imprisoned by their husbands and the ring on their fourth finger. Marriage was viewed as being imprisoned, with only one means of escape: death. Chopin begins her story with introducing Louise as Mrs. Mallard, yet her sister is acknowledged as Josephine, which emphasizes Mrs. Mallard’s married identity, she’s no longer her own person but rather her husband’s property. In fact, Mrs. Mallard isn’t recognized as Louise until she released from her recently deceased husband. Wives are viewed as property and enslaved, captured. Men or husbands are they’re own individuals,

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

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is written for the reader to see inside the thought process of a woman learning of her husband’s death. This short story starts with the unfortunate news of a husband’s death and ends with an overjoyed dead widow. It is clear this story has an undertone of feminism due to the reaction of Mrs. Mallard upon hearing of her husband’s death. Naturally, this news leaves a wife devastated, but Mrs. Mallard is pleased to hear of the tragedy. The reader can easily mistake the wife’s tears of joy for tears of sorrow in the beginning of the story. However, Chopin leaves many hints along the way for the reader to interpret as he/she reads.

In the short story, A Story of An Hour, by Kate Chopin we see classic examples of women's oppression throughout the plot. In the story is about a young woman named Mrs.Mallard, we read about her receiving the news of the death of her beloved husband. Readers can tell in the beginning that Mrs. Maillard reaction to the news was cold and unloving but not in a mourning way. The truth behind her reection was that she was a victim of oppression.We can clearly see that the story takes place in a different time.In the past when womens rights werent many. People nowadays think that women are considered equal in today's society but that isn't always the case. Lookings at women's oppression in the past,women's oppression today,and what can be improved can give us a clear image of what the problem is.

The freedoms of both women did not come easy, but they did at least come. Both stories are assumed to be tragedies, because the means by which these women escape are not the most pleasant. Chopin did not intend for this to be true though.  Mrs. Mallard’s death should be celebrated, because it is understood that if her husband lives, she cannot.  Mrs. Mallard’s death is her way of finally becoming alive and free.  Although choosing to die, she ascends to a much happier place than earth.  The very last sentence of the story says that Mrs. Mallard died “of joy that kills” (Chopin 161). The phrase is a play on words, because Mrs. Mallard really died in despair. While Mrs. Mallard did not die of joy, she is finally be truly happy now. Désirée’s escape differs from Mrs. Mallard’s. Désirée might not know where she will end up, but she leaves her husband’s overbearing ways of life.  It is not known if Désirée lives or dies, but it can be assumed that she reaches a better place either way.

One of the greatest concerns of critics who have analyzed “The Story of the Hour” has been whether or not Mrs. Mallard was oppressed in her marriage or if she was depressed due to the lack of time she and her husband spent together. Time plays a crucial role in the story, from the time they have spent together, to the period of the story, and to the short time in which the story takes place. “The Story of the Hour,” is a story written by feminist author, Kate Chopin in 1894 that deals with marital instability from a woman’s perspective. Chopin, whose husband died when she was in her early thirties, wrote stories about healthy women during a time of female sexual liberation. She wrote stories about women who wished for freedom or who were trapped in an unbalanced marriage and longed for more.

Kate Chopin is one of the most controversial writers of her time. She focuses her writings so that the women are seen as the protagonists and also gives the audience samples of the women's roles in society as well as in marriage. In Chopin’s short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “Désirée’s Baby”, the focus narrows in on the women's perspective of the marriage. Chopin portrays a different view on marriage in both “The Story of an Hour” and “Désirée’s Baby” by showing the audience the contrasting attitudes, morals, and meaning behind the daunting outcomes of the two main characters.