Female Characters Overthrowing Gender Roles

The short piece by Kate Chopin, ‘The Story of an Hour’, is about a sickly wife who finds out the news of her husband’s death, which seem to make her happy that she is liberated from the husband’s controlling ways, even though she is supposed to be really sad and in grief. The story is about a protagonist, who undergoes certain changes throughout the story’s continuity. The irony of the story is how the author ends the book. We expect that since the woman, Mrs. Mallard is supposed to be happy all through, the twist with which the book ends with is that of her dying. Her happiness killed her.

    One of the most prominent goals of feminism was to disassemble the patriarchy. During that time period society was primarily controlled by males and as a result of this women were often very oppressed. Chopin showcased these oppressive tendencies within “ The Story of an Hour”. When a woman learns of her husband's demise she is overcome with grief and also with joy.

Kate Chopin is known for being criticized for empowering the subject of female sexuality and independence. In Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, it is placed in a time where men were known as being the head of the household while women were only in charge of raising the children and caring for the home. In the 1890s, women didn’t have so much power to themselves compared to today’s society where female empowerment is frequently encouraged. Chopin’s story narrates a sequence of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions that goes within the motion of the story. As she overcomes the sudden death of her husband, her emotion of grief soon turns into the sudden feeling of freedom, later on emerging into a strong independent woman.

The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin is the tragic story of a woman whose newfound position as a widow gives her strength. She develops a sense of freedom as she embraces her husband's death as an opportunity to establish her own identity. The tragedy is when her newfound identity gets stripped away as the appearance of her husband reveals that he is still alive. The disappointment from this tragedy kills her with a heart attack symbolizing the many conflicts that she faced throughout the story. The conflicts the character faces within herself and society show that the social norms for women were suppressing to their strength and individuality as human beings.

In order to better understand how society's expectations of women are incorporated in “The Storm,” it is important to understand author Kate Chopin's protest. Chopin's writings gave the “potential to unhinge patriarchal discourse” (Cutter) by giving women a voice. Her earlier works focused on passive women who were unheard and oppressed in a patriarchal society. Her later works show contrast by “moving towards a clearer understanding of how women most effectively can resist patriarchal suppression” (Cutter). As Chopin's career progressed, she gave

As a forerunner of the modern feminist movement, Kate Chopin explored bold new characterizations of her female subjects. Chopin is famous for her progressive depiction of the female characters in her stories. Two such stories, 'The Storm' and 'The Story of an Hour,' examine and refute the long held ideal of the subservient wife. 'The Storm,' written in 1898 but not published until later because of its provocative content, describes the passionate extramarital affair between Calixta and Alcee, a former lover. 'The Story of an Hour' follows Louise Mallard as she deals with the death of her husband. Chopin uses the extraordinary events in the characters' lives to

The 1800s served as a turning point for the role of women in society. Nearing the end of the century, the idea that women should not work outside the home began to be challenged, and women started to hold jobs of their own (Fischer et al., 2000). Great opportunity was given to unmarried women, as they gained independence in living apart from their families (Fischer et al., 2000). Women began to fight for their independence, opposing the idea of only being known as a housewife. Kate Chopin was among the individuals who challenged what the role of women in society was during the late 1800s. Chopin shares her perspective in her two short stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm.” In “The Story of an Hour,” the main

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is a brilliant short story of irony and emotion. The story demonstrates conflicts that take us through the character’s emotions as she finds out about the death of her husband. Without the well written series of conflicts and events this story, the reader would not understand the depth of Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflict and the resolution at the end of the story. The conflict allows us to follow the emotions and unfold the irony of the situation in “The Story of an Hour.”

In "The story of an Hour," Kate Chopin reveals the complex character, Mrs. Mallard, In a most unusual manner. THe reader is led to believe that her husband has been killed in a railway accident. The other characters in the story are worried about how to break the news to her; they know whe suffers from a heart condition, and they fear for her health. On the surface, the story appears to be about how Mrs. Mallard deals with the news of the death of her husband. On a deeper level, however, the story is about the feeling of intense joy that Mrs. Mallard experiences when she realizes that she is free from the influences of her husband and the consequences of

Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour" presents a young married woman named Mrs. Louise Mallard, who has a "heart trouble"(26). Suddenly, Mrs. Mallard receives a news that her husband, Brently Mallard has died in a train accident. She weeps and ascends to her room. Within a short period of time, she is able to fully come to terms with her husband's sudden death. Instead of mourning over his death, she feels joy and excitement. She can now act as herself and has the freedom she is longing for. Ironically, her husband comes home alive and she dies of the realization that her freedom and identity will be taken away again. The imageries that Chopin uses help the readers imagine Mrs. Mallard's excitement and the new life waiting for her.

Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Storm” was written in 1898, but because of the sexual nature of the story it never appeared in print during Chopin’s lifetime. The Storm was first published in The Complete Works of Kate Chopin in 1969 (Lombardi). Chopin’s writings were well ahead of her time, and many attribute this to feminist leanings. No matter the root of what caused her writing, Chopin was a strong woman who wrote about strong women. During the late 1800’s societal norms were for the husband to be the head of the family, and as such he was in control of his wife.

Feminist American author, Kate Chopin, is known for her stories with strong and daring female lead stories. Her common themes display women, femininity, marriage, liberation, oppression, and perseverance. The Louisiana based novelist famous works started the feminist movement. Chopin’s stories The Story of an Hour and The Storm have many similarities and differences as do the majority of her work. The main characters, Calixta and Mrs. Mallard, both portray an odd attitude towards marriage.

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

The daring and bold Kate Chopin, an American writer from the 1890’s, wrote many popular stories that focused on issues of her time that were extremely sensitive to address. Her well known stories, “The Storm”, “The Story of an Hour”, and “Desiree’s Baby”, all work together to allow her audience to grasp a deeper understanding of her time, and the place of women in society by telling captivating stories that use symbolism to convey a powerful message. Although the stories were written during different times of Chopin’s life, the dominant theme of gender roles and the repression of women remains the same through out each story. In “Making Sense of “Race” in the History Classroom: A Literary Approach”, authors Barbara Cruz and James Duplass states that Chopin, “…Addressed issues of importance and consequence for women, often questioning and challenging the norms of today” (Cruz 430). In all three stories, the stereotypical role of wife and mother is addressed and challenged while portraying the woman as the scapegoat.

The unique style of Kate Chopin’s writing has influenced and paved the way for many female authors. Although not verbally, Kate Chopin aired political and social issues affecting women and challenging the validity of such restrictions through fiction. Kate Chopin, a feminist in her time, prevailed against the notion that a woman’s purpose was to only be a housewife and nothing more. Kate Chopin fortified the importance of women empowerment, self-expression, self-assertion, and female sexuality through creativity in her literary work.