Patriarchal Society and the Feminine Self in Kate Chopin's Story of an Hour

“The Story of an Hour” was written in a time period when women had no rights in the male-dominated

Mrs. Mallard in the story “The Story of an Hour” is about a woman who had a good life until the unfortunate event of her husbands death, now she has decided she will change her life and be a successful independent woman. She is now left to deal with the grief and support herself along with her six other children. Her internal conflict is her desire to be independent role for women's feelings of being oppresses through her marriage versus her desire for freedom. The external conflict was the restrictions society placed on women, and the desire for more roles on females during this period of time.

     Relationships seem to be the favorite subject of Kate Chopin’s stories. As Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin is concerned with exploring the “dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women” (Bauer 146). In “The Story of an Hour” Chopin deals with the subject of marriage. She illustrates the influence of family alliance on individual freedom. According to Wohlpart,“The Story of an Hour” describes the journey of Mrs. Mallard against the Cult of True Womanhood as she slowly becomes aware of her own desires and thus of a feminine self that has long been suppressed”(Wohlpart 2). The Cult of True Womanhood in the XIX century included “purity” and “domesticity”. The former suggested that women must maintain their virtue. The latter – denied them their intellectual and professional capabilities (Papke 12). Being the victim of this Cult, Louise Mallard was a good example of a wife without “her own desires and feminine self”.

Margarita Engle, a poet, and novelist, once said, “Marriage without love is just one more twisted form of slavery.” In the eighteenth century, marriage was the exit door of many women from their homes whether they believed in love and filled their hearts with hope, or had no choice, and they were sold to men as if they were cattle. In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin shows complex issues such as marriage, independence, symbols, and ironies. After hearing the news that Brently Mallard was dead in a railroad accident, Richards, Mr. Mallard’s friend, went to the house to be next to Mrs. Mallard and to help her at this difficult moment. Contrary to what everyone was worried about, Mrs. Mallard knew that she would lament her husband’s death, but she was full of hope, dreaming of her freedom, appreciating life beyond the window, and a new beginning. Unfortunately, Mrs. Mallard’s dreams faded when she went downstairs and her husband arrived alive, and she could not stand it and died. Focusing on The Story of an Hour, there are three main points related to women in the early eighteenth century, such as oppressive marriages, women’s new perspective and ways of liberation, and women’s submission and obedience that demonstrates how women survived, even though they were not heard.

“ The Story Of An Hour” portrayed woman as often weak, useless, and honestly does not have a say in the marriage. Louise Mallard took her husband’s “death” as a chance to be free, independent and her own woman, she would no longer have a man controlling her, and a man would not bring her down. She said over and over under her breathe “free, free, free”. There would be no one to put a burden on her. The thought of freedom, independence, and being her own woman, made Lousie Mallard happy

The narrator’s husband belittles her every chance he gets. He calls her little girl and talks to her as if she is a small helpless child. He does not allow her to simply be herself . She is viewed as a prisoner in her own bedroom. In “The Story of an Hour” the dominance in keeps Mrs. Mallard from achieving goals and following her life dreams.

Traditionally, women have been known as the less dominant sex. They have been stereotyped as being only housewives and bearers of the children. Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men. This tension is derived from men; society, in general; and within a woman herself. Kate Chopin‘s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, focus on a woman’s dilemma near the turn of the 19th century. Contradicting the “normal” or sad assumption of death, “The Story of an Hour” illustrates the significance of death representing freedom. The Story narrates about an hour of Louise Mallard’s life, as she tries to understand, and deal with her feelings of her husbands death.

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” focuses on a woman named Louise Mallard and her reaction to finding out about her husband’s death. The descriptions that the author uses in the story have significance in the plot because they foreshadow the ending.

In the 1900s, women were restricted to home and family duties, living a life with low expectations and no encouragement to pursue an education or careers. Women were also deprived of their individual and social life. The short story published in 1894 “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin demonstrates oppression, which can be defined as “the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. Ms.Mallard (the main character) is overwhelmed by a sense of freedom after finding out of a railroad accident, with her husband being one of the victims. Throughout the plot, the feeling of oppression and repression are subtle, as Louise Mallard has a short glance of independence before her heart gets the best of her.

Women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seemed to be isolated. In the three stories: “The Story of an Hour,” “Hills like White Elephants,” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” there seems to be a theme of a need for freedom. The women in these stories experienced unfavorable things such as disappointment, grief and detachment from reality, peer pressure, and loneliness. No woman or man deserves to go through these things, but it is evident that it remained a sociological norm back in these times.

In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, she criticizes the aspect of motherhood and the expectation of roles that women are supposed to play in order to evince that women are almost only viewed by society as only mothers and wifely figures. Chopin’s critique of this portrayal of women contributes to her purpose of demonstrating that women were unequally represented in society based on what society expects of them to do.

The Story of an Hour is short, yet, contains important examples of gender roles in marriage. They are important because they represent how women felt married in the 19th century due to male dominance that manifested throughout marriages all over the world. In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard is a wife that is, at first, seen as distraught, because of her husband’s death. She starts to cry and run to her room, to soon be lifted with the joy that she is now free. It is clear that she felt trapped in the marriage and is now happy that there is no one controlling her any longer. Mrs. Mallard is a prime example of women in marriages in the 19th century, and even some today. Unfortunately, they have to experience sexism from their husbands. Women are dominated by men in marriage and are expected to acquire the stereotypical gender roles.

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a short yet complex story, describing Mrs Mallard’s feelings. It focuses on the unfolding emotional state of Mrs Mallard after the news of her husbands death, and has overflowing symbolism and imagery. It is an impressive literary piece that touches the readers’ feelings and mind and allows the reader to have a connection to Mrs Mallard’s emotional process. Although the story is short, it is complete with each word carrying deep sense and meaning. It is written in the 19th century, a time that had highly restrictive gender roles that forbade women to live as they saw fit. Mrs Mallard experiences something not everyone during this time has the luck to have; the happiness of freedom that the reader only

The relationship between men and women presented in the short story “The Story of an Hour”, is that men dominated society. A Woman’s freedom was nonexistent. Throughout this short story, women are presented as powerless and dependent while men were considered to be superior. Women were tied down through marriage, such as, having been expected of doing as the man pleased without having any say in the relationship. Through a feminist critical perspective, this short story supports a patriarchal society that is presented though marriage and women’s lack of freedom.

In the story, “Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard is a respectable woman. The story is set in the late eighteen hundreds which gives us a real insight on marriage and relationships. It is implied that Mrs. Mallard's love for her husband has disappeared and she takes the news of his dead rather calmly. Mrs. Mallard cries not because of the tragedy, but because it is expected of her which shows that she is reacting as a way she should. People react the way they are taught. Mrs. Mallard was a devoted wife she certainly learned