Story Of An Hour And The Unexpected

Commonly explored throughout her works, the idea of marriage inhibiting a woman’s freedom is the driving force behind Kate Chopin’s contextual objections to propriety. In particular, The Awakening and “The Story of an Hour” explore the lives of women seeking marital liberation and individuality. Mrs. Chopin, who was raised in a matriarchal household, expresses her opposition to the nineteenth century patriarchal society while using her personal experiences to exemplify her feminist views.

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.

In "The Story of an Hour," Kate Chopin suggests that in certain scenarios, the death of a loved one may be a blessing in disguise. Possible situations may include an abusive relationship, or an unhappy marriage, as the story suggests. Although the circumstances throughout the story might lead the reader to believe that Louise's husband's death would cause her great pain, ironically, when she hears the news, she feels a sense of euphoria. This suggests that death may not always cause agony.

For this story, I will use Mrs. Mallard as the example, and will discuss her challenges and struggles. According to the text, she was “afflicted with a heart trouble," so based on that alone we know that she struggled with delicate health issues. The narrator further described her as, “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.” The ‘lines’ or wrinkles of repression that he speaks of is most likely caused by the stress of suppressing feelings or emotions in her life. Although she described her husband in a positive light, I do not believe she was happy and/or in love with him. My assumption is based on the fact that she demonstrated an incredible sense of relief when she thought he had passed on.

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

An underlying theme of Kate Chopin’s story , “The Story of an Hour,” is repression. Too often we recognize the term but don’t really think of the struggles that come as a result of its presence . What Chopin’s story has given us is a symbolic reflection of such effects. Though serious, the story addresses the common views towards women in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Women had no right to own property, pursue a career of their choice, or vote.

In “The Story of an Hour” we are taken through a journey. The journey is the thoughts and emotions going through Mrs. Mallards (Louise) mind. The journey only takes an hour, so everything moves at a fast pace. Louise seemed to process the news of her husband’s death without an initial element of disbelief and shock. She goes right into the reaction of grieving for her husband. She quickly begins to feel other emotions. At first she does not understand them. The journey is a way that Louise comes to her final thoughts of freedom. She looks into the future and looks forward to living a long life on her own terms.

Before the term “feminist” became popularized, Chopin was already the ideal feminist of her times. Women all around began to finally raise their voices against men, and although the feminist movement did not begin until the 1960’s, Chopin and many other women alongside her were ahead of their time. Critics often criticized Chopin’s stories and referred to them as “morbid” and “disagreeable” but her stories were post humorous

Kate Chopin, a author during this time period, wrote her stories about the oppression of women, and the world views of the era. This is an analysis of Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, and how the theme ties into women having to follow the laws of the time period, women being treated unfairly, and women wanting equality. The first theme is women having to follow the laws associated with them in the era The Story of an Hour was written in.

Kate Chopin is known as one of the greatest feminist authors of her time. She grew up around independent, widowed women: her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. With her father’s death due to a train wreck, and her husband’s death from“swamp fever,” Chopin was left alone to support her six children. According to Nina Baym, the author of Chopin’s biography, influences from strong women in Chopin’s life led to why she wrote about desires, limited aspects of women’s lives, and how women began to challenge the male-dominated culture (550). A lack of men as chief figures in Chopin’s life prevented her from experiencing a tradition of submission by women to men. Additionally, many of Chopin’s works were influenced by realism and feminism.

Kate Chopin, a brilliant author ahead of her time, is known for her honest, frank stories about women. Due to her clashing view with society, some of Chopin’s stories were published after her death for the fear of being grotesque. In Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” the reader is introduced Mrs Mallard and what her role in society she was forced to play. Once again, Chopin questioning the theme of when do women get to be themselves for the sake of being their own individual person? Sadly for Mrs. Mallard, it was less than an hour.

At the end of 19th century, American society presented an ideology of patriarchy. Feminists struggle for the equality and discrimination against female. As feminist movement started, lots of female writers were explored. One of the most famous writers is Kate Chopin. Her works mostly present a theme of women pursue freedom and equality. “The Story Of An Hour” and “The Awakening” are her representative works. In these two works, Kate Chopin reveals how women lived under the oppression of male-dominated society, especially for women who got married. They were not financially independent and their freedom and rights were deprived. Therefore female were forced to be an “angle in the home”. Both challenge the preconception that women can only be a housekeeper and marriage is the only way out.

Authors often have their own literary repertoire, or style, to appeal to the audience in which they are writing to. Kate Chopin is a well-known writer, known for her works that mainly focus around women and their expected roles in society. Chopin’s writings are often based on the effect that the turn of the century had on women, which she best expresses in her two short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “A Pair of Silk Stockings”. In both of the stories previously stated, the author gives the audience just enough background on the main characters, both female, and their trapped everyday life; so that throughout each story, the reader can connect and better understand the author’s purpose. By using literary elements, Kate Chopin does an outstanding job of relating to the audience with the realism of feminism. Kate Chopin uses elements such as setting, tone, and irony in her short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “A Pair of Silk Stockings” to express her ideas concerning societal expectations of women in the 1800’s.

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.

    Kate Chopin is one of the most important authors in American Literature. Her works revolve around strong women that long for freedom. Her stories provide readers with insights on female life in different time periods, and ultimately enlighten the reader from a different perspective. This short story shows readers the difficulty of maintaining stability between family and personal life. Not only does Chopin encourage personal freedom and luxury, she shows readers decisions based only on impulse, which makes the story relatable. Chopin’s application of literary techniques such as imagery, irony, and symbolism help readers interpret the meaning of this story.