The Storm And The Story Of An Hour Comparison Essay

     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”.

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.

Angelyn Mitchell interprets Chopin’s work “The Story of an Hour” as a feminist piece of work. She believes that Chopin wants to prove the double conscience of females, which is when women connect their inner self with their outside and gain freedom. “In ‘The Story of an Hour,’ the quest for freedom is complicated by three important factors: biological determination, patriarchal social conditioning, and the patriarchal institution of marriage.” Mitchell uses Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition to show biological determination. “Richards, a friend of her husband, rushes to relate the sad news of his death before someone ‘less careful, less tender’ can do so.” Patriarchal social conditioning is shown by showing that Mrs. Mallard does not act as a woman

Kate Chopin implies in the selection, "The Storm" that the setting and the plot reinforces each character's action, but only two characters exemplify the title itself, Calixta and Alcee. The storm becomes the central element of Alcee's unrequited love for Calixta and ultimately the instrument of their forbidden love to each other. Hurston concurs in the "The Storm" that a forbidden relationship can become a cancerous love and silent death sentence.

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

At the headquarters of the Louisiana National Guard, located in the lower 9th ward, the soldiers were not yet aware that the canal levees were giving way. The Guard’s commander

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

Moreover, "The Story of an Hour", shows that Louise felt her husband's domination through the "powerful will bending her" (14), later she is in "this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being." (15). This last statement indicates this newborn contention in Louise, made only possible by Mr. Mallard's death. In Mr. Mallard's death, Louise finds herself being able to assert herself in unimaginable ways; Mrs. Mallard is no longer limited to the confines of her marriage. Ultimately, all of this new brazenness and freedom is dependent

The definition of feminism is the “advocacy of women 's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, was written in 1890 during the height of the women 's suffrage movement, and essentially the public felt that the author “went too far” due to “the sensuality” of the protagonist (Toth 1). The “male gatekeepers” that scrutinized her work saw her piece as a statement that “the husband is a drag”, and that traditional American values should be forgotten (Toth 1). In truth, Chopin did not think that American values, such as motherhood and marriage, were something to be forgotten. She stated outright that “woman’s truest duties are those of wife and mother, but those duties do not demand that she shall sacrifice her individuality” (Toth 3). However, Chopin’s own literary creation, Edna Pontellier, is completely opposed to the thought of a woman belonging to anyone. The unhappy woman states outright in the novel that she is “no longer one of [her husband 's] possessions to dispose of or not” (Chopin 102). She believes her entire identity should be outside the influence of others. This makes her “for the most part … alone” (Ringe 5). The feminist themes and pessimistic tones of The Awakening reveal a parallel between the protagonist and the author due to different factors that influenced both of their developments.

“Story of an Hour” and “The Storm” are both written by Kate Chopin. Both of these stories display the desires of two women, who live in the 19th Century, for independence and happiness. Women were considered to be the weaker of the two sexes, therefore, they are better suited for domestic duties. Society assumed that women longed to marry because it granted them the opportunity to become mothers rather than to pursue sexual or emotiuonal satisfaction.

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.

In ‘The story of an hour’, it is set in a house in the 1890s, a time when women had little to no rights. Louise was the typical housewife married to the working man. She was to keep the house in order and have dinner ready when the man got home. This confinement and role Louise had to play gives her “heart trouble”. At first when Mr. Mallard is reported dead, Louise weeps suddenly then goes to her room. She spends the next several minutes looking at how free she is now that her husband is gone. The setting of the story affects the context greatly. If it had taken place in the 21st century, Louise might not

A woman's happiness and success during this era is often dependant on the male or husband of the marriage. During this era, Chopin displays to us in both her short stories "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour" of how reliant women are in their relationship and lives. Women during this era were heavily looked down upon. They were looked so down upon that even the women themselves would look down on themselves resulting in more reliant on the men for their success in life. The women during this time era would be so reliant on men they would do much for the men despite whether they had loved him or not. Chopin many times wrote her short stories with women in marriage with men just for the benefits of living and success rather than love; a “vignettte exploring female desires that cannot be fulfilled in marriage, a common theme for Chopin.” (Brantley 1). During the 19th century, both men and women weren't seen as equal at all. Another push to being reliant on men is government rules and policies of men being the more stronger party of the marriage, relationship, or family. Men were seen as the “better” sex so then women were more reliant. Women had to depend on men to supply them in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Kate Chopin displays this highly in her two short stories as the two women seem really reliant on their male counterpart. The two women shows signs of weakness while their male counterpart were away.

The Story of an Hour and The Storm have many differences but also many similarities about them. In this paper I will be discussing why these stories are so different. I will also be discussing why they are also similar to each other. Both stories have many different topics that I will discuss.

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.