The Story Of An Hour And The Birthmark

Some people believe that once they marry they are giving up their freedom. In some cases, this is true, especially in the late 19th century. Woman during this period were marrying as young as 15 years old and were marrying men well into their 30s. This caused a lack of communication and love between a married couple and usually resulted in the man having control over the woman. The idea of men having control over women in marriage can be seen in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” In this short story, Louise Mallard learns of her husband’s death due to a fatal train accident. Sad and alone at first, Mrs. Mallard sits in her room contemplating how she will live now that her husband is gone. Soon her emotions are flipped and Mrs. Mallard

The man ruled the home and the marriage. The woman's purpose was to take care of the house and serve the man in all ways. In Chopin's time, getting married was the normal path of men and women as they grew up and made their way in life. It was assumed that everyone wanted to marry, raise a family, and stay together, until death did they part. If this story was written today, death wouldn't be the only acceptable escape from marriage; one would just get a divorce. However, "divorce was quite rare in the 1800s, and if one was to occur, men were automatically given legal control of all property and children"(Hicks). Today, many women still view marriage as the natural outcome of their futures; the difference is that, at least in America, you can marry for love. In Kate Chopin's lifetime, many marriages were still arranged. Which could have been why Mrs. Mallard felt so tied down, it may not have been her choice and this is why freedom is so desirable to her in the

“But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin 157). She feels free from the obligations to her husband that was forced upon her during the Victorian era and she is looking forward to the years of independent freedom that are yet to come. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature” (157). Mrs. Mallard did not want to submit to the oppressor, who in this case, was her husband. She wanted to make her own decisions and didn’t want to take orders from her husband. She was forced to live that way because her husband controlled her. Once she found out that he was supposedly dead, she felt free from the male oppression that she had been a victim of since the day she and her husband exchanged vows. Mrs. Mallard would rather live for herself and not have to live for her husband, and his alleged death allowed her to live for herself without getting a divorce, so her society wouldn’t look down upon her.

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows one to explore many ironic instances throughout the story, the main one in which a woman unpredictably feels free after her husband’s assumed death. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to illustrate the struggles of reaching personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself to reach self-assertion while being a part of something else, like a marriage. In “The Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, celebrates the death of her husband, yet Chopin uses several ironic situations and certain symbols to criticize the behavior of Mrs. Mallard during the time of her “loving” husband’s assumed death.

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.

Chopin addresses emotional freedom through small waves of fear and insecurity which are ironically surpasses by great waves of joy. When told about her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard “did not hear the story as many women heard the same, with paralyzed inability to accept its significance” (Chopin 65) instead she was immediately filled with grief. The idea of her husband being dead was not unbelievable, possibly because she had thought, or even fantasized about it before. Mrs.Mallard

Can you imagine a world without imperfections? A world where everyone is perfect is unattainable, but if scientifically there were a way to eliminate imperfections and life threatening diseases, presumably, many people would be curious. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birthmark,” the author explores the idea of perfection with the help of science. Modern examples of this are mentioned in articles posted on NPR.org and time.com, genetically modifying DNA in human embryos has become largely controversial. By using a method called CRISPR, first, it identifies the defective gene, and then it cuts and repairs the gene, not only for that embryo, but for generations to come. With all the scientific knowledge that we are gaining, we

Men were considered the alpha male as a focal point in marriage back then which evasively caused women to serve the men. Since Kate Chopin is a woman who lives between the late 1800’s, and early 1900’s, she experiences the gloom of marriage in that time. Kate Chopin was speaking of the story as if her own true feeling about women, and marriage. “A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial”(206). Perhaps Mrs. Mallard dies because of the endeavor that women face, and implies that dying is better than being of the oppression of man at that time. There is a sense of women being fearful of men, and wanting a say against men who over oppress in their relation of their

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” examine the complex relationship between a husband and wife. The two works take two different approaches to convey the same message: Marriage is not a fairytale, it requires sacrifice and unselfish behavior in order to work. Relationships are difficult to begin and harder to maintain. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and Aylmer and Georgiana are two relationships that shatter the surreal perception of marriage and expose readers to the raw truth, marriage is not a fairytale.

The catch phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” perfectly describes marriages in the 19th century. As outsiders often saw them, both parties were happy and deeply content, but from the inside, they were filled with resentment and oppression of women by dominating husbands. In Kate Chopin’s, “Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard, a wife and sister, is introduced to the reader briefly as a woman afflicted with heart trouble before she is cautiously told of her husband’s death. In the period of one hour, Mrs. Mallard’s world is turned upside down by the news of her husband’s death followed by the far more devastating realization he is alive. Mrs. Mallard experiences a whirlwind of emotions throughout the hour that highlights the oppression

Mrs Mallard's awkward attitude after learning of her husband's death establishes an irony- somebody who is really happy in marriage will not enjoy nature in peace and have mixed emotions; the person will feel genuine grief upon hearing of the death of her husband. Here, Mrs Mallard's reaction portrays the extent to which her thirst for freedom was strong. Kate Chopin allows us to visualise the moment that Mrs Mallard is able to shed the bondage of marriage: "free, free, free!." She feels liberated through her husband's death. Much emphasis is laid on her joy upon finding freedom- "there would be no one to live for." The author also points out that "she knew that she would weep again.....folded in death." This only highlights the fact that it is not an expression of love but seems more like a duty that

In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin describes the series of emotions a married woman with a heart condition, Mrs. Mallard, endures after hearing about the death of her husband, Mr. Mallard. She assumes that she will be a mournful widow, but she ends up silently rejoicing. It turns out that she was not happily married and the thought of freedom from her attachments of marriage gave her

Chopin includes that Mrs. Mallard tried to fight off these ideas with her will (Booth 307). Her embraced feelings of independence could have been viewed as forbidden. Although she is excited by these thoughts, she tries to resist the pleasure she truly feels when she realizes the freedom that she has gained. The words “free, free, free!” escaped from her mouth (Booth307). She attempted to hold back the overwhelming desires for her own life. Perhaps she is hesitant to welcome these feelings because of the public view on women’s rights, and the potential consequences for those who opposed such views. Despite the faithfulness and love Mrs. Mallard showed for her husband, the extreme relief she felt in no longer having a marital obligation overpowered her feelings of sadness and loss.

In the early 19th century the men of society were dominant, they were considered the caregivers and are responsible for the actions of their women. When a woman would get into trouble they would be sent to their husband or father to be punished. Kate Chopin unlike many women did not have a male figure in her life. As an author she still had to prove herself to society that she was a good writer. Most female writers of that century wrote under a male name so they could be published, Kate Chopin wanted to be known for her work. Mrs. Mallard searches for freedom within her life. She feels trapped in her marriage, and her husband's death is her ticket to freedom. Kate Chopin shows Mrs. Mallard’s desire for freedom through the use of irony.

Bullying is defined as the mistreatment of others, through the abuse of power. The various forms bullying can take are, physical, verbal and mental abuse. The Short Story “The Birthmark” written in 1843, implicates the harsh realities of verbal and mental abuse. In 1843, society was male dominated, as females were continually objectified and seen as unimportant. Aylmer abuses this era’s male dominance to tyrannize his wife, Georgiana’s, birthmark. At first, she is hesitant as she and other males see no problem with the scar. As an audience we the strength of being the ideal wife to your husband, and fulfilling his desires. Aylmer displays his disgust towards the blemish through verbal ridicule, and harsh convulsions. “Her husband tenderly kissed her cheek – her right cheek – not that which bore the impress of the crimson hand (Hawthorne 3)”, further demonstrating the extremities at which he is revolted by the mark she bares, going as far as avoidance. Moreover, his words and actions display a visible impact upon Georgina, influencing her to take action to remove the scar. It portrays the mental effects of bullying on an individual. Bullying is a topic that has always been associated to as one of the grandest problems of the educational system. As an adolescent, I was constantly bullied. Fellow peers would comment on my weight and my style amongst various other things. This had convinced me that I was the problem. Forth, I took initiative attempting to alter my fashion