A Story In An Hour Feminist Analysis Essay

In the renaissance period, the status and the presentation of women was oppressive and restrictive. Women were allowed to enjoy very few economic and political rights and acted submissively in front of their fathers and husbands. They were forced to remain in the domestic part of their society. Their roles as daughters, mothers and wives were considered significant in the renaissance age. Their reproductive capabilities was extremely important for inheritances and for maintaining the family line.

Have you ever had something that you loved so much and had something taken away from you? Mrs. Mallard from Kate Chopin’s “Story of An Hour” is a prime example of how something she loved getting unexpectedly taken away from her. She had loved her freedom after her past marriage so much and, had it abruptly taken away from her. In Kate Chopin’s short story, you get introduced to Mrs. Mallard, whom her husband had just died of a railroad accident. She immediately went through a grieving period and then, realized that she was free from all the pain her marriage had caused.

Every human has a different approach when enduring the loss of a loved one. In Kate Chopin’s, The Story of an Hour, Louise Mallard received the news of her husband death. During this time, widows normally grieve for a long period, but Mrs. Mallard is an atypical widow. She grieves for a short period of time, but then she is overcome with a sense of freedom because she is free from an oppressive and unhappy marriage. This is an example of how The Story of an Hour portrays irony.

Since there were no laws against discrimination in the 1800’s there was nothing an American women could do to demand the equality they deserved in the workforce. Women in this time were expected to be the ones to take care of their children so even if there was an opportunity to get a job the wife normally couldn’t since most wives were stay-at-home wives. The husbands are normally seen as the man of the house and this was especially true in the late 1800s. They were known to be the ones who were in control of everything and the women had to listen to them because that was expected of them. So when their husbands didn’t allow them to obtain a job the wives had no choice but to listen to them.

The Short Story The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin explores the emotions of Louise Mallard a woman with a heart disease. In the hour that the story is told, it ranges from showing Mrs. Mallard different reactions to learning of her husbands death to him surprisingly showing up alive and eventually her untimely death from a heart disease. Although only a brief period of time is shown, many emotions are revealed through the third person omniscient point of view. This point of view shows more than just the protagonists thoughts and is not limited to one person. It allows the readers to know something about Mrs. Mallard that she does not as the story ends after Mrs. Mallard has already died.

Promptly and critically, we come to the observation that Mrs. Mallard’s views about death are too overwhelming for her because of the fact that she has a severe heart condition. In the Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, we can see a sense of sorrow yet joy, between Mrs. Mallard’s continuous reflections about life. Through a closer look at Kate Chopin’s use of diction and imagery we first believe that Mrs. Mallard’s husband’s (Brently Mallard) sudden appearance is the only cause of her heart failure which leads to her death. This continues to develop and leads us to understand that Mrs. Mallard leaves her room because Josephine (Mrs. Mallard’s sister) convinces her to walk downstairs. Once she walks down the stairs, she becomes overwhelmed with emotions because she witnesses her husband is in fact alive and standing at the door; these events lead to Mrs. Mallard’s heart failure and overall death.

The women’s suffrage movement began with unhappy women looking to protest and fight for what they believed in and ended with them succeeding. In the 19th and into the 20th-century women had specific duties. Wives were to clean the house, cook eat meal, and take care of the children. Few women were well-educated with their own property; unmarried of course. They wanted more opportunity and excitement.

Hour of Freedom “The Story of an Hour” is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It details a wife named Mrs. Louise Mallard, who struggles with a heart condition. After learning of her husband, Brentley Mallard’s death in a railroad accident, Mrs. Mallard deals with grief in many stages. Chopin incorporates many literary devices throughout “The Story of an Hour,” but imagery is the most evident. “A Short Guide to Imagery, Symbolism, and Figurative Language Imagery” describes imagery as “a writer or speaker’s use of words or figures of speech to create a vivid mental picture or physical sensation”(Clark).

It is well known that for much of history, females have been largely oppressed and given few rights, unlike the male gender. Traditionally, a women’s role in society was to be a submissive housewife and to raise children. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, a young woman goes against the law to give her dead brother a proper burial, defying the typical role expected of a female during this time period. Antigone can be seen as a role model for women because she knows her own mind, stands up to her uncle, and sacrifices herself for someone she loves. Women during this time period were expected to listen to the men in society and follow their rules.

Both Kalyani and Shripati are forced into a loveless marriage by her. It is a clear dig at the conservative society where marriage and son are the only things that matter. Through the portrayal of the second generation pair, Kalyani and Shripati, Deshpande depicts the predicament of women who are confined in the framework of traditional marriage and lead a life of self-denial and suffering. Kalyani’s life is an example of forced incompatible arranged marriage in which a woman has to suffer endlessly. Even if marriage fails in giving happiness of any kind to woman, it is preferred because it gives a security and a sense of dignity to woman in society.