On February 8, 1850, in St. Louis, Missouri, Catherine O’Flaherty became the second child born of Thomas O’Flaherty and Eliza Faris. Later in life, Catherine, also called “Kate,” developed into a well-known, American writer, who focused on topics that people considered ahead of her time. Her daily life and traumatic events influenced her literary works to a great extent, overall proving that greatness comes out of unfortunate circumstances. Catherine O’Flaherty Chopin died at fifty-three years of age due to what might have been a cerebral hemorrhage on August 22, 1904. While her works were published in the 1890’s, most of them were not recognized until after her passing.
Awoken To say the 19th century American writer Kate Chopin was ahead of her time would be a grave understatement. This is a woman that pushed boundaries at a time where women were viewed and expected to act in a completely different way than what is known today; her works are extremely relevant- even to have been published in the 1890s- in today’s world, a world where many prominent female figures continue to take steps to shake the standard. Kate Chopin was not born as a Chopin, but rather to the name Katherine O’Flaherty; she was of french descent on both sides of her family, a fact important given her very writing style in her wide array of successful work was noted to be heavily inspired by that of French Literature. Nonetheless, through a social event in St. Louis (for the high class, I might add)
Yet, the Marxist lens can even be applied to this story and reveal revelations in the tale that might not be seen without the lens. The social, political, and economic characteristics of the Marxist lens can clearly be seen in Chopin’s “The Story of an
Kate Chopin, born Catherine O’Flaherty was born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri to parents Eliza and Thomas. She was the third of five children, but the only one to live past the age of twenty-five. Growing up, Chopin was raised bilingual as well as bicultural due to her mother’s strong French background. The French language and culture would have a strong influence on Chopin’s literary works later in life. At the age of five, Chopin began attending the Catholic boarding school The Sacred Heart Academy.
“The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin is a short story that discusses the oppression of women in the late nineteenth century when women were fighting to get their rights. Author Kate Chopin started the story by describing a wife, Mrs. Mallard’s, feeling about receiving the news of her husband’s passing. In the beginning, Mrs. Mallard was shocked and cried in her sister’s arms, Josephine, who told her about the railroad disaster that caused the death of her husband. Next, Mrs. Mallard became more relaxed and started thinking about the benefits of the tragedy in a positive paradigm. Later, her hopes of a new brilliant life was gone at the moment when her husband walks through the front door making her realize that he is not dead and that she is not yet free.
Literary Analysis “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to the sudden death of her husband. Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as sad, yet happy that her husband has been killed. Kate Chopin’s “ The Story of an Hour” argues that when a person is controlled and made to live under another person their mental state of mind is affected. The story also argues that when that person is freed from the controlling person their true self can finally be achieved. Kate Chopin portrays these themes by the use of character development; plot control, and irony throughout the story.
In the mid to late 1800’s women are viewed as homemakers, “Men demonstrate their dominance over women by generally confining them to the devalued registers of the home and the kitchen” (Brightwell 37). This is an era of raging patriarchy, if a woman is devoting time to something other than raising a family, she is looked down upon. Chopin emphasizes this through the social contrast between
Chopin’s novel and short story provides awareness of the lack of independence and individuality that women are granted in that era. Chopin’s voices how Louise and Enda becomes accustom to living according to what the man of the house desires. “Then would be no power will bending hers in that blind persistence” (The Story of An hour). With Louise husband being gone, he would no longer interfere with her actions or even overrule what she has to say. Louise would be completely free from his authority.
Chopin use imagery to explain Louise's’ new life and the
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.
Self-Identity and Freedom The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s story argues that an individual discovers their self-identity only after being freed from confinement.
Universidad de Costa Rica Carlos Contreras Flores B01884 Literary Criticism The Story of an Hour Divided in Two Millenniums Throughout human history, literature has giving people an insight of what the role of women were in different time periods. In most scenarios, literature has served to establish or spot the role of women as secondary, where they were mere subjects or objects of chauvinism. Although the role changes from time to time, it has one particular characteristic, which is the restraining of their liberty or right to choose. In “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin illustrates throughout the character’s fate the only way to escape from the gender role that women were meant to have at 19th century. She achieves
Kate Chopin was married to Oscar Chopin in 1870, a Louisiana business guru, with whom she bore six children. The couple lived in Natchitoches and New Orleans before the death of her husband, Chopin, in 1884. At these places, she became engrossed in making observations about the Creole and Cajun life. Kate later relocated to her birthplace, St. Louis, after her husband’s death, where she began her literary career. Kate Chopin was born in the year 1850 and later died at the age of 54 years in 1904.
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.
He hardly knew Desiree, yet he married her anyway and had a son. Another literary device that is used in “Desiree’s Baby” is situational and dramatic irony. For example, like Jeniffer Smith states in Short Stories for Students that “ Several critics of “Desiree’s Baby” have charged that the ending is a trick ending, or an O. Henry ending, so-named after the short story writer famous for the reversals that came at the end of his stories”(Smith 73). Chopin is well known for using these endings in her stories. Just like in the “Story of an Hour” Chopin uses situational irony to keep the reader entertained and to shock the reader in the end.
