...Marriage and Women’s Roles in the Late Nineteenth Century: Kate Copin’s Commentary on Women’s Lives in the Late 1800s Every human being deserves the right to choose how his or her own life is lived. As women in the late nineteenth century began to disassociate with cultural norms of the time period, writers began to reflect this historical shift. In Kate Chopin’s didactic short story, “The Story of an Hour,” the author demonstrates the way many women felt about their marriages during that time: trapped in a meaningless life. Chopin’s story works as a cautionary and informative commentary substantiating how women felt about divorce and marriage in the late nineteenth century, and the author attempts to educate her audience in order to show that women deserve better than a life of servitude to a husband. The circumstances surrounding Louise Mallard’s reaction to the death of her husband are at first predictable but then quickly shift to a surprising response: Louise is elated as she realizes that "there would be no one to live for during these coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin 353). This realization deontes Chopin’s main argument in this...
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...Hannah Radney Professor Andrew J. DiNicola English 1102 July 22, 2014 Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”: Character Analysis of Louise Mallard Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” (1894) is a fictional short story presumably set in America in the late 19th century. Chopin’s story is a description of an hour in the life of Louise Mallard, the protagonist in the story. The subject of the story is the transformation of Louise Mallard after she learns about the supposed death of her husband, Brently Mallard; what she thinks and how she feels as she is alone and contemplates self-assertion for the first time. (Koloski) Chopin first introduces the reader to the main character as only Mrs. Mallard. Given the time period of the story, Chopin directs the reader to the conclusion that Mrs. Mallard has no identity of her own. This reference to her as only by her husband’s last name foreshadows how marriage represses Mrs. Mallard and realistically like many women of this time in history. The virtuous wife, in Mrs. Mallard’s world, accepts the idea that her husband has a right to impose a private will upon her. (Jamil) During the time period in which the story takes place, married women are in a subservient role to their husbands under the “femme covert laws.” “Covert refers to a woman’s legal status after marriage: legally upon marriage, the husband and wife were treated as one entity. In essence, the wife’s separate legal existence disappeared as far as property.” (Lewis 1) A married...
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...free time with socializing, instead of taking care of family related things. In the lights of these circumstances, the feminist approach has revealed itself in literature. One of the good examples of feminist literature is Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour”, which exposes the lack of freedom of women in the 1800s. In her story, Chopin estimates the situation of women in marriage and she looks at the life from a female perspective. Mrs. Mallard, the heroine of the story, is a cardiac patient, who had been told what to do by her husband and could not make choices for herself. In a way, Chopin portrays what it is like to be a woman in the late nineteenth century through an ill protagonist. In the story Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband is dead, even though she is emotional at first, she leaps for joy with the recognition of freedom. However, when Mrs. Mallard learns her husband is alive, which means she will lose her moment of freedom all over again, she dies. “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.” (Chopin 3) Analyzing of “The Story of an Hour” through the historical and feminist lenses, it can interpreted as an illustrating of a woman’s lack of freedom in a male-dominated society. “The Story of an Hour” was written in the Victorian Era, when a wife was responsible for all household chores without...
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...be viewed as equals. This idea of gender equality is not something new. The feminist movement has been an old, progressive one. Many women and men alike have had these gender equity ideas for centuries; this idea is not a new one as pioneers from Sor Juana to Kate Chopin to even the present-day Emma Watson, have stated time and time again, women are faced with oppression by the patriarchal society in many different ways that hurt women and men alike. Kate Chopin wrote many short stories in her time that pushed the envelope for the feminist movement. Two stories in particular were “The Storm” and “ The Story of An Hour”. Both of these stories have a female protagonist oppressed by a male antagonist, which very much can be construed as a commentary of what social normal behavior was, a patriarchal driven society that oppressed any type of female freedoms or expressions. In Chopin’s short story, “The Story of An Hour” the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard was able to imagine a life of freedom when she received the news of the death of her husband. While, Mrs. Mallard was not given the liberty to enjoy her newfound freedom, for her husband did not pass away after all; Chopin writes in such a way that even if it was for just an hour, Mrs. Mallard had the life that every person dreams of. Chopin use of windows and open...
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...At the end of Daniel P. Deneau's article, he uses APA style, which means it is formatted for academic documents such as journals and books. At the end of Daniel P. Deneau article not only did he cite his work he used notes as references to further his credibility as well. The intended audience for this reading was for students to the sophisticated. It was intended for everyone. Daniel P. Deneau uses descriptive words and metaphors in his text to get the readers to understand more to what he is trying to convey to them. Daniel P. Deneau's subject of the text is Mrs. Mallard and her many emotions that she is having from the news of her husband's sudden death. Daniel P. Deneau uses many descriptions when describing the setting and the scenery...
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...6th, 2014 Abstract The following paper discusses and analyzes the work “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. The story uses the irony of life to show that marriage can be full of undisclosed hatred, suppression, and unpleasantness between partners – a point that remains concealed from the outside world. “The Story of an Hour” is a story about a married couple. The story begins with the wife hearing the news of the death of her husband. The news, instead of sending her into a shock, sends her into a state of excitement. Her excitement remains concealed from the people around her, who assume that she is under great shock. However, her excitement does not last too long, and she again faces news. This time, the news arrives with the arrival of her husband in front of her. Unable to control her feelings of sadness, she falls and dies on the spot. The paper takes into account multiple readings of various authors, compares their stance, and studies their views of the story. The paper establishes the point that time is running very quickly, and the story also revolves around the importance of time. It concludes with the outcome that if married couples trust each other, interconnect well, and resolve their problems, instead of thinking evil of each other, their relation is likely to remain flourishing. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin The background of “The Story of an Hour” sets its foundations on the moralities of marriage. Marriage is a respected commitment...
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...Gritty Realism During the 1890s, many women were limited to what they were allowed to do. They could not go to school, have a job, or even vote. Men viewed women as though they were only meant to bear children and be a housewife. However, a writer by the name of Kate Chopin was a voice for women all the over the world. Two of her most famous writings are “The Storm”, and “Story of an Hour”. Within these two writings, she discussed issues that many other women writers would have avoided. Another writer who was famous for his portrayal of gritty topics was Ernest Hemingway. One of his most memorable writding is titled “Hills like White Elephants”. These writers were able to write about challenging realistic new ideas such as freedom after the death of a love one, abortion, and adultery. Although some of these stories are deemed gritty, Hemingway’s “Hills like White Elephants” deals with realistic issues couples often face. These writings also have ironic undertones such as, when Mrs. Mallards dies from seeing from dead husband and the girl who thinks about abortion, but notices greener fields on the other side of the track. Furthermore realism is when an author intends to tell real life events to his/her audience. Realism can appear in many different aspects of society. When it comes to writing, realism focuses on the average individual, and can be heard as a voice for the ordinary human being. There is a focus on realistic people and events. For example in...
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...A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin “A Respectable Woman” is a short story written by Kate Chopin about Mrs. Baroda who lives with her loving husband in a rich plantation in the early 20th century. The main problem arises in the story when Mrs. Baroda’s husband, Gaston, invites his friend Governail to spend a couple of weeks with them at the plantation. As for Mrs. Baroda, she doesn’t really like this idea because she had planned to spend this time taking and rest and to get in to conversations with her husband. Mrs. Baroda has never met this friend before but she pictures him as a tall, slim, skeptical man and she also didn’t really like that image of him, but when she meets the slim but not tall or cynical Governail, she later figures that she actually likes him but what she can’t figure out is that why she likes him. After much thinking, she still ends up to be puzzled about it. At the same time Mrs. Baroda is eager for this friend to leave as she asks her husband about when Governail is leaving. Finally one night Governail breaks his silence as he starts a conversation with Mrs. Baroda, who isn’t really paying attention to his words but his voice. She realizes that she desires him especially when she desires to touch his face and lips; however she controls those sentiments because she considers herself a respectable woman. The next morning she leaves the plantation to visit her mom and avoid Governail and her feelings for him. After some time, Gaston wishes to invite Governail...
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...Gender Roles and/or Marriage ENG 125: Introduction to Literature In Guy De Maupassant's, "The Necklace" and Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour" the characters are females who struggle with inner conflicts. Many differences as well as likenesses are identified between the two characters, which would like to make major changes in their life. “The settings of the stories take place in the late 1800's, which during this time women were restricted from doing many things such as: working outside of the home, they were controlled by their spouses, and they had to be subservient females”(Wikipedia). Mrs. Mallard is the main character in "The Story of an Hour" and Mrs. Loisel is the character in "The Necklace." The type of tone the writers chose for the main characters were discontent women, who yearned for a better life than their current one. Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is the story of Mathilde Loisel, who resents her current lifestyle. When Monsieur Loisel presents his wife with an invitation to a formal ball, she bursts into tears because she has nothing elegant to wear. Mathilde's husband agrees to let her buy a gown, and, following his suggestion, she borrows a beautiful necklace from a friend. As a result, she has a wonderful time at the ball. Upon returning home she realizes that she has lost the necklace she borrowed from her friend. The Loisels replace it with a similar one, for which they enter into debt for ten years. One day Mathilde sees her old friend and...
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...“When the doctors came they said she had dies of heart disease--of joy that kills” (Roberts 342). This is the final and pivotal line in Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” written in 1894. The story tells a tale of a woman named Louise realizing her husband had died in a railroad accident. She goes to her room only to find a new found freedom she now has without her husband. “She began to weep again and then she was young, she was new, she was somehow reborn” (Fatima). This freedom is crushed when she finally emerges to see her husband alive. The sight kills her where she stood. “When she sees him she dies instantly … she has to continue living a depressing life that has no meaning or excitement included” (Fatima). I am going to show how through the use of such literary devices as irony and connotation Chopin added a depth to the story that moves the reader. The story has one of the best examples of irony you can find. The very last line of the story states that Louise had died of heart disease—of joy that kills. The tragic irony is that it was both joy and sadness that killed her. She dies from the sadness of knowing the joy see realized through looking out her window has been crushed. This joy of freedom and independence is what killed her. Without filling herself with this joy she would not have anything to be destroyed when she realized her husband was alive. So the joy killed her because without it there would be no shock when her husband returned, yet the sadness of loosing...
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...Stephens 1 John Stephens Professor Freeland Eng 101 7 January 2009 An Analysis of “The Story of an Hour” Written in 1894, “The Story of an Hour” is a story of a woman who, through the erroneously reported death of her husband, experienced true freedom and happiness. Both tragic and ironic, the story deals with the boundaries imposed on women by society in the nineteenth century. The author Kate Chopin, like the character in her story, had first-hand experience with the male-dominated society of that time and had experienced the death of her husband at a young age. The similarity between Kate Chopin and her heroine can only leave us to wonder how much of this story is fiction and how much is personal experience. Indeed, Louise Mallard and Kate Chopin’s lives are very similar. Louise’s life began once she came to the realization that she could live for herself. During this “hour” she felt true joy and freedom, but her life ended abruptly as her husband walked through the door. Like Mrs. Mallard, Chopin’s writing career began once her husband died. She wrote a few collections of short stories, but when she began expressing her feminist views, the critics walked through the door and her life as a writer was over. The background of the story gives us the idea of what Mrs. Mallard’s marriage meant to her. We see a picture of a young well-to-do wife who seems to be very pleased with her life. We also get the Stephens 2 impression that she was...
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...the potential to depress our immune system, but it also can increase inflammatory responses that may put us at greater risk for cardiovascular disease, effect our minds in fantastical ways, as well as decrease our longevity (Winch, 2013). In Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour" and James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", the story of isolation and the desperate yearning for deliverance is told in two very unique and captivating ways. In Kate Chopin's poetic story—unfolding within the time span of one hour—we have Mrs. Louise Mallard who has been informed that her husband was killed in a tragic accident. As readers, we witness what happens to Louise during this moment in time. Then we have the seemingly comical story authored by Thurber in which he presents to us an older gentleman by the name of Walter Mitty. We follow Walter through his mundane existence while delving into his exaggerated day dreams. What comes to light is that the mental processes of both Chopin and Thurber's protagonists personify not only the theme of seeking freedom within the confines of marriage, but how these cognitive journeys ultimately shape and establish the symbolic literary significance of the work itself. Both Chopin and Thurber begin their stories by providing the reader with intriguing knowledge and excitement. We learn that Mrs. Mallard is a woman who has some type of heart condition and that someone is needing to give her news about her husband's death. At this time we are not certain...
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...Challenging the Social Norm. “Story Of An Hour” by Kate Chopin is a telling story about a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who’s given the horrible news that her husband has passed away in a train wreck. Devastated by her husband’s sudden death, she excuses herself and immediately rushes to her bedroom; this is where readers see a different side of Mrs. Mallard. In time she has taken on a different angle of life. Although obviously upset about her husband’s sudden death, Mrs.Mallard has something to be happy about. In 1894 when the “Story Of An Hour” was written, women didn’t have a say over anything and because of her husband's death; Mrs.Mallard learns the cost of both freedom gained, and freedom lost. Kate Chopin lived in a time period when women really did not have any rights. Therefore her stories typically focused entirely around the theme of female characters who dealt with these problems; Chopin was well known for writing about these society blocks. However in her stories the women usually take on a more conventional side than what would be expected. Normally they chose their own path rather than what society would want. One theme in Chopin’s story is freedom (Mayer, 95). In the beginning of “The Story of an Hour” the scene opens up and readers are introduced to Mrs. Mallard, who has been told that her husband has died in a horrible train wreck.She reacts to this news like any other wife would -- yes, she is clearly upset so she excuses herself and rushes off to her bedroom...
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...Naturalism - Short Stories Seminarleiter: Georg Schiller Datum der Abgabe: 16.04.2011 Female Empowerment in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” Anjana Dhir BA Englisch KF, Geschichte NF 3. Semester Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. The French – Creole society of Louisiana 4 2.1 Cultural background 4 2.2 French-Creole women 5 3. The Role of Women 6 4.1 Edna vs. Madame Ratignolle 7 3.1.1 “A Valuable Piece of Property” 7 3.1.2 Edna – The Unusual Woman 9 3.1.3 Adèle Ratignolle – The Archetype Woman 14 3.2 “Mother Woman” – The Patriarchal Ideology 16 4. Chopin’s Imagery 18 5. Conclusion - Edna’s Suicide 19 6. Bibliography 21 1. Introduction A certain ungovernable dread hung about her when in the water, unless there was a hand nearby that might reach out and reassure her. But that night she was like a little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for the first time alone, boldly and with over confidence. […] A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before. This scene in Kate Chopin’s novel describes...
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...the two short stories “The Story of an Hour”, by Kate Chopin and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, by James Thurber. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a short story written in 1937. The main character is an older man that drives his wife to town for beauty parlor visits and weekly shopping. “The Story of an Hour” was published in 1894. The main character, Louise Mallard, thinks that she will find freedom from the death of her husband. These short stories share a common theme, gender roles within a marriage. Each of the main characters in these stories has their own ideas about the gender roles that they are supposed to play, according to society and the time that they live in. The secret life of Walter Mitty and The Story of an Hour are based on a man Mr. Walter Mitty and a woman Mrs. Louise Mallard, whom believe that they have become prisoners within their marriages. They have to abide by the society standards of their era, divorce is not an option because all marriages have issues and the wedding vows need to be honored, “Until Death due us Part”. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Versus The Story of an Hour In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” Walter is an elderly American man who is retired and has nothing better to do but to follow his wife around. Walter daydreams about a life that he wishes he had. The focus of this story is to represent a fantasy world opposed to a reality. “The Story of the Hour” presents a much more dramatic effect. This story reflects upon a...
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