Leslie Knox Ms. Baldwin English 3/ Period 6 2 March 2013 The Story of an Hour Essay In the story, The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, there is a woman with a heart condition that receives bad news. She deals with thenews in a different way than most people would. At first she js sad, but then she realizes she is happy. At the end of the storythere is a major twist. The woman, Mrs. Mallard, is told by her sister Josephine and her husbands friend Richards, that her husband Brently Mallard has been killed in a railroad accodent at work.
When most women relied on male relatives or husbands to survive, her earlier experiences in life led her to a different outlook on how she wanted to live her life (Allen par 1). She supported herself by developing her intellect and living by her beliefs. By a young age, she was determined to change the views of marriage for women (Frazer par 2). As a child, her views of marriage were shaped by her own unhappy family life. Her unsuccessful and violent father moved the family many times, and her older brother was favored by her grandfathers’ will.
Both marriages are restricting, and challenge the protagonists’ concept of self and individuality. In “The Story of an Hour”, Louise Mallard gets the news of her husband’s death from her sister and her husband’s friend. She quickly retreats to the privacy of her own room which her companions believe is to grieve in solitude. In actuality, she shows the reader that she is finally confronting the wasted days of her life, and through that realizes that she has been given a second chance. She reflects on her marriage and we find that, although it was a good one, her husband never knew how unhappy his wife was.
Rather, her feelings must be managed and controlled by those around her. In this first paragraph Chopin demonstrates the oppressive expectations of the time. In hearing the news of her husband’s death, Louise responds in a way that defies the oppression of her generation. It was expected that she would respond “with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance” and yet she responds with “sudden, wild abandonment” (Chopin 177). This reaction is in conflict with the expectations put upon her as a mourning wife, and it is here that she begins to defy her oppression.
She had been adverted to consider the spousal relationship as a responsibility and burgeon and may well have implied that at that time the factor of sensuality was missing on her side. All her relationships were qualified by caution, solicitude, and kindliness. Three years afterwards she wedded her 5th cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, an appropriate fit for a woman of her assort. But Franklin's overly-protective mother shortly set out to broaden her dominance over her recent daughter-in-law. "I was beginning to be an entirely dependent person," Eleanor stated, "someone always to decide everything for me."
A woman is passed on from her father to her husband, and is taught to religiously submit to their will. There is a certain tragedy to being a perfect Victorian lady. Both short stories criticize the male-dominated society and explore its impact on women. One of the most interesting aspects of “Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Story of an Hour” that are present in both short stories is the view of women through the eyes of a doctor. Considering that in the 19th century doctors were predominantly men, we can conclude that Gilman and Chopin’s both intended to express male’s general view on women through the eyes of their doctors.
Woman Self - Fulfillment The late 1800's were a time of repression for women. A woman was expected to conform to her husband's ideals and accept a life of being powerless. Even today, the relationship between men and women can seem unequal. The short stories "The Story of an Hour” and “The Yellow Wallpaper" both deal with the ways women had to achieve self-fulfillment in a period of time that was unfavorable in doing so. In order to achieve self-fulfillment their lives ended in tragedy.
The Story of an hour in y eyes is about a women who finds out her husband is dead and is happy bout it. Weather her marriage was good or not she felt like she was free. She says “ but she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents,
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin tells of a young woman, Louise Mallard, who is told of her husband’s death by her sister, Josephine. Upon hearing this news, Louise breaks down in tears and escapes to her bedroom to be alone. Her true emotions arise when she is by herself, staring out of an open window into her yard, letting out cries of joy. Louise repeats over and over “free, free, free” and continues with “Free! Body and soul free” (169-170).
Response to "The Story of an Hour" Response to "The Story of an Hour" In reading “The Story of an Hour” the reader experiences the emotions of Mrs. Mallard, a woman who believes she is now a widow. It is an intense journey, beginning with her coming quickly to the realization that she is free. “She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” . (Chopin, 1894, p. 15) The intensity at which she feels this freedom is in direct response to the limited choices a woman had in this day and time. Men ruled the lives of women in whatever role they played, be it a wife, a mother or a daughter.