In her short work “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin alludes to the lack of freedom women had in her lifetime, particularly those who were married. The tale cleverly employs a theme of liberation through the use of metaphors, symbols, and careful language. Chopin herself grew up in a home with and was raised by three independent women who were all widows. In the story, this autonomy projected onto a female whose husband is recently deceased is used to contrast the apparent shackles of married life for a woman in this time. Further, it argues Chopin’s view that no person’s will should be bent to fit another’s desires under any circumstances.
But, in confining herself to this wifely role, she trapped herself within a marriage devoid of romance. What once seemed like a union of two like-minded individuals eventually became known to as “purely an accident” (575). Because of the dissatisfaction within her marriage, Edna ultimately grew to view all weddings as “the most lamentable spectacles on earth” (613). Along with the role of marriage also comes children, which is another area in which Edna fails to find a sense of belonging. Though, Edna is not necessarily a neglectful mother, she fails to live up to the standard of motherhood that her husband wishes her to uphold.
In The story of an Hour, shortly after her husband is claimed dead a woman realizes that life without the constraints of marriage and a husband could be liberating. Chopin writes in the 19th century of culminating controversial topics. The Story of an Hour unravels in the time span of an hour; and within that time the reader is invited to realize the way women in a marriage could feel. This story truly embodies what was going through some married woman’s mind in this time period; this sense of feeling trapped and overlooked by society. They had to conform to simply living in the shadows of their husbands but knowing they were capable of doing much more.
From this line we get a bit of insight into her marriage and herself. We get the idea that she wasn’t happy being married to her husband but still remained with him and did her duties as she was supposed to. In reality her being a good wife was all an act to fit in society’s expectations of a woman being domestic and submissive. As she spend more time in her room alone thinking about her dead husband she realizes life would finally be different for her. She knows that “there would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin) For a long time in
Mrs.Mallard reveals that she does love her husband, but the the independence that she is now going to get is what is driving into a surge of sudden happiness and motivation. Ironically, Mrs.Mallard was not allowed to enjoy her new found independence in the end. In the short story “The Story Of An Hour”by Kate Chopin, Mrs.Mallard hears about the death of her husband from her sister Josephine. Mrs.Mallard cries in her sister 's arms from the sudden shock, and the fear of being alone. After Mrs.Mallard went to a room to be alone she began to realize that because of her husband 's death she is now independent.
Unlike Mrs. Baroda, her heart is not in her marriage. She is not satisfied with the roles that she has as a wife and thinks that the end of her marriage will free her. When Mrs. Mallard hears about her husband’s death “she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin 1). Chopin uses visualization to represents the freedom that Louise is feeling showing the beginning of spring, the patches of blue skies, and twittering of sparrows. Her life will no longer be confined in the household and she can follow her dreams and find her own identity.
Kate Chopin’s short story titled “The Story of an Hour” shows us in a number ways that life without freedom is no life at all. In the story, a nineteenth century women named Mrs. Mallard finds out about her husband’s death. She has heart disease so Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, tries to break the bad news to her as calmly as possible. After hearing the news, Mrs. Mallard’s unpredictable reaction shocks us the readers as well as the characters in the story. Instead of feeling the sorrow of her husband’s death, she feels the joy of freedom from him as well.
Kate Chopin’s story “The Story of an Hour” focuses on a married woman who does not find happiness in her marriage. When she hears of her husband’s death, the woman does not grieve for long before relishing the idea of freedom. Chopin’s story is an example of realism because it describes a life that is not controlled by extreme forces. Her story is about a married nineteenth-century woman with no “startling accomplishments or immense abilities” (1271). Chopin stays true to reality and depicts a life that seems as though it could happen to any person.
“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin shows a pessimistic aspect of marriage by showing the reader with a woman who is apparently happy to learn that her husband has died. Louise has been consumed by her marriage so much that when she learns the death of her husband, all she could think in that moment is that she finally going to be free. She no longer has to please anyone but herself. Kate Chopin applies emphasis of fear, excitement, and hope to bring her ideas of her newfound freedom and living a new future for herself. Kate Chopin was raised in the time that women did not really have any rights.
The condition of life for Mrs. Mallard is terrible, yet for some reason she doesn't seem to come to full realization until her husband's death. This leads one to believe it was commonplace for a woman to be unhappy in her marriage and have no conventional means of escape (divorce). However, Chopin doesn't directly make that point. Chopin communicates that this could be any creature's reality. That point, rather, is inferred through our knowledge of women's suffrage history.