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kate chopin life and writing style
literary analysis gender criticism essays
depiction of women in literature
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Kate Chopin’s, short story, ’The Story of an Hour' its still thematically rich and full of symbolism. ‘'The Story of an Hour’’ was written by Kate Chopin in 1894 and is a short story in which she presents an often unheard view of marriage and not socially acceptable at that time. During this time, America had only recently abolished slavery, and the 19th Amendment wouldn't grant women the right to vote until 1920. It makes sense, then, that freedom would be of great concern to Chopin, especially considering she is thought to be one of the earliest forerunners of modern feminism. Chopin also published another short story along the same theme as “The Story of an Hour."A Pair of Silk Stockings” was written in April of 1896. She celebrated exploring themes that …show more content…
Her point of view influences the to believe that Chopin may have felt similarly to the way she depicted the principle character to feel when her husband passed in 1883. Though Kate Chopin recounts to Mrs. Mallard's story, she does not do so in first person. Chopin reveals the short story through a narrator's voice. The narrator is not simply an observer, however. Louise Mallard, in ‘'The Story of an Hour’', is an average lady and protagonist of the 1890s who enjoys little in her quest for individual flexibility. When she learns of her significant other Brently's passing in a railroad disaster, in any case, she rapidly starts to understand the new potential for her own self assertions.With him gone, Louise senses feelings that change her, and with her quiet repetitive chant of the word 'free,' the reader soon learns just what that thing is. She finds herself feeling independent, but feeling guilty for having such reverence for herself, after her husbands passing. She then exposes the idea of feeling guilty. She is …show more content…
Sommers surprisingly finds herself with a sum of money unusually large for her circumstances. Feeling important and wealthy, she considers how to invest her money, feeling that she must carefully allocate her funds. During the night, she thinks of a sensible use for the money. She determines to use the money towards the needs of her children. This proves to the reader her maternal instincts and unselfish tendencies are present within her values of a women, especially during this period in time. Mrs. Sommers used to have more money long ago, before her marriage, but she does not worry about the past or the future, focusing mostly on the present. With the money she does buy a few items for herself she would not usually spend as much on. Mrs. Sommers faces a minor dilemma that eventually becomes a conscious expression of her desire to return to a past that she can no longer have, reflecting her subconscious craving for the independence that she does not have while under the pressures of poverty. Mrs. Sommers does not simply seek to riches in the way of the individuals who have never had cash; rather, as Mrs. Sommers' neighbors note, she has in truth experienced more promising times and instinctively compares her childhood with basic extravagances, for example, silk leggings and
The lives we lead and the type of character we possess are said to be individual decisions. Yet from early stages in our life, our character is shaped by the values, customs and mindsets of those who surround us. The characteristics of this environment affect the way we think and behave ultimately shaping us into a product of the environment we are raised in. Lily Bart, the protagonist in Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, is an exceedingly beautiful bachelorette who grows up accustomed to living a life of luxury amongst New York City’s upper-class in the 20th century. When her family goes bankrupt, Lily is left searching for security and stability, both of which, she is taught can be only be attained through a wealthy marriage. Although, Lily is ashamed of her society’s tendencies, she is afraid that the values taught in her upbringing shaped her into “an organism so helpless outside of its narrow range” (Wharton 423). For Lily, it comes down to a choice between two antagonistic forces: the life she desires with a happiness, freedom and love and the life she was cut out to live with wealth, prestige and power. Although, Lily’s upbringing conditioned her to desire wealth and prestige, Lily’s more significant desires happiness, freedom and love ultimately allow her to break free.
She tried to do many things to be “better” than she had been. Showering everyday to be the cleanest version herself made her feel that it enhanced her quality of life. She was doing this day in day out and even sometimes twice a day as part of her “cleanliness”. While she did not have much money, she spent her extra cash on what she felt was its place to be spent in. Herself. Her appearance. Edith had bought the nicest and most soothing scent of perfume along with a flashy wristwatch and admirable dresses in an attempt to boost her self-esteem and self-image. Amidst the scent of roses and nice clothes Edith tried to change her attitude. She refused to gossip anytime Mrs.Henderson would endeavour at gossip. Edith read beauty magazines and books about proper etiquette one of many customs she had adopted. She did this daily and accustomed to it believing that she needed to it to be the more proper version of herself as the way she wanted to execute her plan of a changed woman. Edith altered herself and the way she did many things. Although she still knew who she really was and where she came from, she refused to accept it. Along with many things were done Edith’s decisions were overthrown by her self-image on her role of a daughter
Mallard’s excitement towards her recent discovery of her deeply embedded desire for freedom accentuates the importance of women’s freedom in society. During the 1890’s, the time period in which this piece was written, most women experienced limited amounts of freedom in their lives, as they were bound to their husbands and other loved ones, and many of them were never truly able to extinguish their inner flame to pursue their dreams and live an unconstricted life. Luckily, today, many women are exceptionally independent, and very few struggle to realize their desire to live freely. Throughout the short story, “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Murray’s unhappiness towards her husband’s return and her realization for her longing for freedom exhibit Chopin’s desire to change women’s limited freedom in their relationships and general lives. As Tennessee Williams wisely noted, “Caged birds accept each other, but flight is what they long
Mrs. Sommers ponders deeply about what she should spend the money on. She does not want to spend the money on things she may or may not need. This is now the beginning of her internal conflict which will soon become physical.
In actuality, she was defiant, and ate macaroons secretly when her husband had forbidden her to do so. She was quite wise and resourceful. While her husband was gravely ill she forged her father’s signature and borrowed money without her father or husband’s permission to do so and then boastfully related the story of doing so to her friend, Mrs. Linde. She was proud of the sacrifices she made for her husband, but her perceptions of what her husband truly thought of her would become clear. She had realized that the childlike and submissive role she was playing for her husband was no longer a role she wanted to play. She defied the normal roles of the nineteenth century and chose to find her true self, leaving her husband and children
Struther shows Mrs. Miniver’s gaiety and liveliness in light that she is oblivious to the impending war that will deeply affect her life. Mrs. Miniver and her family have the same troubles and pleasures like many other families. One of these pleasures is the day that their new car is scheduled to arrive. The family is excited and is anticipating the beautiful color and design of the car. Christmas shopping is the next event for Mrs. Miniver. Like most other mothers in Oxford, she has waited until the week before Christmas to do her shopping thus getting stuck in long lines with aggressive people. Realizing she will have yet another busy year, Mrs. Miniver decides it is time to invest in an expensive engagement book. This precious diary will hold all of her memories and events for an entire year. “To give it away is impossible, to lose it is disastrous, and to scrap it and start a new one entails a laborious copying out of all the entries that have already been made,” thought Mrs. Miniver about the process of buying one. These three ordinary and simple events lead into the first day of spring. “Here, she would find herself thinking, is where I end and the outside world begins. It was exciting, but divisive: it made for loneliness.” Her spirit and vitality remain even as the war becomes closer to reality.
Although she is used to supporting her children on a small amount of money, Mrs. Sommers was once very wealthy. Despite her subconscious dissatisfaction with her present life, she tries not to dwell on the past. When Mrs. Sommers finds herself with fifteen dollars, she plans to spend the money on new clothes from her children, but due to some subconscious urge, she treats herself to new accessories, a meal at a restaurant, and a movie. It might seem to readers that Mrs. Sommers is a selfish person, but she spent the money the way she did not out of greed but out of longing for the happier times of her past.
Women try to give themselves pleasure by purchasing items like clothing or jewelry to satisfy their needs. Every women needs to feel important and Ms. Sommers way is to satisfy all her desires even if it was for a certain period of time. Since she did have the life of a wealthy person it is normal for her to actually miss those actions. Buying everything she wanted without worrying if her children were going to eat or not. Women’s life changes once they get married they no longer fulfill their desires and have other responsibilities to worry about.
In the story “The Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin, the main character is named Mrs. Sommers. For some reason, Chopin never gives Mrs. Sommers a first name. In this semi-ironic story, Mrs. Sommers is a young mother with four kids that keep her pretty occupied, but one day she receives a good amount of money. Her marriage is not explained in a lot of detail, but it hints that the marriage itself is quite weak. This story that Chopin writes at the surface can be taken as a busy mother taking a day for herself, but it has a way deeper meaning than just that. When an unhappy married woman struggling financially unexpectedly receives money, she self-indulges and finds self-indulgence.
In "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin tells the story of a woman, Mrs. Mallard whose husband is thought to be dead. Throughout the story Chopin describes the emotions Mrs. Mallard felt about the news of her husband's death. However, the strong emotions she felt were not despair or sadness, they were something else. In a way she was relieved more than she was upset, and almost rejoiced in the thought of her husband no longer living. In using different literary elements throughout the story, Chopin conveys this to us on more than one occasion.
In the short story, 'A Pair of Silk Stockings';, by Kate Chopin, the main character, Mrs. Sommers, after finding fifteen dollars plans do things with it for her kids, and her family. However, this all changed after, buying a pair of expensive silk stockings for herself. She just totally forgets about all the nice things she was going to do with the money for her kids, for instance buy them new cloths for once in their lives. Once she put those silk stockings on, she received a small taste of the good life, and the greed and selfishness set in. She wanted more of it. So, she goes off and treats herself to things of a higher class, deep down knowing that she didn't belong where she was, for example, in the theater or going to a nice restaurant for lunch. At the end it seems that she has no recollection of her life before this day had begun. She was so wrapped up in assuming the identity of a wealthy person under false pretenses. The way that the narrator was telling the story, the main character Mrs. Sommers, both
In her story “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin (1894) uses imagery and descriptive detail to contrast the rich possibilities for which Mrs. Mallard yearns, given the drab reality of her everyday life. Chopin utilizes explicit words to provide the reader a background on Mrs. Mallard’s position. Chopin uses “She wept at once,” to describe Mrs. Mallard’s emotional reaction once she was told her husband had been “Killed.” Mrs. Mallard cared for and loved her husband; being married was the only way of life that she knew.
Mrs. Sommer’s was a wealthy woman at some time in her life before she married her husband and had children. She tries not to think about her past, as she is now in the present. She, is merely, doing the best she can. She wished her children had the finer things in life such as better clothing. The children’s clothing was nothing short of rags and tears. Children’s clothing was sewn by hand, so they didn’t
In "the story of an hour" Chopin discuss how getting married can lead you to live a life of anguish. In the beginning of the short story Mrs. Mallard revives terrible news that her husband has been recently killed, she "Wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment." This intense reaction is how society would expect her to act if your husband dies. Mrs. Mallard then goes into her bedroom to grieve alone: "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of the trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life." Seeing the open square makes her crave freedom, something she doesn't remembering having. The new spring life will eventually represent her new-found freedom and happiness. As she stares outside the window she thinks, but "It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought." She is critically thinking of what will come and what has just happened, she has not ever has to think for herself, her husband always did that for her. This is the first time her feelings start to stir, she tries to process the information more to figure out what they mean.
...that Chopin describes her eyes in this story shows elation. The author describes her joy over her husband’s death as monstrous to give the reader the idea that she feels extreme joy over an event that would normally elicit the opposite reaction in a person.