Louise Mallard Legacy

Women’s rights are one of the most important issues modern society has to deal with. Nowadays, equal rights are claimed through literature, speeches and many artistic creations. However, this issue was not common talk between the 19th and 20th century. Women did not have any legal rights against their husband. Nevertheless, some female authors tried to claim their identity, as well as their freedom, by describing their feelings and struggles. Thus, this is exactly what Chopin did with The Story of an Hour, and Woolf with The Legacy. Still, while both Louise Mallard and Angela Clandon are misunderstood in their marriages, Louise seeks independence while Angela wants to invest herself in another relationship.

In The Story of an Hour, Chopin narrates the story of Louise Mallard, a woman who seems to have been trapped in a marriage where she couldn’t be true to herself. Her opinion did not really mattered for her husband. According to Chopin’s physical description of Mrs. Mallard, she had ‘’ a calm face, whose lines bespoke repression ‘’ (p.1). Therefore, it’s clear that Brently

Even though she loved her husband at first, Angela quickly became tired of this relationship, which was not sane. However, she did not want to quit her husband because divorce was not socially accepted at that time. She conceives Gilbert as a father, always trying to impress him, as proved in the following citation: ‘’ I plucked courage and talked to Gilbert at last. He was so kind, so good ‘’ (p.4). Usually, you don’t describe your loved one as “good” because he was able to understand your point of view. Thus, it seems like she was trying to make him proud, which is not a sane way to please a husband. Moreover, Angela’s lover was also trying to own her in a certain way. He wanted her to quit her husband and to come and live with