Social and Cultural Aspects in The Story of an Hour
An independent woman, Louise Mallard, receives the news that her husband had lost his life in a tragic train accident. Louise cries dramatically, as many other women would. “She wept at once, with sudden wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.” (Chopin, 15) Mrs. Mallard then went alone to her room. After the devastating news had the opportunity to sink in, she realizes that maybe this was a blessing in disguise. She saw beyond that catastrophic moment, placing herself in a time that was all hers. A new sense of like came upon her; she felt the real joy of freedom. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin, 15) “Her feelings for Brently, however, suddenly seem less important than the prospect of her bright future of freedom.” (Evans, 2) Mrs. Mallard’s response to her husband’s death leads majority of us to believe that she was an “egocentric, selfish monster” (Deneau, 1). Some of us may even ponder whether she even cared for her spouse as much as we once thought.
Today the world is engrossed with pictures of independent women lining up to vote for the first time or for the first time in a long while but that hasn’t always been a privilege. Women were considered “second class citizens.” Throughout history, women have been battling the legal and social rights that men were allowed. There has been constant interplay for equal rights between the genders and between single and married women. Growing up for females has never been a simple task. Some women have not had the opportunity to fully reach their ambitions in life.
During the time of this story, 1894, cultu...
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...d chores, while the men are still working outside the home. Although they don’t seem as strong as they once were, social and gender roles still play a major role in society today, as well as marriage.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Ninth ed. Boston, MA: (Chopin, 2000)Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 15+. Print.
Deneau, Daniel P. "Chopin's THE STORY OF AN HOUR." Explicator 61.4 (2003): 210-213. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Evans, Robert C. "Literary Contexts In Short Stories: Kate Chopin's "The Story Of An Hour." Literary Contexts In Short Stories: Kate Chopin's 'The Story Of An Hour' (2006): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web. 24 Feb. 2014
Megan Cook. 'Women’s movement - Women’s groups, 1890s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 15-Nov-12
Chopin, Kate. ?The Story of an Hour.? Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. 2nd ed. Ed. John Schlib and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin?s, 2003. 862-63.
Deneau, Daniel P. "Chopin's the Story of an Hour." The Explicator 61.4 (2003): 210-3. ProQuest. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. Vol. 2. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1991. 487. Print.
In conclusion, “The story of an hour” is a clear depiction that women status in the society determines the choices they make about their lives. In this work, Chopin depicts a woman as a lesser being without identity or voices of their own. They are expected to remain in oppressive marriages and submit to their husbands without question.
...ng fought by women today around the world. The advocacy of women’s rights in the nineteenth and twentieth century through protest, literature, and public advocacy, like the Seneca Falls Convention and the Suffragettes of the early twentieth century, helped shape society and mold it into a more desirable place for gender equality.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour”. The Seagull Reader: Stories. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. 65 – 67.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. DiYanni Robert. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986. 38-41. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
Chopin, Kate. A. “The Story of an Hour.” Baym 1609-1611.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Perrine's Literature: Structure Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010. 541. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 4th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: St. Martins, 1997. 12-15.
Kate Chopin is able to illuminate her stories with clever language and meaning. As well as an immense criticism as to how society oppresses the individual in the glorified institution of marriage. Through language, she is able to introduce the thought of deeper meanings. “The Story of an Hour” being a prime example of the individual that has a need for freedom for herself. Through symbolism and straightforward comments, the freedom that Mrs. Louisa Mallard is notable just as her marriage is oppressive.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. 261-263. Print.
Koloski, Bernard. "Kate Chopin "The Story of an Hour"" Www.katechopin.org. Kate Chopin International Society, 08 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.