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Gender roles during the 19th century
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Gender roles in the nineteenth century
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Even with the advancement of women in society, their roles and societal expectations have not changed. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” are two stories with varied elements set in different periods in history, that show the role society has deemed as belonging to women. "The Story of an Hour" was written in the year 1894, almost a century before Kincaid wrote "Girl". However, despite the large gap in the times of the authors, a common theme emerges and that is the theme of the oppression of women and the role they are expected to assume in society. During the nineteenth century, Chopin’s era, women were not allowed to vote, attend school or even hold some jobs. A woman’s role was to get married, have children …show more content…
“The Story of an Hour” was set in the era when women were expected to just be caretakers and nothing else while the story “Girl” is set in a more modern era when women were allowed to take on jobs outside of the home. Yet the expectations of women stay the same. The stories are set in different generations. It is stated that Mrs. Mallard is relatively young but she is still married and is in a different part of her lifecycle than the girl. The girl is an adolescent, not yet an adult yet she is facing the same crisis that an adult woman would face. The stories also differ in the culture and social backgrounds of the characters. Based on Chopin’s background, her characters are more or likely Creole, white, living in the south and relatively well-off. The mother and daughter in “Girl” are from a Caribbean island, black and not very wealthy. However they are both still exposed to societal roles for women. During the hundred years that separate the stories much has changed for women in the fact that they have the freedom to vote, to get an education and to work yet both Mrs. Mallard and the daughter in “Girl” seem desperate for the same freedom; the freedom to be who they want to be without society dictating
To appreciate the full impact of what Chopin was conveying to her readers in “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”, one must first understand that women of the time had virtually no civil rights, and upon getting married, actually lost the few rights they did enjoy. A single woman could own land, pay property taxes, and enter into legal agreements. Those rights were rescinded the moment she said, “I do”. To be a wife, was to be owned, body and soul, by a man.
The Story of An Hour was published in Vogue on December 6, 1894. This was a time in history when the roles of men and women were well defined. The men ruled their wives and the marriage; women did not have their own identity or freedom. Kate Chopin was writing from experience. Her husband died when she was in her early 30’s, thus giving her the freedom and independent identity she longed for. After the death of her husband, Chopin raised their six children and never remarried. Chopin portrays Mrs. Mallard as the typical nineteenth-century woman who changes into a joyful freed soul when she is mistakenly told her husband died in a railroad accident. Mrs. Mallard quickly embraces the idea of being free and unlocks herself from her room when her sister calls her by her first name. Louise Mallard gains her own identity, no longer constrained by the bounds of marriage. Chopin makes certain to inform the reader that Louise now carried herself like “a goddess of Victory” because she was no longer married. Chopin’s narrator reflects on all of the wonderful and positive aspects of single life for Louise. Yet, Mrs. Mallard gives little thought or praise for the institution of
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
Women in the 1800s and 1900s have been oppressed by the stereotypes of what it is they are supposed to be. They are to marry young and have children with their husband. They are to take care of the young and perform household chores. They are supposed to love their spouse unconditionally. Kate Chopin challenges this view often in her writing. One of her short stories, “The Story of an Hour” sends a message that women should seek individuality as much as men through her use of rhetorical devices.
Women have traditionally been known as the less dominant sex. They have been stereotyped as being housewives, and bearers and nurturers of the children. Many interesting characters in literature are conceived from the tension women have faced with men. This tension is derived from men, society, and within a woman herself. Even though these stories were written during the 19th century when modern society treated women as second class citizens, in “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin illustrates how feminine power manifests when the female characters are able to discover their freedom.
For women, the 19th century was a time of inequality, oppression, and inferiority to their male counterparts. A woman's social standing depended solely on her marital status. For these reasons many women were forced to lead a life of solitude and emotional inadequacy, often causing depression. In Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," setting plays a significant role in illustrating the bittersweet triumph of Mrs. Mallard's escape from oppression at the ironic cost of her life.
Kate Chopin is a phenomenal writer, with two published novels and over one hundred short stories, not only does her writing style keep the reader intrigued, but also the setting, dialect, and history behind her work tell a story all its own. Chopin uses contrast in her writing "The Story of an Hour" through the hints about the quality of Mr. And Mrs. Mallard 's marriage, Mrs. Mallards emotions toward her husband 's death, and Mrs. Mallards death to emphasize her theme of gender roles in a time when women had no rights.
In the short story, “Girl,” the narrator describes certain tasks a woman should be responsible for based on the narrator’s culture, time period, and social standing. This story also reflects the coming of age of this girl, her transition into a lady, and shows the age gap between the mother and the daughter. The mother has certain beliefs that she is trying to pass to her daughter for her well-being, but the daughter is confused by this regimented life style. The author, Jamaica Kincaid, uses various tones to show a second person point of view and repetition to demonstrate what these responsibilities felt like, how she had to behave based on her social standing, and how to follow traditional customs.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour,” Mrs. Mallard, burdened with “heart problems,” grieves deeply after hearing of her husband’s death in a railroad disaster. After receiving time to herself, Mrs. Mallard recognizes now that since her husband is dead, she would finally be “Free, free, free!” (Chopin 180) Soon after daydreaming of her new found freedom, Mrs. Mallard perishes at the sight of her living husband. Without a doubt, Mrs. Mallard was emotionally and physically drained by her repressive marriage. During a time when women had limited abilities due to their sex, authors like Kate Chopin influenced many women to stand up and cry out for their freedom. This movement for women’s rights heightened in the late 19th century, around the same time “The Story of An Hour” was published. Story after story, Chopin relates her characters trials to current issues and explains her own desire to escape from gender roles and
“The Story of an Hour” expresses the difficulties of being a women in the late 1800’s in South America due to the issues of gender inequalities. This story, written by Kate Chopin, who was a married woman in late 1800’s, provides the perspective of a young married women who has limited freedom and is largely controlled by her husband. Throughout this story gender norms are clearly displayed in different ways. One clear example is when Mrs. Mallard, the protagonist, is expected to act a specific way when she hears the news of her dead husband, yet she feels the extreme opposite. The narrator then does a great job of expressing the reality of how Mrs. Mallard is truly feeling and uses that as a way to express the control as a conflict. The outcome
Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour. Kate Chopin was a Victorian writer whose writing manifests her life experiences. She was not happy with the principles of the time, because women had fewer rights, and they were not considered equal to men. Afraid of segregation from society, people lived in a hypocritical world full of lies; moreover, Kate Chopin was not afraid of segregation, and used her writing as a weapon against oppression of the soul.
Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour does much more than tell a tale of a woman who finds relief after her husband’s death. She allows us to realize what women felt and thought. Chopin, is able to communicate to a 21st century audience, that women then just like women today wished to fulfill a purpose in life. 19th century societal norms would have shunned the idea of women freely expressing their desire for utility outside of the home in form of story Chopin is able to hint at the idea even in this time period.
Women rights has flourished this past decade. They have came a long way to get to where they are today. For instance, our nation is on the verge to having our very first female president. The amount of feminist accomplishments that has occurred further highlights the transition our women’s rights today compared to back then. “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, an American writer best known for her feminist stories about the lives of daring women, portrays women’s lack of freedom in the 1800s by addressing the concerns of feminism. Those including the escape from the husband’s identity to express the woman’s own unique identity and the right of women to be their own person by experiencing her own interest. In spite of the fact that there is a controversial aspect to the story, the reaction Mrs. Mallard experiences after learning her husband’s death, the reader can still empathize and
Kate Chopin, author of “The Story of an Hour” written in 1894 was the first author who emphasized strongly on femininity in her work. In the short story, Chopin writes about freedom and confinement Chopin is an atypical author who confronts feminist matter years before it was assumed. The time period that she wrote in women were advertised as a man’s property. The main idea in the short story is to illustrate that marriage confines women. In “The Story of an Hour” the author creates an intricate argument about freedom and confinement Mrs. Louise Mallard longing for freedom, but has been confined for so long freedom seems terrible. Mrs. Mallard wife of Brently Mallard instantly feels free when her husband dies. The reason she feels this way
Kate Chopin, an U.S author of many short stories and novels in the late nineteenth Century. Most of her best-known work focuses on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women in the old strict society. “The Story Of An Hour” is one of her short fiction, which was written in 1894 (Shmoop Editorial Team). This fiction story makes the reader curious through its title, also the setting is reasonable for situation happens, in addition the unexpected ending is one of the factors make the story more interesting.