The Story Of An Hour Freedom Of Oppression - 1014 Words

The Story of an Hour: Freedom of Oppression Written by Kate Chopin in 1894, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† gives us a glimpse into the past where women were without many legal or fiscal rights. Men were the head of the household and took care of all â€Å"domestic affairs.† (128) In the first part of the story, Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s supposed death. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment. (128) As she shuts herself away into her room to contemplate the news she had just heard, there is a sense of fear. Perhaps fear of independence? She was waiting for it, fearfully. Throughout â€Å"The Story of an Hour† there is a central theme of freedom that Chopin presents but also a theme of oppression which has now seemingly been lifted by the death of Louise’s husband. Mrs. Mallard has long been oppressed and caged from her freedom as many women were back in the years of patriarchal code. The protagonist in â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, Louise Mallard, seems bitter and cynica l when thinking of her prospects of unhappy marriage to Mr. Mallard. Evidence of this characterization is suggested quite a few times throughout the story. â€Å"And yet she had loved him, sometimes. Often she had not† (129) is where we find out that, at least on Louise’s side, the marriage wasn’t exactly one filled with love. This was quite common for the time period where marriage was a requirement in society rather than marrying for one’s happiness or true love. Another example of Louise Mallard’s bitternessShow MoreRelatedThe Oppression of Wives in Chopins The Story of an Hour and Gillmans The Yellow Wallpaper961 Words   |  4 Pagescontrolling. This would lead to the demise of their wives. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gillman the husband’s insistence upon control, leaves their wives longing for the freedom of simple expression. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† illustrates how the husband is the controlling figure in the marriage. The two short stories also expose how the oppression put on them by their husband leaves the women unfulfilled and unhappyRead MoreMaya Angelou And Still I Rise897 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and the poem â€Å"Still I Rise† Kate Chopin and Maya Angelou have explored the theme of oppression in a variety of different ways. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is a short story based around how dramatically things can change within the space of an hour and how this can affect your life in the short period of time. Within the hour Mr Mallard is presumed dead in a railroad disaster, resulting in Mrs Mallard short lived ‘freedom’ after years of being oppressed, before soon learning thatRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper And The Story Of An Hour Analysis983 Words   |  4 PagesCharlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† both take place primarily in domestic spaces representative of the attitudes and feelings of each character. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† tells the story of a young woman’s decent into depression and madness, commonly attributed to the excessive and unnecessary control her husband exerts over her. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† delves into the conflicted mind of a young woman after hearing the news of her husband’s death and herRead More Freedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin1202 Words   |  5 PagesFreedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin are two feminist works in which liberation is the overlying theme. Both of the main characters achieve freedom from their husbands oppression in these short stories; however, freedom is only achieved through insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper and death in The Story of an Hour. The womenRead MoreThe Cult Of Domesticity By Charlotte Perkins Gilman And Kate Chopin Essay972 Words   |  4 Pageswrite â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† (1892) and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† (1894), respectively. Each story is an allegory that spotlights female oppression by patriarchal authority and the struggles of women to attain liberty from this oppression. Although these short stories share the same themes, they are told from different points of view. â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† is a narrative told from the first person point of view. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is a short story told from a third person point of view. BothRead MoreComparison of the Yellow Wallpaper, Story of an Hour, and Gaslight960 Words   |  4 Pagesyearned for expression and have found this through various artistic outlets. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin, and the 1944 Film Gaslight are three artistic works that relay feminist themes in a unique way. These three works differ in certain aspects, but all ultimately embody the same underlying theme of the oppression and liberation. While reflecting many similarities, these three works diverge in a few core areas, particularly in the artisticRead MoreComparing the Yellow Wallpaper Story of an Hour1255 Words   |  6 PagesGilman and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin are two short stories that can today be categorized as feminist works of fiction. The main characters are females who are struggling for freedom from their husbands. Although the characters situations differ and the women react differently once they are aware of their suppression, the authors use similar motifs, imagery and themes. Both Gilman and Chopin use irony and the themes of repression of women in marriage and the importance of freedom to suggestRead MoreAnalysis Of `` The Chrysanthemums `` And Chopin s `` The Story Of An Hour ``1054 Words   |  5 Pagesand Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† show their reader two women stifled in the lives they lead. Specifically, the institution of marriage has left them feeling oppressed in irrevocable ways. In each story, the woman is presented with a moment of release, only to have it dashed shortly thereafter. While â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† features a smaller moment, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† allows the reader to examine how this oppression can affect a woman when taken to its extreme. Both stories offer a view of howRead MoreAnalysis Of Kate Chopin s Story Of An Hour993 Words   |  4 PagesIrony in â€Å"Story of an Hour† In Kate Chopin’s short story â€Å"Story of an Hour†, Irony, or the expression of meaning that traditionally indicates the contrary of what is expected, plays a huge role in deciphering the theme and underlying motifs of the story that takes the reader through the hour of Mrs. Mallard’s life after her husband supposedly dies. Through Irony, Kate Chopin effectively portrays the forbidden joy of independence (SparkNotes Editors). The theme is portrayed by the author’s emphasisRead MoreSymbolism Of The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin945 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† In her piece â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Kate Chopin uses several symbols to bring Louise Mallard’s dramatic hour to life, as well as the themes of freedom and disillusionment that come with marriage and life. Chopin used Mrs. Mallard’s heart trouble, the open window and spring life, and her final descent down the stairs that led to her death to show that Louise’s marriage to Brently was suffocating her free spirit and decreasing her quality of life. These main symbols