Male Dominance as a Consequence of a Patriarchal Society ¨You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have,¨ according to Sarah Williams. This situation embodies that of Mrs. Mallard. In ¨The Story of An Hour¨ by Kate Chopin an analysis of diction reveals male dominance as a consequence of the patriarchy.
Male dominance is an unintended consequence that shows up when one looks closer at the beginning of the story. Mrs.Mallard just receives the news about her husband’s death in a work accident. When Mrs.Mallard receives news about her husband “she {doesn't} hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.¨ The choice of words, in this case, embodies Mrs.Mallard's emotional state. Mrs. Mallard seems upset at first but later it describes her emotions as not the same as most women took the death of their husband
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Mrs.Mallard’s receives the news of the death of her husband in the beginning of the story and Mrs.Mallard says ”she could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life.”The play on words manifests Mrs. Mallard’s inner feelings, ready to start a new life without her husband. Additionally, Mrs.Mallard doesn’t seem as emotionally unstable as most would feel right after their husband had just passed away. Furthermore, Mrs. Mallard says, “Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering. The diction that is being used by Mrs.Mallard shows how she is actually feeling about the death of her husband. Mrs. Mallard feels as if she will be free now, freer than she was before since her husband’s death. This provides evidence of male dominance in a patriarchy through diction by Mrs.Mallard stating that she is ready to start a new life right after her husband passes away and the fact she states her body and soul are
She learns of her husband’s death in an accident and falsely finds a renewed joy for life as she is free from the burden of marriage. Tragically she goes to the front door as it is being opened with a key, to find Mr. Mallard still alive, causing her to die of heart
To the untrained eye, a story could be viewed one-dimensionally; a tale might only appeal to emotion while logic is left out in the cold. Equally, logic may be forgotten while emotion is heavily focused on. However, through the use of Critical Lenses, readers can begin to see greater depth in literature. As readers find connections through Critical Lenses, they become more educated on various topics, more aware of social, political, and even logical abstractions. Instead of failing to retain the intent and content of the material, they even can remember details of stories more vividly when truly examining literature rather than reading it once for entertainment (or chore).
They were trapped inside their own homes and even marriages. What woman wouldn 't feel a little joy towards the death of their husband? In the story it is said that Mrs. Mallard loves her husband “sometimes”, implying she doesn 't always feel a deep love for him. Some could say that she let out cries and wails
Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” is set in the late 1800s – a time when women were considered inferior to men. Women had traditional roles as wives and mothers. In this 19th century patriarchal society, Chopin shows us Louise Mallard, the main character, who does not comply with the female gender norms of the Victorian period. When Louise learns about the death of her husband, her reaction and the reaction of her sister and the doctor tell us a great deal about gender stereotyping during this time. Louise Mallard is described to us as “firm” and “fair.
Upon learning of her husband 's death, Mrs. Mallard realizes and starts to believe that she is now free. Free to be herself and not worrying about anyone else. She repeats the words "Free, free, free!" and feels her body come alive. Her pulse beats faster; her blood runs warmer; her eyes brighten (paragraph 11). Mrs. Mallard sees the chance to live out the rest of her days for herself; she sees the opportunity to be her own person without a husband or anybody else to care for.
Literary Analysis “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to the sudden death of her husband. Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as sad, yet happy that her husband has been killed. Kate Chopin’s “ The Story of an Hour” argues that when a person is controlled and made to live under another person their mental state of mind is affected. The story also argues that when that person is freed from the controlling person their true self can finally be achieved. Kate Chopin portrays these themes by the use of character development; plot control, and irony throughout the story.
The reader soon discovers, this feeling that comes to Mrs. Mallard is joy and relief, she feels this because she can now finally be her own person. Mrs. Mallard comes to the realization that her husband had been oppressing her for years, “There would be no powerful will bending..”, and she was finally free of that. Before the passing of her husband, Mrs. Mallard was scared of living a long life because of the treatment she received from him. After his passing she had a much different outlook, “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself.” This shows that Mrs. Mallard was excited to now live her own life without being told what she was to do.
Mallard, has just been informed that her Husband, Mr. Mallard has passed away. Though Mrs. Mallard feels sorrow, she soon discovers the bright future she will lead with the absence of her antagonizing husband. She begins to think of all the things she will be able to do, that she was restrained from by her husband for so long. It's almost as if at that very moment, a burden was taken from her, and she could finally move on with her life. In the end, her husband returns and the shock of losing her precious future vanishes, causing Mrs. Mallard to have a stroke, and ultimately dying.
Through her husband’s death, Louise Mallard saw a new life for herself and freedom from her body and spirit. Even though it doesn’t show how Mr. Mallard oppressed Louise, there are hints throughout the story that suggests how they both oppressed each other. The author used death to symbolize freedom and happiness instead of fear, grief or sorrow. After hearing the news about her husband, Mrs. Mallard went to her room and we can see how the atmosphere of the story changes by reflecting how Louise is feeling as soon as she enters the room. For example, “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life.
Throughout the story readers can see Mrs. Mallard being characterized through the ironic events. The story says, “And yet she had loved him - sometimes. Often she had not” (8). This shows how Mrs. Mallard cares for her husband but doesn’t enjoy the power he carries over her, which nobody in the story realizes. “She arose at length and opened the door to her sister’s importunities.
Mrs. Mallard’s actions cause the readers to contemplate a hidden meaning woven into the story line. Mr. Mallard is assumed to die in a railroad accident, leaving Mrs. Mallard devastated. Instead of feeling sadness or grief, Mrs. Mallard actually feels free. "There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature" (Page 499).
Further, situational irony is present through the reaction that Louise Mallard has after learning about her husband’s death. Upon first learning of her husband’s death she is very devastated and distraught. As soon as she is alone in the bathroom however, it is clear to the readers she is not as upset. In fact she is slightly relieved in that “she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome” (235).
When Richard’s heard the news of her husband’s death, he assumed Mrs. Mallard would be devastated. While everyone knew Mrs. Mallard was “afflicted with heart trouble” (57), him and her sister, Josephine, wanted to give her the news with “great care” (57). Josephine broke the news to Mrs. Mallard in “broken sentences”
In the beginning of the story, she heard the news of her husband’s death in train accident from her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend, Richard. She was shocked by the news and showed sad feelings in the story. However, when I was reading through the story, I could infer that Mallard had a terrible marriage life with her husband because the story later said that Mallard was happy because she had freedom. In the beginning of the story, she was shocked and sad but later on, she was happy because of in dependence. These evidences prove that she is a dynamic character.
Throughout the story the reader can see that independence for a woman is a forbidden pleasure that can only be imagined privately. Mrs. Millard finds out from her sister that her husband died she “wept at once… when