ipl-logo

A Story In An Hour Feminist Analysis Essay

1575 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women in the 20th century america

The story “A Story in an Hour” was written by Kate Chopin, a recently recognized feminist writer. In this short story we find four characters, the protagonist Louise Mallard a women with heart problems that cannot get overly excited or extremely sad situations. Brently Mallard Louise’s husband, a kind and loving man. Josephine Louise’s sister cares very deeply about her sister and helps Louise with her heart problems. Finally Richards, he is Brently’s friend he is present during one of Louise’s, supposedly, difficult moments. This supposedly difficult moment for Louise in the story is the news of Brently Mallard, her husband, death in a train accident. At first she sobbed as any wife would after hearing the death of their loved one. She picks …show more content…

There was this stereotype for women in the past were they were characterized as weak, domestic, social., dependent, pure, timid, not sensual an emotional, susceptible to hysteria. This stereotype meant that the role of women in society was mostly to marry young to become a wife and be financially supported by her husband. All these women were bound to the property law which stipulated that a married women did not have a separate legal existence from her husband. A married woman was to stay home and focus on caring for their husband, children and the house, this was considered as the ideal American society. Motherhood was the highest calling a women could aspire in that period. A married woman was a dependent, like an underage child or a slave, and could not own property in her own name, she could not sue or sign contracts on her own. As the years passed, in 1980, this ideal of women evolved a bit, married women stayed the same but single women started getting jobs, but people viewed single women with pity and scorn. Women with minimal skills took jobs in factories. Women with some level of education found jobs as nurses or teachers and some office jobs were available to women who showed proper manners and

Show More
Related
1184 Words | 5 Pages

Someone who will cherish them for all eternity. In a close examination of the way Louise Mallard, the protagonist of “The Story of an Hour”, and Delia, the protagonist of “Sweat”, react to their encounters with their marriages demonstrates that authors Kate Chopin and Zora Neale Hurston both use short stories to tell similar stories about the difficulties of their emotional states in their marriages. First, it is seen that Louise Mallard is an unchanging character who values her freedom from her marriage. Throughout the story it becomes obvious how self-centered Louise Mallard is.

Read More
775 Words | 4 Pages

Women wanted to obtain college degrees, they wanted to do something different for themselves. The new woman was characterized for their free spirit, and way to think. The new women came to be defined as a

Read More
635 Words | 3 Pages

The stereotypical view of women is that they should have multiple children, clean, cook, and be obedient. Women had no authority or independence, women who were married couldn’t own property, or work unless given permission from their

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

Mallard, and the girlfriend want to communicate how they feel and do not want to be constrained. Chopin was a feminist which encouraged her to write The Story of an Hour. Women do not want to feel possessed and want to be self-asserted (Chopin, 2004). Women are told to respect their marriages and must abide to society. Mrs. Mallard feels free of duties when she understands that her husband has deceased.

Read More
755 Words | 4 Pages

Many stories use these elements of writing, strong symbolism appeals the senses and explains the strength of the emotions the character is experiencing. There is a lot of strong symbolism and imagery in this story that also goes along with situational and dramatic irony which both appear in the story. When Brentley Mallard ends up being alive at the end would be the situational irony because it was the opposite of what happened, even though it was foreshadowed he was not dead. The dramatic irony is her dying of “joy”. These literary elements lead to the theme of freedom that Louise was

Read More
632 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
940 Words | 4 Pages

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates the personal growth of the dynamic protagonist Louise Mallard, after hearing news of her husband’s death. The third-person narrator telling the story uses deep insight into Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions as she sorts through her feelings after her sister informs her of her husband’s death. During a Character analysis of Louise Mallard, a reader will understand that the delicate Mrs. Mallard transforms her grief into excitement over her newly discovered freedom that leads to her death. As Mrs. Mallard sorts through her grief she realizes the importance of this freedom and the strength that she will be able to do it alone.

Read More
1200 Words | 5 Pages

In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, after hearing the news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard’s emotions did not portray sadness or despair instead she was relieved and rejoiced. Even though Mrs. Mallard admits that her husband was kind and loving, she feels joy after hearing the news of her husband’s death that she will no longer be known as Mrs. Mallard. Although it was acknowledged in the story that Louise Mallard loved Bentley Mallard, we can tell by the statement “had never looked save with love upon her,” (Chopin, 1894), the favor was not returned. The main theme we see in this story is the oppression of marriage. Death of her husband shows that Mrs. Mallard finally has freedom.

Read More
1096 Words | 5 Pages

Every person has the right to be and feel free. They have the right to be independent and live happily. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour,” focuses on sixty minutes in the life of a young Mrs. Mallard. Upon learning of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard experiences a revelation about her future without a husband. Her life, due to heart problems, suddenly ends after she unexpectedly finds out her husband is actually alive.

Read More
1054 Words | 5 Pages

The Everlasting Symbols of Irony “When the Doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - - of the joy that kills.” (Chopin 4). The Story of an Hour is a short story published by Kate Chopin that consists of a woman who was diagnosed with a heart disease and appears to present a rather complex relationship with her husband who was presumed to be killed in a work-based accident.

Read More
913 Words | 4 Pages

‘Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door—you will make yourself ill.’ said Louis”(Chopin). It is ironic that Josephine is so worried about Mrs. Mallard when in reality she is in her room dreaming of how her new life will be. The short story is rather entertaining because you have to think past what the author writes, and create for yourself your own depiction of what the meaning is.

Read More
737 Words | 3 Pages

Women wanted to work and pursue jobs just like men did, except women couldn 't work. Based of their sex and gender people thought women needed to be a stay at home, homemaker. They thought that they needed to

Read More
1267 Words | 6 Pages

Kate Chopin is the author of the most popular short story "The Story of an Hour". Chopin paints a bleak picture of marriage in this story. It is a short story focusing on a young married woman of the late nineteenth century as she reacts to the news that her husband has died in a train accident. The story was written in a time period when women did not really have right to express their feeling and desire. Women were supposed to stay home and take care of the family whereas the husbands went out to work.

Read More
953 Words | 4 Pages

The Short Story The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin explores the emotions of Louise Mallard a woman with a heart disease. In the hour that the story is told, it ranges from showing Mrs. Mallard different reactions to learning of her husbands death to him surprisingly showing up alive and eventually her untimely death from a heart disease. Although only a brief period of time is shown, many emotions are revealed through the third person omniscient point of view. This point of view shows more than just the protagonists thoughts and is not limited to one person. It allows the readers to know something about Mrs. Mallard that she does not as the story ends after Mrs. Mallard has already died.

Read More
1346 Words | 6 Pages

The story of an Hour Critical Analysis through a Psychological Perspective using both Freud and Lacan’s theory approach. In the beginning of the story, the Chopin informs the audience of Mrs. Mallard serious heart condition. Her friends and family were worried how to break the news to her of her husband’s death. After giving it much thought Mrs. Mallard was given the news as gently as possible of her husband’s death.

Read More

More about A Story In An Hour Feminist Analysis Essay

Related Topics

Open Document