Gender Roles In The Progressive Era

During the Progressive Era, many women displayed a deceitful facade when interacting amongst society. They remain respectful and dutiful to their husbands in public, as vowed through their commitment in marriage. Deep down, however, ideas of revenge towards their husbands dominated this facade. Authors Kate Chopin and Susan Glaspell produce several works throughout this era that justifyingly portray the strain between women and their male counterparts in relation to marriage and divorce. Both authors express the way gender roles were set during the Progressive Era, specifically by writing “Story of an Hour” and “Jury of Her Peers” to illustrate the freedom women wanted to achieve apart from their husbands, which reflects these individual’s morals, psychological and social awareness of self identity. In these short stories, both female protagonist’s experience a strain and imbalance in relation to their morals, while struggling with independently deciphering the difference between wrong and right. In the short story “Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard had a wicked way of processing the death of her husband. When she received the

They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.” It became evident to readers that a huge weight of stress was lifted from Mrs. Mallard’s body; therefore, it was like she could breathe freely without her husband. For her to be delighted when their husband dies validates the way she set her morals. A time period like this, many men controlled their wives for their own good. In the other short story, “Jury of her Peers,” Mrs. Minnie had morals as seeking revenge towards her husband. She owned a bird, whom she, wholeheartedly looked towards as her last chance of freedom. Her destructive husband decided to