Kate Chopin was an author born into a male dominated society in the late 1800s, who was subject to much contempt due to her writings from female perspectives. According to The Kate Chopin International Society, her first writings were called morbid, vulgar, and disagreeable, and before her death in 1904, she was not shown any respect for her work. The period that Kate Chopin was born into and experienced influenced the themes, settings, and characters in her writings. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” there is much evidence to support the claims that she wished to expose the flaws of her time, while also creating genuine literature. The opening sentence to the work is, “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble,” immediately conveying how the women of the time were …show more content…
This first line suggests that because she was a woman, she was emotionally weak, but that is soon proven to be untrue. Later in the story it is revealed that after her husbands alleged death, she was not as distraught as most would’ve believed. Kate Chopin recognizes this display of false portrayal, and reveals it in the story to readers through a woman temporarily being freed of her husband. Once Mrs. Mallard is told of her husband’s death, she is struck with grief and experiences an expected emotional reaction. Afterwards, one would expect to find a very gloomy setting to fit the death of a loved one, however, alone in her room there is absolutely no sign of death or sadness except for her own emotions. Outside her window she is presented with a blue sky, above a town brimming with activity, as well as “tops of trees that were all aquiver with new spring life” (15). This positive setting in contrast to Mrs. Mallards distress may be an extended metaphor for women living at the time, who wanted to be in control of their seemingly happy and lively lifestyles. Evidence for this can be