Motherhood Vs. Mallard's Story Of An Hour

Women have been traditionally considered as the less dominant sex. Throughout history the gender has had to fight for an equal level of existence to be considered equal to or better than the male sex. Since the 1800’s strives have been made in equal rights, voting power, workforce roles and even earning potential to help women reach a point where society views them as equals to men. Even today, after these accomplishments women still have to fight society’s perceptions and stereotypes such as the housewife, child bearer and the general role of a fragile defenseless being. This fight is sometimes more evident in marriage where tensions and struggles are greater because of the suppose role of the husband as the provider; the man of the house

However, in the “Story of an Hour”, the mere unmentioned presence of a child in the Mallard’s home, it can be assumed that the absence of a child contributed to the unhappiness of the couple. In addition, women were supposed to be passive responders to men's decisions, actions, and needs. The true place of a woman was her home; females were uniquely suited to raise children, care for the needs of their men and devote their lives to create a nurturing home environment. However, the tensions between old and new, traditional and untraditional were great during the last years of the nineteenth century and the debate grew among male and female writers of the era as to what a woman’s role should

She developed her feminist ideals through her novels, short stories and nonfiction books such as Women and Economics. Charlotte Perkins Gilman is best known for her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” which is based on her own experiences after being diagnosed as a hysteric and prescribed a “rest cure” which prohibited her from writing. (Beekman) However, “The Yellow Wallpaper” is more than a case study in mental illness or a horror story; it is a story of a dominant/submissive relationship between husband and wife. John, the narrator's husband, never takes her seriously this is evident in the beginning of the story when she says "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that” (Gilman 345). Anytime the narrator would make a suggestion for her recovery, John would give her a "stern reproachful look” (Gilman 350). Although the narrator feels desperate, her husband tells her that there is no reason for her to feel like that and dismisses her completely. It is obvious that in this marriage John is a dominating husband and he expects his wife to trust him entirely, so she doesn’t have a saying. Moreover, she is a typical nineteenth century submissive wife and her “What is one to do?” (Gilman 345) statement means that she has no authority or control over her life. Although she exhibits submissive traits, the idea of resting is not