Story Of An Hour And Oppression Essay

“I raise up my voice-not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” As stated by Malala Yousafza. Kate Chopin, an American feminist of the 20th century, takes a stand against feminism and uses her short story “The Story of an Hour” to call attention to the fact that women were oppressed in their marriages in the late 1800’s. Feminism refers to a broad range of ideas, approaches, and philosophies directed toward justifying equality for woman. It is a movement that seeks to achieve social rights for women in all key areas of life including marriages. Dating back to the late 1800’s woman would not dare to disobey their husband’s authority because of the patriarchal lifestyle that many women suffered from.

Chopin, an American feminist of the 20th century, takes a stand against feminism and uses this short story to call attention to this topic. The main character of this short story is named Louise Mallard, a young woman who suffers from heart trouble. The very first thing to happen in the story is that she is informed of her husband 's death from her sister Josephine. Initially Mrs. Mallard was emotional, but over time she reaped freedom and became swept away with joy. The story then takes a turn when she is informed that her husband was not dead, and instead of her being rejoiced of her husband 's return she regrets abandoning her moment of freedom and dies from a heart attack. “The Story of an Hour” takes a feminist approach, revealing women’s lack of identity and agency because of the patriarchal, male-dominated society of the 1800s. She highlights the oppressive nature of marriage as an institution and how only by escaping the confines of marriage, either through the death of their husband or their own death, can women find freedom and a sense of