Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin Essay

In Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of An Hour,” Chopin criticizes the subjugation of women from their husbands in the late 19th century. She tells of a woman, Louise Mallard, who had just heard news that her husband had died in a railroad accident. It initially started out with Louise heavily grieving the death of her husband and being exceedingly saddened by the fact. Indications of the anguish Louise was going through was described as “...young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes…” However; when she realized her husband will be gone forever, she quickly became ecstatic and understood that she can finally live for herself and not him. She continues

It beginnings with Truth speaking of her personal experiences, all of which were relatable to the black women of the time. She explains that nobody ever lifted her over ditches or helped her into carriages, even though the norm was for men to escort women wherever they were. Additionally, when most of her children were sold off to slavery, nobody was there but Jesus to condole her. The next subject Truth speaks of is the relation of intellect to social equity. She states that the level of intellect a woman has doesn’t have any relation to the rights of women and African Americans, that they should have equal treatment even without an education. Truth then talks about the effects of religious beliefs on sexism. Typically, men would say that women shouldn’t have the rights as them because Jesus was a man. She makes the argument that, even though Jesus was a man, he was created through God and a woman, with man having nothing to do with Jesus’ birth. Finishing off her topics, Truth says that if a woman was strong enough to turn the world upside down, women could turn it back upright again if men let