The Necklace And Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

The 19th Century is on record as one where male dominance and authoritarianism was the order of the day. Women were mainly passive and subservient. However, towards the end of the century, women started questioning their assigned roles and responded swiftly to the sex battle that was common during that period in a number of ways. They revolted and wanted to take action aimed at changing the perspective of the society. These women showed that they wanted more from life and had different aspirations than what was give to them at the time. This can be seen clearly in two different stories that were written in the 19th century; "The Story of an Hour" written by Kate Chopin a prominent female writer of that time, and "The Necklace" written by Guy de Maupassant a male writer of that time. In both these stories ana analysis is done on the role of women and

There emerged female authored literature that addressed exuberance and despair. It brought to the fore the dreams of victory and the defeat of violence. This is well illustrated in the fiction of Kate Chopin, one of the top American authors of the 19th Century. According to Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar who were literary critics, the oscillation between despair and extremes of exuberance is well depicted in Kate Chopin’s literature “The Story of an Hour” (Robinson).

In order to be able to fully understand Chopin’s message, readers must envision the tradition of the Victorian society in which Kate lived. This was a society that clearly defined the gender role. Looking at Louse Mallard, one of the characters in the book, the author uses a woman who suddenly discovered a new life after the death of her husband. Ironically, Kate depicts Louise’s independence as a doomed fantasy because such freedom was actually unrealistic for the 19th Century woman.

In this book, Chopin clearly outlines the importance of a woman’s identity other than her main role as a man’s wife