Freedom: the core ideal of countless political systems and philosophical doctrines around the world. In literature, the same is also true. Being free is such a widespread concept throughout the literary world, that nearly any story read would contain freedom as an underlying theme. Both authors and readers seem to love the idea of being free, as it is portrayed as a universal theme in many well-known stories such as “The Story of an Hour,” “Bartelby the Scrivener,” and the “A&P.” Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a prime example of how being free is a universal theme in literature.
In the short story “The Story of an Hour”, By Kate Choplin was about a main character named Louise Mallard, who had a tremendous change in her life. The open window and the independence Louise Mallard is experiencing is a forbidden pleasure that represents her way of new life and opportunity. The life of Louise Mallard was always been in control by his husband and she never gets any freedom until the news she receive about the death of his husband Brentley Mallard. Mrs. Mallard reaction to the death of her husband was “She wept at once,” this describe how she felt when they told her about his husband was “killed” (Para 2, Line 6), she felt as she was hopeless and not herself anymore and that she will always be the wife material of Brentley Mallard.
Social, intellectual, and economic restrictions of the late nineteenth century left women without sovereignty. Women typically suffered under the rule of fathers and brothers before marriage and in subservience to their husbands after marriage. Women had few property rights, no voting rights, and no educational rights. Women essentially remained children throughout their lives. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” center around two such women.
Antisocial Edna While being social and part of a community is incorporated in humanity, it is also enjoyable to spend some alone time away from distractions and reflect. This characteristic can be seen in The Awakening with the main protagonist Edna who gravitates toward privacy. Edna longs to be an independent, strong woman and associates this belief with being alone and on her own. Edna is often involved in activities with others where she chooses to seclude herself from the group. Kate Chopin accentuates this aspect of Edna through her actions, but especially through her relations with Robert.
The central conflicts of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” share internal conflicts in which the protagonists struggle between their dreams of freedom and the expectations placed on them by society. While, in the end, this struggle leads both stories in different
The Dark Contrast Between Unconditional and Conditional Love Mistreatment, manipulation, and lack of unconditional love much like they were prevalent themes in the antebellum era when author Kate Chopin existed, happen more and more everyday in relationships and marriages. During these two era’s a relationships could only exist within the same race, two different cultures were not allowed to be together. Kate Chopin introduces a theme of gender bias to exhibit obvious contrast between types of love portraying a message to the reader, through her use of symbolism and irony, that proves Desiree’s unconditional love for Armond and his lack of unconditional love for his wife and child. Armand, a great man in the beginning of the story, his male superiority showed and he mistreated Desiree as the story progressed.
Chopin explore the problems that married women have in asserting their independent in the 19th century. The story define a women existence is beneath the men in the 19th century. The status of women in the 19th century they were oppressed by their obligation of being a good wife and mother. Mrs. Mallard was eager to get rid of the fetter and to regain her freedom, mentally and physically. Mrs. Mallards unwillingness to be trapped in a marriage that is suffocating demonstrate he willingness to be happy to find her freedom at any cost where the awaiting for society to change.
The story of an hour written by Kate Choplin was written around a time when women didn’t have rights and weren’t as respected. Kate Choplin born in 1805, died at 1904 was had spent her life writing about her experiances at the time with woman independence. In The story of and hour, the main character Mrs. Mallard has heart problems and was receiving horrible news that her husband has passed away in an accident but while wanting to be alone she starts to think of the positive ways that this will affect her.
In this literary analysis we will be comparing and contrasting to short stories. The two we will discuss are The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and The Interlopers by Saki. Both are stories that have great examples of irony and foreshadowing but are different in many ways. We will discuss the setting, time, and characters in each of the stories to give us a clear look into how each stories is different.
In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, after hearing the news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard’s emotions did not portray sadness or despair instead she was relieved and rejoiced. Even though Mrs. Mallard admits that her husband was kind and loving, she feels joy after hearing the news of her husband’s death that she will no longer be known as Mrs. Mallard. Although it was acknowledged in the story that Louise Mallard loved Bentley Mallard, we can tell by the statement “had never looked save with love upon her,” (Chopin, 1894), the favor was not returned. The main theme we see in this story is the oppression of marriage. Death of her husband shows that Mrs. Mallard finally has freedom.
Furthermore, people can learn more from “Emancipation” than they can from Boy’s Life. According to Chopin, “Back to his corner but not to rest, for the spell of the Unknown was over him, and again and again he goes out the open door, seeing each time more Light.” The author shows us
In the article, “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin an American writer states, “She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her” (Chopin 517). Implying that she felt the joy of grasping her freedom. This particular statement interests me the most since I know the moment of feeling free. To clarify, having permission was a huge deal for my parents, until the end of high school. Realizing how much I matured, they let me express my freedom without restrictions, resulting me to be free as Mrs. Mallard.
The Joy of Death “Death is the wish of some, the relief of many, and the end of all.” Such is the way of life for Louise Mallard. Mrs. Mallard, although she does not wish for her husband’s death, feels a sense of relief when she hears that her husband has been killed in a railroad accident. She imagines her newly found free life where she can be herself and find happiness. In Kate Chopin’s shocking short story “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin portrays domestic life as zapping the protagonist’s spirit, physical strength, and reality.
The story also argues that freedom is a very powerful force that affects the mental or emotional state of a person. Chopin argues that only through death can one be finally freed. The author makes strong, yet subtle statements towards humanity and women’s rights. Through subtle symbolism, Kate Chopin demonstrates how marriage is more like a confining role of servitude rather than a
The irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” enhances the protagonist’s situation by revealing a deeper meaning. The quote, “She had loved him - sometimes. Often she did not. What did it matter!”
