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Theme Of Freedom In Literature

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Authors write stories sometimes based on their beliefs, despite conflicting influences like society or normalities of eras. Because of this, their themes can be quite straightforward and based on the time period. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” and Susan Glaspell's “A Jury of Her Peers,” the female protagonists have the craving for freedom from their state of living; this passion of freedom shapes their environment and influences on the people they love and on their own self. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” the main protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, suddenly realizes that she has the potential to be free after hearing the statement of her husband’s death. This sudden epiphany causes …show more content…

The protagonists, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, as they try to find out the truth behind Minnie Foster’s prosecution for murdering her husband by strangling him. As they learn more, they start to realize that Minnie wanted to be free from the home, from her responsibilities, but most importantly, from the man who constantly oppressed her and her thoughts and dreams, due to just being a woman. Both Hale and Peters slowly find out the truth behind the accusation of Minnie and what could have happened with context clues like the quilt and the bird. With their discoveries, it it evident that the women still follow social norms as it is evident in their conversations. “‘My!’ she began in a high, false voice, “it’s a good thing the men couldn’t hear us! Getting all stirred up over a little thing like a —dead canary.” She hurried over that. “As if that could have anything to do with—with—My, wouldn’t they laugh? . . . ‘Maybe they would,’ muttered Mrs. Hale—’maybe they wouldn’t.’” (Glaspell 18) Mrs. Hale is slowly becoming aware of their subjugation due to Mrs. Peters obliviousness to it. Because of this, Hale quickly convinces Peters to help her cover Minnie’s motives to save her from the effects of her crime because they want one thing for her: freedom; the freedom, in which, they cannot have due to the men they reside with. Both the protagonists showed the want in Minnie Foster’s heart and mind that freedom would be the only want to be herself. Because of this, it led her to become free from the house and her husband, but not the consequences of what she did to achieve

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The scene begins to unfolds in their minds. Mr. Wright yanking open the cage door, taking out the bird, and breaking its fragile neck was enough to make Mrs. Wright lash out, and in a heat of passion, kill her husband. As the trifles collect,  the women worry that the men will see their findings, and have what they need to prove Mrs. Wright guilty. Though the men believe her to be the murderer, the women are trying their best to hide the evidence that will prove it.

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