An Hour Patriarchy

Although the modern world still faces many troubling issues, it is important to recognize and be appreciative of the progress that has been made in decades past. One of the most fundamental changes that have taken place throughout history is the feminist movement and its liberating effects on women. Many places around the globe, including even the most advanced Western societies, have struggled with rulings of patriarchal societies. This means that women have been ostracized within their own society where men naturally inherited power over them. As a result of women remaining voiceless throughout much of our history, the application of feminist criticism to works of literature is significant to our understanding of patriarchal power. One short …show more content…
Mallard’s relationship to her husband in life and death. While the literary work “The Story of an Hour” is advantageous in exploring the patriarchy, it holds a much deeper historical background. Before the first wave of feminism women were considered to be largely incapable and for that reason, remained oppressed under the patriarchy. According to an essay entitled Women’s Role in Society in the 1800’s, “During the 1800’s a husband had legal authority over their wife. In a sense, he owned her, and for that reason, women had little respect in their culture”. This quote gives a little bit of insight as to why women were considered to be weak, fragile and in need of care as if they were children. We can also see this perception of …show more content…
Suffering socially and psychologically they had no escape from the harsh ways of the patriarchy that has built itself into our society as well as many others. Many women lost themselves when they lost their voice to men who felt that they had the natural right to govern the way that they acted. Thankfully over time, the patriarchy has downsized but there is still an overwhelming amount of judgment that is passed on women who are independent and self-reliant. However, in this day and age, there are a lot of things that women have to be thankful for that have only become possible with the valiant efforts of women in the past. One of the ways that we are able to appreciate women and their charge for independence from the patriarchy is by applying feminist criticism to works of literature. By doing this with the powerful short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, we are able to see psychological and social oppression of women through Mrs. Mallard. By seeing the evolution of her thoughts and the way that she has been damaged by the patriarchy we are able to gather a deeper understanding of the women that suffered so we do not have to. Although there is a lot of work that still needs to be done in the societies that we live in, it is clear that we live in a time of progression that is only getting closer and closer to achieving true equality for men and women