Society has a way of manipulating its' members into falling under the pressure of conforming to a societal norm. Every member in society projects an image of themselves that doesn't always match up with how they truly are. This false sense of "togetherness" is known as a facade. In Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour", she presents the marriage of a wealthy couple in the late 1800s who seem to have it all together on the outside, but are entirely corrupt behind closed doors. Although their situation may seem outlandish, the view of marriage that Chopin has presented hardly differs from the attitude of marriages today. Through her descriptive story about a woman who is trapped in a controlling relationship, Chopin makes it evident that marriages
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She explains the medical condition of Louise Mallard, and how her once frail heart is now in a stabilized condition. Louise, elated to finally enjoy the activities the outside worlds to offer her, is almost immediately shut down as her husband, Brently, rejects her whims. Chopin implies for the reader to question the acts of the characters and do a bit of existential thinking. Why would Louise’s husband reject her one dream in life- to travel to Paris? Even more so, why does Brently give Louise one measly hour out of the entire day to have a conversation with him? The relationship is very one-sided, as Brently gives Louise a restricting set of rules and guidelines and Louise sullenly accepts them. The idea of a controlling relationship does not simply apply to relationships in the nineteenth century; they’re commonly seen in this day-and-age as well. Even statistics show that most marriages today end in divorce, as the divorce rate today is at the highest it has ever been in the history of mankind. I feel that this is something Chopin was well aware of, possibly trying to have a play on words with her title; insinuating that toxic relationships are timeless, as well as applying it to the plot of her story
She explains the medical condition of Louise Mallard, and how her once frail heart is now in a stabilized condition. Louise, elated to finally enjoy the activities the outside worlds to offer her, is almost immediately shut down as her husband, Brently, rejects her whims. Chopin implies for the reader to question the acts of the characters and do a bit of existential thinking. Why would Louise’s husband reject her one dream in life- to travel to Paris? Even more so, why does Brently give Louise one measly hour out of the entire day to have a conversation with him? The relationship is very one-sided, as Brently gives Louise a restricting set of rules and guidelines and Louise sullenly accepts them. The idea of a controlling relationship does not simply apply to relationships in the nineteenth century; they’re commonly seen in this day-and-age as well. Even statistics show that most marriages today end in divorce, as the divorce rate today is at the highest it has ever been in the history of mankind. I feel that this is something Chopin was well aware of, possibly trying to have a play on words with her title; insinuating that toxic relationships are timeless, as well as applying it to the plot of her story