Kate Chopin began life in a world of women. Following the tragic death of her father, she was raised by her mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Perhaps this upbringing influenced her writing style. The late 1800’s was a boisterous time for the United States. The cultural scene of the country was changing quickly. For the first time, women brought private and personal issues into the public domain. The writer portrays the life of women in a world controlled by male dominance. The Victorian time period that shaped Chopin’s life, was the subject matter used in her writings. Mari Jo Buhle stated “women regularly participated in the market place, gained their own sources of support, and broke once and for all with humiliating forms of financial
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In The Story of an Hour, Chopin continues to imply that women are not treated equally with men. Women in the Victorian era were viewed as caretakers who should remain in the home while the man of the house provides the financial support. In The Story of an Hour, the author allows the reader to see this suppression in the role of the female character, Mrs. Louise Mallard. Mrs. Mallard is a woman who is married to a gentleman named Brently Mallard. Like most marriages in the 1800’s, women had no rights and simply had to cater to their husband’s needs. The Mallard’s marriage was no different. The character of Mrs. is perceived as submissive one to her husband. Mr. Mallard is the dominating spouse. Within the first few lines of the story, the reader discovers that Mrs. Mallard has a serious heart condition and because of the heart condition, Mrs. Mallard’s sister and brother-in-law are called upon to deliver the devastating news. Mr. Mallard died in a train collision. As Mrs. Mallard learned of the news she wept with sorrow then retreated into her bedroom to be alone. Her sorrow was short lived, in the …show more content…
In The Awakening, Chopin relays the controversial story of a woman, Edna Pontellier and her spiritual journey. When Edna refuses to obey her husband, after being scolded, suggests she has become awakened to the oppressive nature of her husband, and the institution of marriage in general. Edna’s struggles and resistance says to the reader that she is aware of a better way of living. She thinks about the gap between her feelings and what society demands. Edna says, “By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can’t convince myself that I am” (Chopin 73). Readers were shocked by the way Chopin portrayed Edna. Edna’s character violated the codes of the nineteenth century American woman. In the end of the storyline, Edna swims out into the gulf and out to sea never to return. According to Platizky, “…achieving a certain kind of freedom: she has escaped other people 's attempts to possess her. But her victory is a pyrrhic one. In the novel, Chopin shows Edna’s confrontations with society, her exploration of sexuality, and her imprisonment in marriage. The reader’s attention is captured through the understanding, the situation, and the personality of the character. In the world of Edna Pontellier one can either be defined by men or live a life separate from the rest of society. “Women [can] either become wives and
In The Story of an Hour, Chopin continues to imply that women are not treated equally with men. Women in the Victorian era were viewed as caretakers who should remain in the home while the man of the house provides the financial support. In The Story of an Hour, the author allows the reader to see this suppression in the role of the female character, Mrs. Louise Mallard. Mrs. Mallard is a woman who is married to a gentleman named Brently Mallard. Like most marriages in the 1800’s, women had no rights and simply had to cater to their husband’s needs. The Mallard’s marriage was no different. The character of Mrs. is perceived as submissive one to her husband. Mr. Mallard is the dominating spouse. Within the first few lines of the story, the reader discovers that Mrs. Mallard has a serious heart condition and because of the heart condition, Mrs. Mallard’s sister and brother-in-law are called upon to deliver the devastating news. Mr. Mallard died in a train collision. As Mrs. Mallard learned of the news she wept with sorrow then retreated into her bedroom to be alone. Her sorrow was short lived, in the …show more content…
In The Awakening, Chopin relays the controversial story of a woman, Edna Pontellier and her spiritual journey. When Edna refuses to obey her husband, after being scolded, suggests she has become awakened to the oppressive nature of her husband, and the institution of marriage in general. Edna’s struggles and resistance says to the reader that she is aware of a better way of living. She thinks about the gap between her feelings and what society demands. Edna says, “By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can’t convince myself that I am” (Chopin 73). Readers were shocked by the way Chopin portrayed Edna. Edna’s character violated the codes of the nineteenth century American woman. In the end of the storyline, Edna swims out into the gulf and out to sea never to return. According to Platizky, “…achieving a certain kind of freedom: she has escaped other people 's attempts to possess her. But her victory is a pyrrhic one. In the novel, Chopin shows Edna’s confrontations with society, her exploration of sexuality, and her imprisonment in marriage. The reader’s attention is captured through the understanding, the situation, and the personality of the character. In the world of Edna Pontellier one can either be defined by men or live a life separate from the rest of society. “Women [can] either become wives and