Oppression In Kate Chopin's Trifles And The Story Of An Hour

In the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell and the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the authors portray a woman’s want for independence and the serious problem women’s oppression was around the early 1900s. The oppression they depict is so influential that it creates character development in the main female characters and the reader can watch as this happens throughout both the play and the story. Both the story and the play have story lines that need to be understood before they can be analyzed for different literary elements. In order to elaborate, in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, she uses Mrs. Mallard who has heart problems as her protagonist. The whole short story is about the multitude of emotions Mrs. Mallard …show more content…
During the play, the men show their belief in the inferiority of women by telling Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters they would look for clues as to what happened and that they should stay downstairs. The women mainly stay in the kitchen which could be analyzed since that was said to be a woman’s place during that era. To prove this, in the article, “Women’s Labor History, 1790-1945,” it even states, “Women are perceived and indeed frequently perceive themselves as inherently domestic creatures suited for marginal types of waged work which mirror the work of the home” (Helmbold, et al. 502). This depicts what men and women thought were normal during the 19th century. So in “Trifles” not only do the men want the women to stay in their place, but they also constantly make comments on how Minnie does not have the kitchen clean and that she basically was not doing her job as a wife. They also somewhat mock what the Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters talk about- broken jars, knitting, etc. They make these comments, but they do not know that the women are finding more evidence than they are and by talking about these semi-random things, they are piecing together what happened. The women ultimately decided they were going to protect Minnie and this was made clear when Mrs. Hale states, “I might have known she needed help! I know how …show more content…
Both Kate Chopin and Susan Glaspell used the theme of women’s oppression throughout the story and play which caused character development and ultimately changes the readers’ views as they watch or read. Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Mallard all acknowledge at some point or another what it is like to be with a man during that era; and although the play and story have differing outcomes, they both prove that women should not have been