Story Of An Hour Patriarchy

Kate Chopin was one author that challenged patriarchy through her writing. As Sümer said, “Chopin, a master of the short story genre consistently used her fiction to fight for greater freedom and fulfillment for women… and clearly expressed her expanding thoughts on the female condition in her short stories”(192). In many of her works she contrasted the social views of the time to express how women really felt about certain topics, in particular sexuality and independence. During the victorian era, sexuality, and in particular feminine sexuality was a taboo topic. For a woman to write about that would have been revolutionary. In “The Story of an Hour”, she focuses on the freedom gained from being without a man. This was based off of her personal experiences. Her husband died, leaving her to raise the children on her own, and giving her the freedom to control herself and the family as she pleased (Chopin 287). …show more content…
After receiving the news, she retreats into her room to grieve alone. During this time, however, she relishes the feeling as she discovers that she has escaped the clutches of patriarchal society. Joy rushes over her as she looks out the window, figuratively into freedom and future, “drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin 289). Even in this state of euphoria, however, she thinks of her husband’s funeral, and how she will have to act like the perfect wife during that event, putting a damper on her happiness and freedom, as she will have to play the part of a dutiful wife yet again. Even in death he is controlling her to some extent (Berenji