Feminism in Story of an Hour Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour is a heart-clenching short story about a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who lives a life of servitude to her husband. Throughout the story, the audience is shown a clear example of a woman who struggles with the idea of inferiority, and begins to overcome this when her husband is pronounced dead. The relationship between men and women is very perceptibly outlined in Chopin’s work of feminism and tragedy, as Mrs. Mallard’s personality begins to shift when she realizes she is finally free. Though her ending is not optimistic, Mrs. Mallard still exists as an example of the oppression and suffocation women endure in order to serve the men in their lives. Story of an Hour takes place in a time
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Mallard thought her to be an extremely fragile woman who could potentially die from the sadness of her husband’s passing. She is described as a woman with a “calm face, whose lines bespoke repression”, and this is how many see her – a woman who is meant to serve and be kept fragile. Yet the line continues, and she is also said to show a “certain strength” as well. Though she may be quiet and passive, she is not a woman who feels as though she cannot go on without someone to depend on. As grief becomes relief, the reader finds that Mrs. Mallard has been stuck all along. She dreams of days in the future – “all sorts of days that would be her own.” The life she once knew is now ending, and she is finally able to live how she would like to. Mrs. Mallard transforms into a woman who is ready to live for herself – ready to go out into the world as a free woman and do the things that she wants. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard may have been described as fragile and dependent, but these descriptions unfold as she realizes her true worth and potential. Though Mrs. Mallard’s life ends when she goes into cardiac arrest after seeing her husband alive, her character displays that of a bird set free. She is finally able to fly away from the chains her responsibility to her
Mallard thought her to be an extremely fragile woman who could potentially die from the sadness of her husband’s passing. She is described as a woman with a “calm face, whose lines bespoke repression”, and this is how many see her – a woman who is meant to serve and be kept fragile. Yet the line continues, and she is also said to show a “certain strength” as well. Though she may be quiet and passive, she is not a woman who feels as though she cannot go on without someone to depend on. As grief becomes relief, the reader finds that Mrs. Mallard has been stuck all along. She dreams of days in the future – “all sorts of days that would be her own.” The life she once knew is now ending, and she is finally able to live how she would like to. Mrs. Mallard transforms into a woman who is ready to live for herself – ready to go out into the world as a free woman and do the things that she wants. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard may have been described as fragile and dependent, but these descriptions unfold as she realizes her true worth and potential. Though Mrs. Mallard’s life ends when she goes into cardiac arrest after seeing her husband alive, her character displays that of a bird set free. She is finally able to fly away from the chains her responsibility to her