Story Of An Hour Feminist Essay

Originally included in Kate Chopin’s third collection of short stories A Vocation and a Voice, “The Story of an Hour” was one of many of her works rejected by publishers in the late nineteenth century due to Chopin’s social criticism and the inclusion of feminist ideas. However, it was later published in at least two anthologies, dating 1974 and 1991, and Chopin became a figure of eighteenth-century feminist literature. “The Story of an Hour” is about Mrs. Louise Mallard, a young woman who in the length of an hour realizes short-lived freedom when her husband is killed in an accident. The story is set during the evening in the home of the Mallards. Mr. Brently Mallard was commuting home by train when there was an accident and was reported dead on the casualty list. His friend Richards decided to enlist the help of Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine to “break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin 201). This caution was taken due to Mrs. Mallard having a heart condition that could cause harm to her health when faced with emotions. The news of her husband’s …show more content…
Mallard gradually recognized the beauty and peace of springtime; blue skies, birds singing, and the scent of rain. As she was looking at the outside world, she felt a strange feeling within. Freedom. As she embraced her newfound freedom from the repression of being a wife, although she admitted that her husband “had never looked saved with love upon her” (Chopin 202), her mind turned to the many possibilities for her future now that she was no longer expected to live for someone else. Mrs. Mallard then exited the bedroom, greeted her distraught sister, and they went back downstairs. At the same time, Mr. Mallard entered the house -unharmed and oblivious to the train accident- and despite Richard’s attempt to shield him from his wife’s sight, she perished. The doctors later explained that her joy had killed her (Chopin