Before the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, women had zero rights within their society and were unable to be independent. Men thought of them to be the weaker and inferior sex, only used to bear children and take the role as housewife. With this in mind the reading shows how women started reacting to the society where men had taken over. Kate Chopin, in “The Story of an Hour” uses symbolism and irony to show that women were not happy with the oppressive gender roles of 1890’s society.
Chopin uses symbolism from the very first line of the story to show the oppressive gender roles that women had to go through in the 1890’s. The use of “Mallard” describes how the gender roles were set-up by comparing these two different things to each …show more content…
If he had stopped to think, he would have remembered the “killed” list goes by last name, first name. Women are always thought to be guided by emotion and it’s ironic that it was Richards who was instead. He checked the list twice and didn’t realize the man’s name was actually Mallard Brently. When Mrs. Mallard was told the news in paragraph 3, she wept and left to her room alone to grieve and ponder about the event. In paragraph 11, she felt a “monstrous joy” inside of her but it wasn’t because her husband died, it was the thought of being free from having to live under a man. She wanted her own life as she expressed in paragraph 14 when she exclaims “Free! Body and soul free!” Back to paragraph 11, she knew she would feel sadness when she saw her husband in a casket, but “she saw beyond that bitter moment” and saw many years ahead of her that would be hers alone to decide for herself. In paragraph 12, she spoke about not having to live for others anymore, only herself, and it means she would be independent for once in her life. “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” This statement means she will no longer be bound to the “social normality” in which …show more content…
I think Kate Chopin would be proud and relieved at how far we came throughout the century and to see us using her story as a prime example of how most women must have felt during those times. In the story, it shows how Richards and Josephine saw Mrs. Mallard as a frail and fragile woman but it is proven wrong as she sees’ her husband’s death as an opportunity for a new life of freedom to herself. One of the main lessons is ‘things are not always as they seem,’ as expressed in the story when Kate Chopin used symbolism and irony to show the unhappiness women felt due to the oppressive gender roles they had to go through in the 1890’s
Chopin uses symbolism from the very first line of the story to show the oppressive gender roles that women had to go through in the 1890’s. The use of “Mallard” describes how the gender roles were set-up by comparing these two different things to each …show more content…
If he had stopped to think, he would have remembered the “killed” list goes by last name, first name. Women are always thought to be guided by emotion and it’s ironic that it was Richards who was instead. He checked the list twice and didn’t realize the man’s name was actually Mallard Brently. When Mrs. Mallard was told the news in paragraph 3, she wept and left to her room alone to grieve and ponder about the event. In paragraph 11, she felt a “monstrous joy” inside of her but it wasn’t because her husband died, it was the thought of being free from having to live under a man. She wanted her own life as she expressed in paragraph 14 when she exclaims “Free! Body and soul free!” Back to paragraph 11, she knew she would feel sadness when she saw her husband in a casket, but “she saw beyond that bitter moment” and saw many years ahead of her that would be hers alone to decide for herself. In paragraph 12, she spoke about not having to live for others anymore, only herself, and it means she would be independent for once in her life. “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” This statement means she will no longer be bound to the “social normality” in which …show more content…
I think Kate Chopin would be proud and relieved at how far we came throughout the century and to see us using her story as a prime example of how most women must have felt during those times. In the story, it shows how Richards and Josephine saw Mrs. Mallard as a frail and fragile woman but it is proven wrong as she sees’ her husband’s death as an opportunity for a new life of freedom to herself. One of the main lessons is ‘things are not always as they seem,’ as expressed in the story when Kate Chopin used symbolism and irony to show the unhappiness women felt due to the oppressive gender roles they had to go through in the 1890’s