Feminist Analysis Examples

Improved Essays
Feminist Analysis has been evolving and adapting to all generations thus far. For various centuries, the controversial treatment of women has been an epidemic topic to discuss. In Donald Halls book, Literary and Cultural Theory he explains “feminist analysis sees texts as thoroughly social…critics can help bring about significant social change.” Feminist Analysis broadly portrays the way women are being treated. A few women still carry the burden of the stereotypes assigned to them from an early age. Furthermore, stereotypical conceptions created a sense of superiority from men making women feel unwanted. Instead, women were unable to express their feelings/opinions because everything they said were invalid to men leaving them no other choice …show more content…
These stories depict actions from women derived from the stereotypical and cultural roles women were seen to be. To this day some women still live in stereotypical households. Women are controlled by their husbands who are seen as the dominating partner. They are expected to do anything their husbands command without hesitation or thought. In the short story “The Story of an Hour” Chopin creates an image of what can happen when a restrained wife receives the news that her controlling husband is no longer living. In the beginning of the story the main character Mrs. Mallard’s reaction was “as a child who has cried itself to sleep [who] continues to sob in its dreams” (Chopin 130). This comparison to a baby shows how upset Mrs. Mallard was after finding out her husband died. It also portrays how terrified she was that her husband, the one person who controlled her life, was no longer there to give her orders. Chopin then creates a twist in the story by emphasizing Mrs. Mallard reaction when she realizes how afraid she was of her own …show more content…
Each story has a different way of interpreting the cause of their death. In The Awakening Edna is awakened to the freedom she desires by swimming. Therefore, she dies by drowning herself which shows how difficult it was for Edna to stay awakened in a society where no women were awakened. In “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Millard dies as soon as she realizes that she is no longer free to live her life the way she wants to. All of the stories came together in the end to emphasize the way society defeated them. The authors took the initiative to demonstrate through their writing how Cultural Feminism is the way where women are treated as assets to society instead of the liabilities they can be. The female characters of the stories were all treated as minorities. They never had the opportunity to express how they felt until their death. However, their death represented their last cry for help. Even though it was too late to help, it was known after their death that the characters all felt alone in the society they lived in. In conclusion, it was too much to handle, making the women unable to take the pain they felt in a daily

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Chopin and Gilman do not only use the setting to present the profound desire of freedom and autonomy of their main female protagonists; they also employ irony to criticize and to change the misogynistic society. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” uses many deep ironies to express the desire of freedom and selfhood. For example, as other characters (Josephine and Richard) think that Louise is “making [herself] ill in her room” (Chopin 426), after her husband dead she is “she was drinking the very elixir of life through [the] open window” (Chopin 426). There is no grief and no pain associated with the loss of her husband. The irony is indicative of the need to suppress patriarchal oppression.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the 19th century, women did not have the option to pick what they needed to be or do in life; it was decided for them. In a marital relationship, the view of a woman’s place in a society is a ‘glorified servant’ to her husband. In many of ways this can affect a woman and the sense of who she is. The three stories by Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour”, “The Storm”, and “Desirees Baby” demonstrates how easily women can become brainwashed and forced to conform to social norms and values. However, it also demonstrates how women at times, rebelled against these beliefs.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” was written in 1894 and explores the position of women within the 19th century society. An interesting aspect of this short story is that it is an early example of feminism in literature. Chopin is subtle, but very effective, in criticizing marriage and the role and position of women during the Victorian Era. The purpose of this essay is to make an approach into the mythic constructions of femininity in this Kate Chopin’s story but also to explore how the author influences the reaction of the reader by using several literary techniques. This essay analyzes the literary techniques employed by Chopin in “The Story of an Hour”.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite of being a woman living in the 19th century, Kate Chopin’s works often depict the images of young, beautiful, sensitive, and intelligent women who seek freedom and professional independence. The Story of an Hour, The Storm and Desiree’s Baby are three of her many short stories that portray women who live miserably in their marriage. This journal will be focusing in discussing the themes found in these three stories. The main theme in The Story of an Hour is the forbidden joy of freedom. For Mrs. Mallard, freedom is a pleasure that can only be imagined privately in which it seems that it would take her whole life for it to become real.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    While she mourns, she then comes to a realization that with his passing, her own life can be lived, “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself”(Chopin p.13). This idea of being the author of one 's own destiny is a powerful element in both works. Its denial causes Mrs. Mallard to die of the joy that kills and the narrator to lose her sanity, underscoring its overall importance to both and to all. With both seeking the same aspect, the difference becomes the time period and their…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is commonly acknowledged that feminism is being used socially and culturally. In life feminism can be identified as more than a theory. It is a struggle of life and politics. Feminism is not very easy to define. It can be used in many different ways depending on the condition.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin tells the story of a female protagonist who goes beyond this role in a way that breaks social norms. In this story, Ms. Mallard, a wife with heart problems, is told that her husband has died in a “railroad disaster” and instead of entering into the stereotypical grieving process she finds a new sense of freedom (1609). This…

    • 1264 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mallard’s feelings toward her husband’s death. Mrs. Mallard’s initial emotional response is of extreme grief and shock. She sits in a chair alone in a quiet room, after she leaves the living room she feels both spiritually and un-spiritually drained. Chopin creates a scene of spring and new life through the window that Mrs. Mallard is sitting in front of that is essential in her transformation from grief to happiness. By creating these images instead of using dialogue between characters, it allows the readers to uncover the development of Mrs. Mallard’s emotional transition.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    As the Feminist Theory states, “ texts do exist that help us understand and respond to manifestations of oppression that existed many years or even centuries ago- and that may persist in modified forms today” (204). In other words, there is evidence that shows how woman intimidations exist throughout history up until now. Woman who perceived the thought of their husband being long gone created a complete utterance of existence in their life. Further more, in The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin is one of the texts that manifest how Ms. Mallard, a woman who is oppressed by her husband, finds a speck of joy as she receives the news of her husband’s “death”.…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, the main character and protagonist Mrs. Mallard experiences a spiral of emotions, from shock to freedom from her role as a wife; after learning of her husband’s sudden death. This story takes place in the era when women were known as just a wife and mother. In addition, the narrator starts with assuring the reader of Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition; which makes her appear weak from the start. This story expresses on what people know about freedom and humanity through symbolic meanings that are found in myths and religious cultures. The narrator takes an archetypal feminist approach when analyzing Mrs. Mallard’s steps in discovering a free life for herself, without the burdens her husband brought her.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Story of An Hour is a short story by Kate Chopin written in 1894. During this time there were not many story’s written about a woman’s joy of losing her husband to gain freedom. That is exactly what this story is about. Mrs Mallard, the main character, expresses some sadness when she learns that her husband has just passed away, but then goes on to feel joy of her new found freedom of being alone. Within an hour of dealing with the death of her husband, Mrs Mallard’s husband, Brently, comes walking through the door alive and unhurt.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Husband Brently Mallard enters the house only to bear witness to a piercing cry and his wife drop dead. Joseph Kelly denotes that the intricacies of Chopin’s work “helped energize feminists in her own day and continues to do so today,” (Kelly 99). The point of this paper is to argue the notion that “The Story of an Hour” is a piece of literature that unintentionally opposes the idea of feminism through the relationship between Mrs. Mallard and her husband. In an…

    • 1808 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Frailty, thy name is woman”- Hamlet The above quote from hamlet clearly states the position of women in a patriarchal society. Woman are considered physically and morally weak. They are considered as beings of less intelligence and have lesser understanding of the world. According to (Z., 2011) , studies related to heroines of any play are somewhat underrated, even though the plot is strengthened due to female characters.…

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The moral philosophy of feminism is a big part of today's world socially. Women feel that they are not treated the same as men on a social level considering that men do not receive the same consequences that women do when they do not accept their traditional gender role. In “Feminist Criticism” an article by Lois Tyson from 2006, Tyson talks about what traditional gender roles are in today's society. She compares the ways in which men and women are seen in society and how women can be seen as “bad girls” meaning they don't accept their gender role. The traditional roles are seen as girls are emotional and weak while men are strong and rational.…

    • 1889 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theories Of Feminism

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages

    To start with, women’s studies are the destabilization of modern theory. Is there a cause for women’s oppression? Can it be specified? The intention is to challenge, or reverse theory. To better understand, one must consider the differentiation of feminist theories.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays