The “Joy That Kills”
Before the latter half of the twentieth century, it was generally assumed that women would be the keepers of the household but would keep their opinions to themselves. Because women were considered inferior creatures needing the guidance of men, they often lived according to the dictates, morals, and tastes of their husbands or fathers. Women had little choice in where they went and even whom they married—and they were rarely encouraged to think for themselves. As a result, some women felt a conflict between their own wills and the rules of society. This conflict is dramatically narrated in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” written in 1894. By moving between the extremes of joy and grief and of freedom and imprisonment,
Before the latter half of the twentieth century, it was generally assumed that women would be the keepers of the household but would keep their opinions to themselves. Because women were considered inferior creatures needing the guidance of men, they often lived according to the dictates, morals, and tastes of their husbands or fathers. Women had little choice in where they went and even whom they married—and they were rarely encouraged to think for themselves. As a result, some women felt a conflict between their own wills and the rules of society. This conflict is dramatically narrated in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” written in 1894. By moving between the extremes of joy and grief and of freedom and imprisonment,