In the nineteenth century, males were considered to be the dominant gender while females were considered to be the passive one. As time went by however, women slowly started to ask about their role in society. The result of their questioning was a societal war between males and females in several ways which included withdrawal, revolt, and actions. At this time, female authors wrote of the victories and defeats of women through characters who tried to change their assigned roles in society. Louise Mallard in “The Story of the Hour” by Kate Chopin, Louise, had a difficult time with her female selfhood during the Victorian Era. In the story Louise Mallard comes to the realization of self and a new life through the death of her husband (Skredsvig
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While in her bedroom alone, and at the time of her self-assertion, Louise is in one with Mother Earth as she evidently notices the blue sky and the treetops from her window. At one point in the story, Josephine, her sister, wants Louise to close the window fearing she may become sick, but Louise refuses to have it closed as she is “drinking a very elixir of life through that open window” (Para 16, Chopin.) The unsecured window prompts her to remember her want for independence. Chopin’s story describes reedom to be a right that all people should have. Yet, Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” reveals that individuality for a nineteenth century woman is not possible through Louise’s short lived experience with freedom. When Louise sees her husband at the door alive and well, she dies of a heart attack. The doctor calls the attack “joy that kills” (Para 18, Chopin.) The irony at the closing of the story is that Louise is not happy to see that her husband is alive but the fact that she will not experience her newfound individuality. By Brentley still living, her freedom is impossible. She feels that she cannot go back to the unfairness of her marriage and her life as it was. The only way for her to be free is for her to die (Berkone
While in her bedroom alone, and at the time of her self-assertion, Louise is in one with Mother Earth as she evidently notices the blue sky and the treetops from her window. At one point in the story, Josephine, her sister, wants Louise to close the window fearing she may become sick, but Louise refuses to have it closed as she is “drinking a very elixir of life through that open window” (Para 16, Chopin.) The unsecured window prompts her to remember her want for independence. Chopin’s story describes reedom to be a right that all people should have. Yet, Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” reveals that individuality for a nineteenth century woman is not possible through Louise’s short lived experience with freedom. When Louise sees her husband at the door alive and well, she dies of a heart attack. The doctor calls the attack “joy that kills” (Para 18, Chopin.) The irony at the closing of the story is that Louise is not happy to see that her husband is alive but the fact that she will not experience her newfound individuality. By Brentley still living, her freedom is impossible. She feels that she cannot go back to the unfairness of her marriage and her life as it was. The only way for her to be free is for her to die (Berkone