In today’s society there is a decrease in marriage according to the Huffington post article “Marriage Rate Declines to Historic Low, Study Finds”. Originally published in 1894, the story documents the complicated reaction of Louise Mallard upon learning of her husband's death. It’s another feminist lens! . Feminist Perspectives in a Story of an Hour A Woman Far Ahead of Her Time, by Ann Bail Howard, discusses the nature of the female characters in Kate Chopin’s novel’s and short stories. Aimed at younger readers, Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, (Amazon) is an anthology of … ( Log Out /  “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself.”, “Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. The stories can also be interpreted from other perspectives, but for each story a case can be made that it supports feminist principles or is illustrating the inequality that women experience. French Feminist Theory within “The Story of an Hour” 5.1 Maupassant’s Influence and Chopin’s Counter-Reaction. Though Mrs. Mallard has scarified herself, is the death worth her life if she knows that females are still being treated unequally today; and ‘The Story of an Hour’ is … Body and soul free!" Often she had not. During the 1800s, males dominated and were the superior gender in the society. Before we go into an in-depth analysis, the background of the text chosen for this paper, The Story of an Hour, will first be introduced. Mrs. Mallard thought of time differently after the death of her husband. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long.             I think that the story also shows how Mrs. Mallard develops her own identity.  As a reader, we are told that her name is Mrs. Mallard at the beginning.  Through her grief of losing her husband she is still Mrs. Mallard to us.  This shows that her title is really just the name given to her with her husband’s last name.  She has no identity as her own; she is just a woman that belongs to Mr. Mallard.  After she realizes how free she is, we begin to see her as an actual person.  Her emotions and thoughts aren’t about her dead husband anymore; instead it’s about her living without limits.  She comes into her own individual person.  It is right after these thoughts that we hear he sister calling her Louise.  Her being called by her given name can signify that she is now an equal to men.  She is no longer being held back by the role of a wife. Not only does Louise Mallard suffer in her medical and marital conditions, but she also poses a threat to herself, as her sister Josephine warns. Using the feminist perspective to analyze The Story of an Hour reveals that women are often oppressed when in relationships. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistance with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. Feminist Criticism in The Story of an Hour. Chopin portraits her feminist view in The Story of an Hour and uses her own • To Refresh : Here is a Full Plot Summary of “Story of an Hour” by Chopin • Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #1 “The Story of an Hour” as a Feminist Text. Oscar Chopin Source: BCS. She is oppressed by her … The main character in “The Story of an Hour” is a woman who suffers from heart trouble, named Mrs. Mallard. Women had no rights, and had to cater to all of their husband’s needs. Ortiz 2. "The Story of an Hour" by American author Kate Chopin is a mainstay of feminist literary study. Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour (1894) rehabilitates the female identity through the female character's struggle with strict social and traditional structures. Women in 19th-Century Society In the late 19th century, much of American society held to the deep-seated belief that women were inferior to and should remain dependent upon husbands and other male figures. Welcome back.             “The Story of an Hour” also shows how the thoughts of a woman can change without the limitations.  Mrs. Mallard thought of time differently after the death of her husband.  The story says, “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. “Feminist Criticism” written by Lois Tyson, explains the terminology and ideas associated with a feminist lens. The main character of “Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard is one such woman. When Mrs. Mallard was told about her husband’s death, she was initially … The feminist criticism is present throughout the story of “The Story of an Hour” because it shows the relationships between the sexes and shows how different women are from each other in like how they think and act. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.”, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of the joy that kills.”, “there would be no powerful will binding hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature…And yet she had loved him- sometimes. October 3, 2011 at 9:12 am (Uncategorized) Tags: analysis, chopin, criticism, english, literature, Story of an Hour. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. Feminism is still not a hot topic while scenes in the story are seen being repeated each and every day. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. Josephine, Richards, and Mr. Mallard probably believe that the joy of seeing her husband alive was too much of a shock and killed Mrs. Louise Mallard. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, a formalist criticism is used to show the forms of symbolism, imagery, and theme portraying the mixed emotions of a wife who just lost her husband. “The Story of an Hour” also shows how the thoughts of a woman can change without the limitations. Feminist criticism is a method of analyzing literature to exhibit how women are oppressed in society. she kept whispering. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.”, “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.”, “She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. From 1894 onwards, she was pushing her career to become a well accepted author. ( Log Out /  Gender roles and marriage, an interesting topic. We’d love your help. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”: A Feminist Reading There are many forms of oppression in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. 7. Get an answer for 'Analyze Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” through the feminist lens to examine the theme of female suppression.' It published in 1894. A Feminist Perspective. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is one of the more perfect short stories for feminist criticism. In the short story, Chopin reveals a deep rooted problem women faced in marital relationships. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. "The Story of An Hour" is a fascinating read with a surprise ending that takes readers far from Mrs. Mallard's initial reaction to tragic news. In “The Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin discourses voluminous of the trepidations that are central to feminism. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistance with which men and women believe they have a … Feminist Criticism In 'The Story Of An Hour' By Lois Diopon. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.”. Feminism can be traced in “The Story of an Hour” which is about an hour in the life of the main character Mrs. Mallard . The Story of an Hour starts out with a young woman “with a heart trouble” being given news of her husband’s death by accident.             Mrs. Mallard goes on to realize how much she really didn’t love her husband.  She doesn’t feel the need to have guilt over it since he is already gone.  She finally breaks away from the role forced onto her as the perfect wife and can begin to stop holding herself back.  This can show the reader that a woman at this time might not even be aware of just how much of herself she has to hold back when married.  It seems like Mrs. Mallard didn’t allow herself the thoughts of being completely free from him and what she will be able to do when he’s no longer around, until he was actually dead.Â. The Story of An Hour - Study Guide. My quotes show the feminist criticism because it shows that men and women are very different in the way they think and act. Story of An Hour is one of short story that was written by feminist writer named Kate Chopin. 1931 Words 8 Pages. 6. Feminist theory focuses on the oppression of women by men. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Story of an Hour, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being.”. In analyzing this text as a feminist literary work, we will conduct in-depth analysis of it through different perspectives aforementioned. Kate Chopin's The Story of An Hour (1894) is considered one of the finest pieces of Feminist Literature. 5. Refresh and try again. Change ), Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema Response, The Laugh of the Medusa: Paragraph Summary, Feminist Analysis: “The Story of an Hour”. ( Log Out /  ( Log Out /  At first the wife is devastated and cries, but she quickly realizes that her husband's death has set her free. 1. The idea of joy killing someone is ironic because the reader doesn't expect joy to have a destructive effect. In this story, a woman named Mrs. Mallard believes her husband to be dead, and at first, is very sad. A Short Analysis on a Short Story About One Hour in Time. "The Story of an Hour" The last sentence in "The Story of an Hour" points to the irony of Louise Mallard's death. Author Kate Chopin is well-known for some of the most seminal feminist stories and novels in the Western canon. An analysis of “The Story if an Hour” through the historical and feminist lenses, suggests that the story is really about women’s self-identity in the 1800s male-dominated society, and how it caused women’s lack of freedom. As in "The Story of an Hour" she plotted the idea that women were oppressed through unhappy marriages. Introduction. In her short story, Kate Chopin dramatizes the story of a wife who discovers the truth about her husband's death. Error rating book. They stayed keen and bright. This story is about Louise Mallard that feels so sad after her husband died. Many people may overlook some of the subtle things described in this short story as just being a common occurrence, but it is much deeper than that. She has died not from grief but from the sudden shock of having her joy of emancipation abruptly disappear upon the entrance of her husband Brently, … Kate Chopin, a female writer and essayist, lived from 1850 to 1904. Works Cited. What did it matter!             Another way to make Mrs. Mallard appear as a weaker person was when she went to her room alone to continue her grief.  After she enters her room she goes to the chair and the story says, “Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.”  This shows us that her strong emotions caused her physical exhaustion.  Not only was she emotional, but now the story shows that Mrs. Mallard can’t even handle it physically either.  It goes even further to say that the weakness even goes into her soul. 1. Kate Chopin states that feminist criticism scrutinizes gender politics in works and delineates the delicate assembly of masculinity, trait and their standing concerning one another, their position and social process at intervals literary works.             After she sits down, Mrs. Mallard begins to appear as a stronger woman which is where the feminist theory takes effect.  She looks out of the house through the large open window which could also signify the open opportunities available to her now.  She begins to see how her marriage made her into a lesser person.  She realizes that she has been living her life through limitations caused from being married.  Mrs. Mallard knows that she can begin to live for herself.  The story says, “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 quote shows the feminist theory that it was assumed women were oppressed and shows the patriarchal ideology.  She was bending her will and freedom to a white man that held all of the control in the relationship.  Marriage, in this story, appears to be the male having complete control over the woman.  It also seems like Mrs. Mallard thought that she wasn’t even allowed to have her own thoughts which was probably true.  To question your husband at this period in time meant that you were being an out of control wife. 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