Comparing Story Of An Hour And Desiree's Baby, By Kate Chopin
The Inequality of Women
Throughout history, women have been oppressed because they did not have the same rights as men. Thus, they have suffered unfair treatment such as not being able to vote, having their voices heard in the political sphere because of their gender and so on. Therefore, feminist criticism, which focuses on the women’s perspective, gradually formed and became quickly integrated into the literary works such as Kate Chopin’s short stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby”. Kate Chopin is an American author who advocated that women and men both should have right of equality and freedom. In her short story, “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin describes a young wife who has heart disease which is why her sister and …show more content…
Therefore, women had to become more submissive, gentle, and pious. But if men view them as domineering, irritable, and full of lies, the women have no way of defending herself because that is what the men have labeled them as. In “Desiree’s Baby”, Chopin subjectively writes about the strong racial discrimination and sexual discrimination that women suffer. When Desiree’s husband accuses her of being black, she tries her hardest to defend herself,” ‘It is a lie; it is not true, I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair,’ seizing his wrist. ‘look at my hand; whiter that yours, Armand,’ she laughed hysterically” (652). No matter how hard Desiree tries to defend herself; her husband has already dismissed her and thrown away. The unfairness of not being able to defend herself seems to have made Desiree crazy because she tries to prove the truth to her husband, but he keeps insisting she is wrong simply because she is a woman. Her husband has made her into a pitiful woman because even though she is his wife, he is not understanding and does not offer any sympathy. In fact, he doesn’t
Throughout history, women have been oppressed because they did not have the same rights as men. Thus, they have suffered unfair treatment such as not being able to vote, having their voices heard in the political sphere because of their gender and so on. Therefore, feminist criticism, which focuses on the women’s perspective, gradually formed and became quickly integrated into the literary works such as Kate Chopin’s short stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby”. Kate Chopin is an American author who advocated that women and men both should have right of equality and freedom. In her short story, “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin describes a young wife who has heart disease which is why her sister and …show more content…
Therefore, women had to become more submissive, gentle, and pious. But if men view them as domineering, irritable, and full of lies, the women have no way of defending herself because that is what the men have labeled them as. In “Desiree’s Baby”, Chopin subjectively writes about the strong racial discrimination and sexual discrimination that women suffer. When Desiree’s husband accuses her of being black, she tries her hardest to defend herself,” ‘It is a lie; it is not true, I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray, Armand, you know they are gray. And my skin is fair,’ seizing his wrist. ‘look at my hand; whiter that yours, Armand,’ she laughed hysterically” (652). No matter how hard Desiree tries to defend herself; her husband has already dismissed her and thrown away. The unfairness of not being able to defend herself seems to have made Desiree crazy because she tries to prove the truth to her husband, but he keeps insisting she is wrong simply because she is a woman. Her husband has made her into a pitiful woman because even though she is his wife, he is not understanding and does not offer any sympathy. In fact, he doesn’t