Examining Gender Roles In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
Ms. Mallards, the main character in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, life is torn apart and put back together within and hour. She is stuck in a controlling relationship. This is because after hearing of her husband dying she feels free, she’s never loved him, and she finally feels happiness.
In the story of an hour, Ms. Mallard repeats the word free as seen in “Free! Body and soul free!”(Chopin 47). And in another part, she says “Free, free,free!”(Chopin 46). In this story, the reader is constantly barged with connotation take because he is gone. I can live my life again. In another part of the story, she states that “There would here 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”(Chopin 46). That quote explains to use that ms mallard might feel imposed on by the gender roles of a marriage. The male is very dominant while he …show more content…
female should be submissive. She is free from being controlled by Mr. Mallard the puppet master.
Before she feels free there are some context clues that suggest she feels happy.
There is some imagery when she looks out the window blue patches of sky, new spring lie, and an open square. Those sensory details are given to try and out way the death just presented. After these details is when she clearly states she is in joy “she did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her."(Chopin 46)
In this story, the only depiction we have of Ms. Mallard showing affection for Mr. Mallard is in the beginning when she is first told of the information that he is dead. other than that there is a lot of evidence against her not loving him. The author writes “And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not”(Chopin 46). If she had to marry him and spend her life with him, she would love him. But why would the author state that often she didn’t love him? well, the depiction the reader get that she feels free, and happy after his death. The reason she did not love him all the time was because she felt
trapped.
In the end, she never feels free again because o the sight of hr husband she knows she's stuck once again in a controlling and loveless married. It was better to see a glimpse of freedom and happiness to be crushed rather than spending the rest of her life regretting the feelings she felt.
In the story of an hour, Ms. Mallard repeats the word free as seen in “Free! Body and soul free!”(Chopin 47). And in another part, she says “Free, free,free!”(Chopin 46). In this story, the reader is constantly barged with connotation take because he is gone. I can live my life again. In another part of the story, she states that “There would here 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”(Chopin 46). That quote explains to use that ms mallard might feel imposed on by the gender roles of a marriage. The male is very dominant while he …show more content…
female should be submissive. She is free from being controlled by Mr. Mallard the puppet master.
Before she feels free there are some context clues that suggest she feels happy.
There is some imagery when she looks out the window blue patches of sky, new spring lie, and an open square. Those sensory details are given to try and out way the death just presented. After these details is when she clearly states she is in joy “she did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her."(Chopin 46)
In this story, the only depiction we have of Ms. Mallard showing affection for Mr. Mallard is in the beginning when she is first told of the information that he is dead. other than that there is a lot of evidence against her not loving him. The author writes “And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not”(Chopin 46). If she had to marry him and spend her life with him, she would love him. But why would the author state that often she didn’t love him? well, the depiction the reader get that she feels free, and happy after his death. The reason she did not love him all the time was because she felt
trapped.
In the end, she never feels free again because o the sight of hr husband she knows she's stuck once again in a controlling and loveless married. It was better to see a glimpse of freedom and happiness to be crushed rather than spending the rest of her life regretting the feelings she felt.