Feminism is an ideology dealing with women 's struggles for the same rights as men. It proposed that all women should be politically, economically, and socially equal to men. The idea arose in the 19th century and is synonymous with the Women 's Rights Movement of the 1900s. Women were discriminated against by males and treated like second class citizens. They did not have the right to vote and married women did not have the right to own their on land. When a woman got married, all of her property went to her husband. Feminism can be traced in “The Story of an Hour” which is about an hour in the life of the main character Mrs. Mallard . . In this story, a woman named Mrs. Mallard believes her husband to be dead, and at first, is very sad. Then, as her independence sinks in, she is elated with the idea of her newfound freedom. At last, she discovers that her husband has not died and she is so surprised that she dies of heart disease.
The story shows the thoughts and emotions that can support the feminist theory. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard is overcome with grief with the loss of her husband. This shows that the female is an emotional person compared to men. It was natural to know that she would be upset with the death of her husband, but the story had both her sister and her husband’s friend be there to break the news to her. Mrs. Mallard has heart problems which can make the reader see her as a weaker person right at the beginning of the story. From the start, we as readers are told to see Mrs. Mallard as a naturally weaker character. the story reveals that society is a patriarchal society . So the female has no real authority or important role. She is inferior than man . She is dependent on man. The female is regarded as a fragile creature.
Mrs Mallard has been oppressed in her marriage. Chopin suggests that all marriages, even the kindest ones, are inherently oppressive.