Independent Woman In The 1800s

Destiny’s Child “Independent Woman” is a twenty-first century anthem, unlike the nineteenth century. In the 1800’s, women did not have much to live for. Without the demand for change, the tragedy of no independence would remain. It was habit for women to be treated as lower-class, have no self worth, and simply have little to no rights.
In the 1800’s, women were known to be property of their husbands. They did not have any independence, nor did they truly belong to themselves. In “Story of an Hour”, a woman received the news that her husband had died in a railroad accident (Chopin 1). At first, she had been broken by the news; abandoned. Once she let out her tears, a sudden change of emotion hit her. As she sat in her room processing, she spoke to herself, “free, free, free!”
(Chopin 2). She no longer felt sadness, but freedom. She was no longer tied down to her husband, but free to herself. With that, all worries went away for a simple moment.
While being a married woman was expected, it had a lot of downfalls. Independence was not a key element to women.
Men were recognized to be superior compared to women. Men got to have the jobs, supporting the family. Women stayed home, raised the kids, and did the cooking and cleaning. After she found out about her husband’s death, she realized she was allowed to be herself. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin 2). She did not have to live to any set of expectations. She felt relief to be on her own, living for herself without anyone to report to.

Following up on her sense of freedom, a boost of confidence coursed through her.She no longer had any worries or stresses. “No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin 2). A life of opportunities awaited Louise which caused excitement for her future. There was so much more she could do on her own, not being tied down. “It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (Chopin 3).There would be more to look forward; making things easier, life would go faster. In a sense, she felt she had a new beginning, to start fresh.
As Louise had processed the situation of her husband dying, the more she realized
how limited she was. She was restricted to routine. The awareness of having no sense of belonging, being powerless, and hopeless beliefs grew stronger. While it was not the ideal way to gain freedom, her death kept her from going back to the lifestyle she dreaded.