Kate Chopin The Story Of An Hour Analysis

In the 1800’s prior to the Women’s rights movement gaining momentum, conventional family life which did not allow women individual rights was still in the mainstream. Kate Chopin who was living a conventional life, had taken on a new role after the death of her husband. As a widow and mother of six, Chopin returned to her home town of St. Louis where she was raised as by 3 generations of very intelligent and strong-willed women. Not only was Chopin influenced by those very women, but her observations of the world lead her to begin writing.
Early feminists longed for the same rights as women do today. Chopin was scorned for her vision that women deserved their own desires and their wants remained evident. Women simply wanted more than to be the “Conventional Housewife.” Chopin began writing about the world as she viewed it, and was soon labeled a feminist. Chopin believed that women could be strong, intelligent and free spirited. Historically society has lead us to believe a women’s place was in the home, to nurture and encourage their husbands not allowing for any individual identity out of the role of motherhood.
Chopin began challenging these society norms just as they had been challenged throughout the women’s rights movement. It had been said, “modern feminism was borne on her pages.” “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, was a prime
Another similar piece of Chopin’s writing was a novel called “The Awakening.” The end of “The Awakening” shows the extent a woman would go through, just to find freedom. Chopin’s approach in this novel, there could not be a happy end for Edna, as she committed suicide. This novel put Chopin’s work in the naturalist school of writing, influenced by Darwin’s theory on naturalism that people have little control over themselves or the external factors that shape their lives, but that they must continue on to