Story Of An Hour Women Essay

The ushistory.org website explains that women in the nineteenth century would do household work, and be submissive to their husbands. In her 1894 short story “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin expresses her stand that women should have freedom during this time period. Louis Mallard, the protagonist gets the news about her husband’s death from her sister Josephine. The young and heart troubled, Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room trying to process her husband’s death, but realizing she can live a free life now. Unexpectedly, Mr. Mallard walks through the front door and Mrs. Mallard dies from the overwhelming feeling that she will not have her freedom anymore. Chopin develops her central idea that women should have the freedom to live their lives and not harshly tied down to their husbands. The primary way Chopin communicates this theme is by using the physical and temporal setting.
First,
Women’s expectations in the nineteenth century was to do house work, take care of the kids and live acquiescent to their husbands. No matter the change during this time, “95% of married women remained ‘at home” (Hartman). Women also married young during this time period. On that note, the young Mrs. Mallard reveals that, “She would live for herself” now that her husband is dead. (244). Chopin includes this detail to emphasize she doesn’t have to live in the dominate marriage. A little later it is written that Mrs. Mallard did love her husband, but now that Mr. Mallard is gone she gets to live a free life. She even whispers the words, “free, free, free” and her eyes are “keen and bright” (244). This diction creates a hopeful mood to the story that she is free to do what she wants. Mrs. Mallard now can go out and do what she wants. She starts to look ahead to a long and wonderful life. On the other hand, typical young married women didn’t think about Chopin uses this to develop Mrs. Mallard mindset of being tied down to her