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The story of an Hour

 

            
             The story of an hour takes place in 1900's where women weren't treated as individuals, they were treated as possessions and expected to be a loyal housewives. Construction of gender contribute to the irony in the story of an hour. Louise is a wife of Bentley Mallard who is everything what the character in the story expect to be. The characteristics of Louise been constructed that her behavior is understandable to the readers. Therefore, her death is ironic because the construction of gender contributes the irony in the story of an hour.
             The construction of gender throughout the story has two different views. To characters in the story's point of view, Louise is like all other married women. Recall that around year 1900's women were meant to be loyal housewife, always respects her husband, etc . . . but to the reader's point of view, its expected that her respond to her husband's death is different than any other women. The readers have acknowledge that she had been stereotyped throughout her marriage life. Her inner thoughts were more focused in freedom and new life. For example, "new spring of life."; knowing that her husband will never be in her presence, Bentley's death is indication of her beginning of fresh new life. "Blue skies " signifies hope, dark clouds have drifted away and peace and harmony are breaking thru. Such quote like "She said it over and over under her breath: "Free, free, free !""(Page 397) and "bitter moment a long procession of years to come."(page 398) allows readers to imagine how her marriage life was like. Louise is not completely happy that Bentley died. "She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; . "(pg 397). Even though she has all the right reason to be happy for his death, she"ll cry for him. The characters and the readers constructs Louise's outer and inner images. The characters find Louise normal ordinary wife in the time period of setting in the story and the readers find Louise as victim of stereotyped feminist.


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