Throughout the course of literature the female character has often been construed as the stereotypical helpless, subservient, and troublesome figure. Often in literature as well as in life women became trapped in a marriage, living out a simple housewife persona. Even before the emergence of the 20th century feminist movement, female writers often criticized the conventional way of patriarchal society through their works. Feminist authors, such as Kate Chopin, tried to personify their characters as strong able individuals to "endorse feminine self-assertion-(Fluck 154) and make a statement for women while criticizing institutions that hindered women's rights. In Chopin's "The Story of an Hour- she openly questions societal norms, expresses strong feminist viewpoints on a woman's place in society independent from her husband, and condemns marriage as a societal method to inhibit a woman's self will. .
"The Story of an Hour- is historically set in the nineteenth century. Women at this time were believed to be to incompetent for their own accord, completely relying on their husbands for support. Placed in the gender biased society women were considered housewives and mothers whose sole purpose was to marry, have children, and take care of the household duties. They were not considered to be financially or emotionally competent enough to be in charge of their domestic arrangement or their own life. The death of a husband often spelled the disaster and complete breakdown for a family's .
Page 2.
structure. Chopin disagrees, she believes that women are not only capable to live and support their own lives, but that they are actually freed with the death of a husband and its imposing constraints. .
In "The Story of an Hour- Chopin places Mrs. Mallard in the position to contemplate her husbands' recent death. She is at first taken and overwhelmed by the situation collapsing into a state of grief.
Kate Chopin Kate Chopin, nee Catherine O"Flaherty, was born "[ ]according to her baptismal certificate, on February 8th1850 [ ]" (Toth 3), in St Louis Missouri. ... In 1870, Kate met and married Oscar Chopin, a Creole New Orleans native. ... Kolbenheyer was Kate Chopin's pivotal axis. ... Kate Chopin died on August 22, 1904. The 1960's marked a rebirth or "awakening" for Kate Chopin. ...
Kate Chopin faced tremendous amount hurdles that for many would be impossible to jump. ... Many of Kate Chopin's works deal with women in the 19th century whom , much like Chopin did not hold the rudimentary attitudes that was to be beholden to women. . ... (Hicks) With the absence of her father , Kate Chopin and her mother were forced to tackle the stationary roles of men. ... Kate Chopin , did this masterfully through her literary works two being The Awakening and "The Story of An Hour" Even though Kate Chopin faced many attacks she kept on writing on what she thought very strongly a...
"Too strong a drink for moral babies, and should be labeled 'poison'." was the how the Republic described Kate Chopin's most famous novel The Awakening (Seyersted 174). ... Kate O'Flaherty Chopin was raised in St. ... No longer Eliza O'Flaherty's daughter or Oscar Chopin's wife, Kate Chopin was forced to find a new role for herself. ... (Chopin 113). ... Louis shunned Chopin for writing it. ...
In "The Story of an Hour" and "The Storm", Kate Chopin creates an atmosphere so intense that it can almost be considered a character in itself. ... This is where Chopin goes to work creating an atmosphere. ... Without Chopin's creation of atmosphere and mood, the rest of the story would not make much sense. ... Chopin's use of personification brings the storm to life. ... In both, "The Story of an Hour" and "The Storm", Kate Chopin has gone to great lengths to make each part of her story essential. ...
Essay Assignment #3 Kate Chopin's "The Storm" By John Youssef Professor Johnson Humanities 420 Tuesday, December 8, 2003 Kate Chopin's "The Storm" Readings of Chopin's work's often note the tension between female characters and the society that surrounds them. Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin is concerned with exploring the "dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women" (146). Often, critics focus on the importance of conflict in these works and the way in whi...
In Kate Chopin's short story "The Storm" it is used as an omen, as well as perhaps despair, but it adds a different element to this story as well; it seems to be a force, perhaps destiny, perhaps a life in itself. ... Kate Chopin describes the forthcoming storm as "sinister"(139). ... Kate Chopin now describes it as "crashing torrents [of rain], and the roar of the elements" (141). ... Kate Chopin's most revealing line is perhaps the last, " So the storm passed and everyone was happy." (142). ...
Kate Chopin adorns her short story, "The Story of an Hour," through irony. By establishing an ironic undertone, Chopin consecrates an exemplary work that becomes dependant on the literary device and, as a result of its being implicated, is renown worldwide. ... Chopin's short story enabled the reader to interpret Louis Mallard, the main character, and society's view of her scenario as she ventured on an emotional rollercoaster. ... Karen Bernardo imparted how the theme of Chopin's short story "deals with an ironic twist." ... As one can see, irony has been interwoven into t...
Born Kate O'Flahrerty in St. ... After a few years as a society belle, she married Oscar Chopin in 1870, the son of a wealthy cotton farmer in Louisiana. ... He died in 1882, leaving Kate behind to run the store and plantation as well as raise the children. ... After the reaction to her novel, Chopin wrote only a few more stories. ... Kate Chopin was born in the years leading up to the American Civil War and experienced life in the South during the conflict and the period of Reconstruction that followed. ...
Kate Chopin wrote two short stories that provide examples of the way women act when they are freed of their homemaking responsibilities. For example, in the "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, Louise first cries when she hears of her husband's death. ... In this story, Chopin's main character is a woman today's society would call a homemaker. ... Chopin exposes these truths in her stories. ... Chopin shows that a woman will go to great lengths just to have the option to make her own decision. ...
