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The Story of an Hour

by Kate Chopin

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Discussion Topic

Feminist Themes in "The Story of an Hour"

Summary:

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is considered a seminal piece of feminist literature, primarily because it highlights the oppressive nature of marriage for women in the late 19th century. Through the character of Louise Mallard, Chopin explores themes of female identity and autonomy within a patriarchal society. Louise's brief experience of freedom upon hearing of her husband's death underscores her repression under marital constraints. The story critiques how marriage limits women's independence and self-actualization, reflecting key feminist concerns of the era.

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Why is "The Story of an Hour" considered feminist literature?

If you're struggling to create a thesis for a topic, you're likely struggling to envision the body paragraphs as well. Many students find that building those ideas into their thesis helps them to better plan for their paper. With that in mind, I would suggest a thesis that both directly addresses the topic of feminist criticism and weaves the support into the statement as well. Something like this would work:

The Story of an Hour is an example of feminist literature through the emotional oppression of Louise Mallard, the loss of her own sense of identity within her marriage, and the brief joy she experiences when given a taste of the freedom that independence could hold.

The first body paragraph would discuss how Louise exists in a marriage that brings her no happiness. It is noted that she has feared that her days on earth might be long, indicating that she finds no joy in her married life. When she first accepts the news, she accepts it willingly—gladly. She weeps in an outpouring of emotion that has been bottled up within her for years.

Your second body paragraph could then focus on all the ways Louise is reduced to being simply a wife. She is introduced as Mrs. Mallard and isn't given a first name for most of the story. It is also noted that "she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not." Within her historical context, Louise is expected to simply exist for the rest of her days, supporting her husband and caring for his needs while sacrificing any hope of joy she holds for herself.

The final paragraph would then look at how Louise experiences great joy at the thought of being able to make her own choices, no longer living for another person's comforts:

There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.

She takes time to gaze out the window, noting the signs of new life all around her. And she believes that this opportunity is her chance for a new life that she can claim all for herself.

Of course, none of this proves true as she has simply received poor information. The loss of the freedom she believes she'd been granted is too much for Louise, and she dies upon seeing her husband. Thus, the role of patriarchy in this story proves crushing to a woman who feels marginalized by her lack of opportunities because of her gender.

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Why is "The Story of an Hour" considered feminist literature?

"The Story of an Hour"  by Kate Chopin shows a different point of view about marriage.  In the time of the story, married women were not masters of their fate.  They relied on their husbands for financial support and were expected to do a great deal in return.  As in the case of Louise Mallard, money was not the issue.  Since Louise was ill, she had been told  what to do and never left to make choices for herself. 

The only way that Louise would ever be in charge of her own life is if her husband died.  This is why after her initial grief that she seems elated that now she will have her freedom to do as she pleases. 

Evaluating the women's plight and looking at life from a female perspective is feminist literature. In her writing, Chopin was committed to giving the woman in literature her own perspective. Her heroines would have lives beyond the male view of life. Louise Mallard would have her few moments of freedom:

There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature...

Potential thesis statements:

In "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard finds unexpected freedom, no matter how transient. 

Kate Chopin provides a few minutes of freedom from male oppression in "The Story of an Hour."

Louise Mallard slips the bonds of male oppression in "The Story of an Hour."

Louise Mallard recognition of her unhappiness gives way to the "joy of freedom."

Louise Mallard has been subjected to masculine oppression through her doctor to her husband.

"The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, considered an example of early feminist literature, illustrates a woman’s reaction to the end of an unhappy marriage and the beginning of a new life on her own.

In "The Story of an Hour" Chopin  questions the institution of marriage in a cleverly subversive way.

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Why is "The Story of an Hour" considered a work of feminist literature?

Chopin focuses on the joy that Louise Mallard realizes when she learns that her husband has died.  Within the frame of this story is the quiet struggle that women of the late 19th century fought others challenged the laws and attempted to gain equality and the right to vote.

Louise Mallard is subject to her husband's control because that is what society, or the social order of the time dictated.  There is no discussion of the independence of women, it exists only in Louise Mallard's dreams, as a married woman, that is.  She would, as a widow, have more freedom than a single woman.  As a widow, she could attend events and functions alone without any scandal or impropriety because she "was" married. 

What Chopin writes about in this story and others is the essence of being an individual with freedom of choice that is both offered and accepted by society. 

"she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination."

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Why is "The Story of an Hour" considered a work of feminist literature?

This is a great question, and the answer relies on your reading of the text and your understanding of feminism.  

Think about this woman's marriage.  How does she perceive the marriage?  Is it good, bad, or indifferent? What is her response when she believes her husband to be dead? Is she happy or sad? What does that response tell you about her marriage? 

Now, think about what feminism is.  It is a movement or ideology meant to empower females and promote their equality and self-actualization in all aspects of life, particularly within their relationships with males, including marriage. 

Taking those two ideas together, ask whether the story shows that this woman is equal, empowered, and self-actualized within the marriage?  Are there any clues in the text that tell you whether the woman believes that she has an opportunity to be empowered and self-actualized within the hour in which she thinks her husband is dead? What does that tell you about the marriage? 

What is Chopin trying to say in this story about the effect of marriage upon women's ability to be empowered? How is that message consistent with feminism? 

Good luck to you with your answer.

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What is the feminist critique of "The Story of an Hour"?

This very short story, like many other works by Kate Chopin, has been analyzed in terms of feminist literary criticism despite Chopin never having explicitly considered herself "a feminist." Many of her works depict women in unhappy marriages and can be read as critiques of the ways in which marriage as an institution limited and oppressed women in the late 19th century. 

In "The Story of an Hour," we find out that Mrs. Mallard, or Louise, has "heart trouble," so when her other relatives learn that her husband has been killed in a railroad accident, they have to be careful how they break the news to her. Louise feels numb and in shock at first, and she goes to her room alone to process the loss. Once she is alone, she notices the beautiful, thriving natural world outside her window, and she begins to feel hopeful. She thinks about how much time she will have for herself now that she has no husband. She whispers to herself, "Free! Body and soul free!" She knows that she will mourn when she sees her husband's body at his funeral, and he doesn't seem to have been a "bad" husband: there's no evidence he is abusive or unkind. Louise isn't sure she loved him, though. At the end of the story, Louise is very much looking forward to her future as a widow, but as she leaves her room to go downstairs, Brently Mallard opens the door and walks into the house. There was a mistake, and he was not on the train. Louise dies from the shock, and ironically, it is assumed that she died of "the joy that kills." The witnesses assume she was so happy to see her husband alive that she died of the shock. Readers know that she is shocked to learn that the future that she had just dreamed of,  "all sorts of days that would be her own," will now be impossible.

A critical feminist analysis of this story would focus on the restraints placed upon women by the institution of marriage. A key moment in the story that supports this view reads, 

There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.

In a marriage of the late 19th century, the husband would be the one "to impose [his] will" on his wife. When Louise thinks that "A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime," the reader sees that the problem lies not with the individuals but with marriage itself. Even if the husband is kind, even if he means well, he still has the power in the relationship. Therefore, the wife is always the lesser party. She always must bend to his will; she must "live for" him rather than for herself. A feminist critique shows how marriage does not allow this woman to feel any sense of freedom or individuality. Bringing this inequality between genders to the forefront is one of the main goals of feminist literary criticism. 

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What is the feminist critique of "The Story of an Hour"?

The feminist perspective that is expressed in The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin is the sense of freedom that Louise Mallard experiences after she is told that her husband has been killed in a train accident.

For a brief period of time, Louise celebrates the glory of being unchained from a controlling husband.

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