Gender discrimination in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

¶ … Story of an Hour

Mrs. Mallard Obituary: The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

Cover Letter

This essay underscores the discriminative attitude towards women in the 19th century. The essay predominately assesses gender representation in Kate Chopin Story Of an Hour, and the tale is paired to Schumaker, Conrad. "Too Terribly Good to Be Printed": Charlotte Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" also written in the nineteen century and depicts the roles of women in a conservative society dominated by men. I choose to use Kate Chopin story to write the obituary because the story is set in 19th century in a society that does not recognize women. The death of Louise Mallard forms the basis of this essay given her intriguing attitude towards the society, and the cause of her death. The fact that Mrs. Mallard somehow rejoiced in her husband's death because of the her desire to liberate herself from her dominating husband, illustrate how the society enhanced patriarchal thinking during the 19th century, and the quest for women to free themselves from the oppressive society.

This essay explores the discriminative attitude towards women in the society. In addition, the essay explores how women viewed their place in the society besides their efforts to liberate themselves. The question was not complex because the societal attitudes towards women in the Victorian period are well highlighted in the short stories. While writing about Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour" and other short stories, my understanding of the book changed in the sense that I came to realize that occurrences in the short stories echoed the opinions of the authors as regards the subjugation of women besides depicting some aspects of the author's real life. The authors were active and great crusaders of women rights and they used the short stories to air their views. The tales' main objective was to peel away gender predisposition that afflicted the American women in the Victorian American.

Writing the obituary was the hardest part of this essay as few details concerning Louise Mallard were available. However, the obituary supported the ideas of the essay and formed the foundation of the entire paper. The essay has some strong aspects because it is supported by ideas from people who lived during this period, the authors. The essay offers a clear picture of a 9th century's discriminative society. However, the essay lacks opinions from people such as politicians, leaders and social reformists who perhaps could have given a clearer picture of the 19th century social and political space. I expect to receive a positive feedback from the instructor particularly with regard to the arrangement of the essay and the entire analysis of the discriminative attitudes towards women in 19th Century.

Introduction

In no diminutive measure, the discriminatory and differential treatment of women stems from anatomical disparities between males and females besides attitudes towards their roles in the society. Females in the 19th century were treated differently than women in the present world. Women had no choices to determine their future, but were submissive to their husbands. Most women during this period lived in a situation little healthier than slavery. They had no option but to obey their husbands given that in most instances, men had all the resources thereby leaving women without independent means of survival. A woman's intent to remain unmarried attracted social disapproval, and they received less or no education compared to men. This trend made women obtain no jobs or get low-paying jobs, and they main role in the society was to marry and bear children. This paper provides an obituary of Mrs. Mallard, the protagonists in Kate Chopin's Story of an Hour, and a follow-up essay about how women in the 19th century were discriminated against by the society.

The Follow-up Essay

The "Story of an Hour" is about a woman's response to the news of her spouse's death. Louise Mallard is not comfortable in her marriage due to her husband's dominating powers. She is required to be submissive to him in all aspects of her life. However, from the earlier centuries to mid 20th century, the period during which the story was written, women had no rights in the society and they were not allowed to voice out their problems. Kate Chopin wrote the story in nineteen century when women had no rights. Kate conveys persuasive analysis of the social and marital mores of the nineteenth century. Significant to the denouement is the time when the protagonist, Louise Mallard, completes the words, "free" in the solitude of her bedroom when reflecting of an independent life free from her husband's dominating powers. She gains freedom, but for only an hour.

Kate Chopin's portrays a woman who finds it hard to accept her fate as a woman. The story clearly illustrates the role of women as homemakers, child bearers and caregivers. Women rights are not recognized in the story, a trend depict how women in the 19th century were treated (Gilman 37). Chopin addresses complex issues entailed in the interaction of female freedom, marriage and love via a brief, but productive characterization of the allegedly widowed Mrs. Mallard. Kate represents Louise as a concerned character with insight and strength. As she comprehends the world, losing her husband to her is not a great loss as it is to achieve a chance to move forward, far from her blind perseverance. Women in the 19th Century were lawfully attached to their spouses' status and power. The words "Free" implies that women in the earlier centuries never had freedom (Chopin 14). The words depict the historical circumstance of women in the 19th century.

The Story of an Hour when matched with Charlotte Perkin's Schumaker Conrad's "Too Terribly Good to Be Printed": Charlotte Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper." Depict the condition of women in the 19th century. Perkin tells an off-putting tale of a female suffering from some form of depression. The author highlights the concept of liberty from oppressive conventional female responsibilities (Gilman 37). In the story, the speaker tries to run away from her husband's treatments. Just like Mrs. Mallard, the speaker wants to run off from gender traditions of a male-dominated society. Similar to Chopin, Perkin highlights the struggles that women faced when tying to fight for their freedom; the tales echo the attitudes of the society towards women. The tales demonstrates the mindset of the society towards the mental and physical health of women in the 19th century.'

The Yellow Wall-Paper and The Story of an Hour foreground the faults of the male health representation and the social formation of domestic femininity in the Victorian era (Gilman 37). Mrs. Mallard movement amid the lower and upper tales of her home, her rebuff of the traditional domesticity in the course of her one-hour freedom, and her destiny provokes interesting comparisons to the activities and speaker of "The Yellow Wall-Paper." In an appallingly humorous ending, the speaker destroyed both the wallpaper and her individuality as a way of liberating herself. The speaker becomes unable to express her feelings and she jumps over her husband's laps meaning that she has gained freedom.

While Mrs. Mallard freedom was short-lived, the Yellow Wall-Paper speaker's freedom was obtained, but not fully, given that she was still crawling in the room with the rope still in her waste. She managed to damage the front blueprint while the hidden pattern remained intact. This aspect explains the perpetual nature of women and is evident in the modern society. While woman do not want to continue being submissive to their husbands, the true nature of her role still stand (Shumaker 598). In his article "Too Terribly Good to be printed," Conrad Shumaker also depicts women as inferior to men and having to play the role of mothers, wives and housekeepers. According to Shumaker, attack on motherhood and home was an offensive act (Shumaker 598).

Conclusion

The stories involve intricate work and a productive indictment of the 19th century's attitude towards sexes and the acquisitiveness that underlies that opinion (Shumaker 598). They represent a contrary view of the modern women who fear shifting sexual roles, and who do not recognize themselves as wives, mothers and caregivers (Gilman 38). The tales depict women as people with no effect in the society apart from being wives, housekeepers and mothers. From the short stories, women experienced psychosomatic, social and moral tribulations because they were subjected to loveless and painful marriages. The authors underscore the representation of the tribulations that women experienced and they desire to attain freedom.

Work Cited

Kate Chopin. Kate Chopin's the awakening. London: InfoBase Publishing, 2008

Shumaker, Conrad," Too terribly Good to Printed: Charlotte Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."

American Literature, 57.4 (1985): 588-599.

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Charlotte Perkin's the yellow wall-paper: A sourcebook and critical edition. New York: Routledge, 2004.