Women's rights in the late 1800s to explain Mrs. Mallard's behavior. (The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin) - Research Paper Example

? The Story of an Hour Order No. 558044 Introduction Throughout the of history we find that women were granted lesser equal rights and opportunities to pursue their personal and professional lives or careers. The reason for such generalization was due to women being regarded as images of motherhood and therefore their primary duty was directed towards bearing children and looking after them. In the early days though women were looked upon as a creative entity, yet they were always considered to be physically and intellectually inferior to men. Moreover, women were also considered to be a major source of temptation to men. The ancient Roman law described women as children who were inferior to men. According to Greek mythology, it was Pandora, a woman who had opened a box that was forbidden and released unhappiness, disease and plagues into the world. In ancient India, after the advent of Hinduism, the role of women was one of submission. Women were required to be ever obedient and walk behind their husbands. Widows could not remarry neither could women own property. It is clearly evident that in the East and West, male children were most preferred than female children. Maternity, was considered the biologically natural role for women. Women in the early times were considered to be the fairer but weaker sex and unable to carry out work that required muscular or intellectual skill. For example, they were required to carry out duties pertaining to the household such as cooking, cleaning and looking after their families. Work involving heavy labor was left for the men to do. Though women were considered to be the weaker sex, statistics show that women have a greater tolerance than men and live for a longer period than men. They are also capable of hard labor and have greater tolerance to pain and disease. The legal status of women was greatly influenced by the myth of women being naturally inferior and therefore all major decisions were taken by the men. Men literally owned their wives while the women remained defenseless in legal matters. Though women who were unmarried were permitted to sue or be sued in a court of law, own property or sign legal contracts, the women who were married were not allowed to do the same. In fact she had to give up her name, adopt the name of the husband and all the property she owned came under the control of her husband. However, during the 19th century, as women began educating themselves in college or universities, things began to change for them. Equity laws were passed in places like the United States and England and the rights of women became more liberalized. Married women were allowed to own property and they were allowed to take up professions in law or they worked in garment or textile mills. In the 20th century however, times began changing and so did the attitudes towards women. Women fought and won the right to vote and thereby strengthened their positions by educating themselves well and seeking good career opportunities. It was during this period that they were permitted both personal and intellectual freedom. Women began making significant progress through their achievements in various fields. ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Kate Chopin was chosen by me to reinstate the above scenario of women and how they lived during the early eras of the 1800’s and the status they maintained in society. This story belongs to the category of short stories and revolves around Louise Mallard, the protagonist of the story, who is a clear example of women who lived during the 1800’s when women’s rights suffered due to male domination. Brently Mallard, Louise’s husband is supposed to have died tragically in a railroad accident and on hearing the news of his death from the newspaper office, Richards who is Brently’s friend, leaves immediately to break the news to Mallard’s wife Louise. Mrs. Mallard was known to be weak- hearted and so Josephine, her sister undertakes to break the news to her most gently. On coming to hear of her husband’s death, Louise Mallard breaks down and cries openly in front of all present. Louise is one of those stereotypes of the 1800’s where women were looked upon as a weak species who found it difficult to handle difficult situations. However, there is another side to Mrs. Mallard. This is quite evident when she leaves the others and goes into her room to contemplate on her husband’s death. When she closes the door behind her she puts an armchair by the window and begins to admire the beauty outside. Louise is young and so many thoughts keep running through her mind. Though she stares blankly into the sky beyond, it suddenly dawns on her that she is free at last. This is another point that shows she is a stereotype of the 1800’s where repression was rampant and domination of the male was ever present in her life. The feeling of terror she felt when her husband was alive slowly leaves her eyes and she experiences an exhilaration brought about by her new found freedom. She reveled in this feeling as she realized she has gained her own independence and this feeling made her pulse race faster. Louise welcomed and embraced her new found freedom as she began to plan for her future. A future devoid of the husband’s domination and a future where she could exercise her own will. In this ecstatic condition she murmurs to herself – “Free! Body and soul free!” (Kate Chopin, 1894) She imagines the happiness and calm before her and compares this to her past existence. She had feared living a long life when her husband was alive, but now she wanted to enjoy her life as long as she lived. She allows this happy feeling seep through her body as she realizes that she no more has to live her life according to her husband’s decisions, but she was now free to take her own decisions in leading her own life. However, it was rather unfortunate that her dreams of the future were quite short lived. The front door-bell rang and soon her sister Josephine came and knocked at her door and asked her to stop grieving and come out. Putting her arm around her sister she goes downstairs to answer the door. Conflicting thoughts keep racing through her mind as she receives a shock when she finds her husband standing in the doorway. She gives a cry of dismay as the truth dawns on her. The freedom and happiness she had so long dreamed of, was snatched away from her the moment her husband returned. He had been nowhere near the disaster that day and so had returned home safely. This confrontation of conflict is more than Mrs. Mallard could bear and she dropped down and passed out. The doctors were called in to examine her and said that she had died of “heart disease”, supposedly from “the joy that kills”. (Kate Chopin, 1894) Kate Chopin’s short story of the ‘Story of an Hour’ can definitely be taken as an example of women stereotypes of the 1800’s and her protagonist Louise Mallard represents all those women who were suppressed and repressed because they were not given a voice in society. Chopin’s complex portrayal of issues involving the interplay of female dependence and independence, love and hate, freedom and captivity clearly enlightens us on the kind of lives the women in the 1800’s lived and experienced. References Kate Chopin. (1894) The Story of an Hour. WIC –Women’s History in America. Presented by Women’s International Center. www.wic.org/misc/history.htm The Story of an Hour – Summary and Analysis www.gradesaver.com/kate-chopins-short-stories/study-guide/section1/ The Story of an Hour www.shmoop.com/story-of-hour/summary.html Read More