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Fatal Freedom

The women who lived in the era of Mrs. Mallard in Kate ChopinÆs The Story of an Hour were women who quite often had to lead a secret internal existence. This was particularly true with respect to emotional expression and self-fulfillment. Such an internal life was necessary because women were typically dominated by males who they were viewed as ôinferiorö too, most often relegated to the roles of wife and mother. Any freedom of action or expression outside these rigidly defined social norms was viewed as a transgression against society and family. In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard is provided with a brief respite from such domination when she is told her husband is dead. However, upon finding that her husband is still alive her newfound freedom is lost forever and this is fatal to her.

The first line of The Story of an Hour is powerful and foreshadows the ending of the story and the predicament of married women who lived in Mrs. MallardÆs era. We are told Mrs. Mallard is ôafflicted with a heart troubleö so ôgreat care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husbandÆs deathö (Chopin 1). Chopin not only uses foreshadowing to reveal something important later in the story, but we see that women are in general considered fragile beings who must be treated gently during emotional crises. Such a portrayal underscores the oppression of women in the era and they way they were viewed as ôweakö in comparison to men.

Women like Mrs. Mallard were often forced to keep a public or external life in addition to a private and internal one. We see this when Mrs. Mallard is described as ônot hear[ing]ö the story of her husbandÆs demise ôas many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance,ö (Chopin 1). Mrs. Mallard goes to her room and others think she is distraught and in mourning. However, the sky is blue, she hears birds twittering

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Fatal Freedom. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:13, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1710308.html