Preview

Story Of An Hour Comparative Analysis Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1141 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Story Of An Hour Comparative Analysis Essay
Wang 1

Jiawei Wang

ENGL 110BD

Professor Keller

WA#3
Final Draft
5/4/2016

Comparative Analysis of ?The Storm? and ?The Story of an Hour?
Kate Chopin, as a writer, is well known for her literature work about the limited perception that the nineteenth-century society had on the female gender. During that time, people were very restrictive about the views of a woman?s place in the society. Furthermore, women of that era did not have voice of their own. They were made to believe that their role in the society was to serve their husbands. In the stories, The Storm and The Story of an Hour, Chopin portrays how this restrictive perspective of women affected them and their views about life and marriage. The settings of the two stories are drastically
…show more content…
The character understands her world very well. According to the story, the woman feels that losing her strongest familial tie is bad, but the opportunity to move away from the bondage of personal relationship and marriage, provided after the demise of her husband, makes the whole situation better. In particular, during this era when Chopin was writing the book, American wives were legally bound to their husband status and power. When a woman became windowed, they did not bear the responsibility of following and finding a husband. Furthermore, windowed women gained legal recognition after their husband?s death and, consequently, had more control over their lives. Nonetheless, although the writer does not cite the contemporary situation of women in the story, the protagonist exclamations of ?free! Body and Soul!? are strongly suggestive of the historical context ("The Story of An Hour" 1). The writer depicts the sorrow of women in marriage and the feeling of oppression by men in marriage. The feeling of celebration and happiness in Mrs. Mallard, after learning the demise of her husband, demonstrates how women felt about marriage. The happiness of independence gained after becoming widowed outweighs the sadness of being left by their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There are many different tones, themes, characters, and symbolism in the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin explains the story of a negative view of marriage by showing the reader with a woman who is overjoyed that her husband has died, also the characters in the story itself goes through multiply changes from fear to depression to finally freedom. The lone character, who goes through the most change be far throughout the entire story is the main character Mrs. Louise Mallard. This transformation doesn’t just help change the character of Louise Mallard, further the themes of the story and solidify the tones that the author are trying to set for the story.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin is a well known short story author from the late 1800’s who often included sexually repressed women as the protagonist in her works. One story she wrote, “The Storm”, was never submitted for publication until after her death due to the sexual nature of not only the story, but the protagonist as well.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history, women have been oppressed because they did not have the same rights as men. Thus, they have suffered unfair treatment such as not being able to vote, having their voices heard in the political sphere because of their gender and so on. Therefore, feminist criticism, which focuses on the women’s perspective, gradually formed and became quickly integrated into the literary works such as Kate Chopin’s short stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby”. Kate Chopin is an American author who advocated that women and men both should have right of equality and freedom. In her short story, “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin describes a young wife who has heart disease which is why her sister and…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Published in 1894, “The Story of an Hour,” has endured longer than the title would indicate and is a declaration of the support of independence for women from its author Kate Chopin. Having read this story before in other courses, and having spoken at length about how Chopin was in support of the idea of woman’s suffrage even before the suffrage movement caught hold, this story leaves a lasting impression and resonates deeper with me every time I read it. Chopin uses her work to illuminate the joy of independence and the oppression that marriage can bring. Whether intentional or unintentional, her message is not only meant for women but, extends to men as well. It is a timeless theme that anyone can learn from in every age. By her use of various literary elements such as, structure, and style, and the use of rhetorical devises such as pathos Chopin creates a work that provokes deeper though and asks a reader to delve into the emotional struggle of her character Mrs. Louise…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Andrea Essay Paper

    • 714 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In this novel “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin symbolizes a negative outlook of marriage by presenting the reader with a woman who is clearly overjoyed that her husband has died. A good thesis statement for The Story of an Hour would be that the story unveils the inner psychological strains of women who were restrained and misunderstood by agonizing social outlooks upon marriage....…

    • 714 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism in "The Storm"

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “The Storm”, written by Kate Chopin in 1898, examines the uncontrollable desires of a young wife, lured into the arms of her past lover as her husband and son are caught in a storm. Bobinôt and four-year-old Bibi are running errands when the storm suddenly hit. Bobinôt’s wife, Calixta was at home sewing when she noticed the severe storm happening outside. When Calixta went outside to gather some clothing, her old lover Alcée asked for shelter during the storm. Through her use of symbolism, Chopin gives the reader her feelings on the love affair between Calixta and Alcée.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mallard's Oppression

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” focuses on Louise Mallard, the wife of Brently Mallard, who has just discovered that her husband has been killed in a railroad disaster. Overcome with grief, Mrs. Mallard hides away in her room for an hour reflecting on what life will become like without her husband. Once realizing that she is free from her oppressed marriage, Mrs. Mallard becomes elated. Upon discovering her newfound freedoms, Mrs. Mallard departs from her room only to find that her husband is still alive. Because Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” occurs during a time in which women’s freedoms were trumped by oppression, Chopin uses a series of symbols, and an omniscient third-person point of view to show that women longed to escape…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Traditionally, women have always appeared to be the less dominant sex; subjected to roles such as nurturers and bearers of children and the ever popular, housewives. Sadly, although Kate Chopin wrote “The Story of an Hour” during a time when women’s rights were almost nonexistent, not much has changed. Still, there are significant similarities in the roles of married women in the 1900’s compared to roles of married women in this century. In “The Story of an Hour”, Chopin takes the opportunity to subtly create a powerful statement regarding humanity and women’s rights. Through her crafty and meticulous usage of symbolism and irony, Chopin sheds light on how a woman’s role in marriage is relatable to a life of servitude as opposed to a loving relationship.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin was indeed ahead of her time. She is the epitome of a feminist, and as a result, some of her stories were banned. Through her writing, she was able to give a voice to women that felt trapped in their marriage and in society. The fact that she was able to draw from her own experiences to mold her characters made her works even stronger. The story “The Storm” liberates women from the constraints of society and marriage, while simultaneously drawing from Chopin’s own…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin The Storm

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin is a magnificent writer who has the expertise to weave the setting of her short story, “The Storm”, in order to convey the theme. Because the theme of this story was considered so perverse and unorthodox during the time that it was written, it was published in the later year, 1960, instead of 1898. It can be said that Chopin was well ahead of her time. She often pushed the limits of sexual affairs, and she frequently questioned society’s limitations on women. Most of her female protagonists struggle under the repression of an unwanted marriage or a husband who is too restrictive. Her story, “The Storm”, was no exception. Per Seyersted, a Chopin biographer, wrote that the theme in this story is “sex is a force as strong, inevitable,…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin, a renowned author known for her human sexuality and feministic perspective expresses feminine freedom in two of her short stories, "The Storm" and "Story of an Hour". Through these two short stories, Chopin describes the lives of two women who discover their freedom in times where society does not accept women as equal to men. Whereas "The Storm" illustrates sexual passion as an escape from marriage, "The Story of an Hour" portrays freedom through death from an oppressed marriage. Ultimately, both stories express the attitudes of two women’s rebirth and liberation.…

    • 856 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Kate Chopin "The Storm"

    • 1035 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The passionate love affair depicted in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” could be seen has quite tame when compared to the romantic novels of today, but a sexual interlude and affair of a married woman would have been very brazen when it was written in 1898. Chopin’s short story challenged societies expectations and beliefs when it came to women, sex, and marriage. The female characters in “The Storm” don’t necessarily conform to those of the traditional 19th century woman when it comes to the themes of love, passion, marriage, freedom, and sexual desire.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Kate Chopin

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Bravely bold and expressive describes the author of “The Storm”, Kate Chopin. “The Storm” was written in a time where feminine sexuality was suppressed and perhaps taboo to society which resulted in a later publication of her books. Even though many lived in a pretense of moral superiority, Chopin conveyed the reality of feminine desires and individualism of women in her time. Stricken by society’s judgement, women often kept their desires a secret while the men had freedom to explore their own. This short story is more than just about physical, it’s about women’s role in society and their disregarded feelings.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    An Hour Gender Roles

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin analyzes the lives of women in the nineteenth century and not just the routes in which society, through its ideas of gender, its generalization of women, marriage, at last, eradicates female yearnings. Women were usually expected to live their lives largely at home, taking care of cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children they turn into the invisible partners to their spouses, without any wishes and…

    • 1310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kate Chopin is an outstandingly creative writer who brilliantly writes so that even if someone is not the strongest reader, they will still get a compelling story; but if they are a strong reader, they’ll go further by receiving the true meaning behind her wit and intelligent writing styles. Chopin is great about letting readers scratch the surface of a topic that needs to be brought to attention and then just exploits the details by placing wordage exactly where it needs to be to realize just how pressing these issues are, and especially how different times were back then than how they are currently. In her short stories, specifically “The Storm”, Chopin contrasts the responsibilities of the spouses based on gender…

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays