The Role of Women, Sexuality, and Independence in the 17th and 18th Century
ENG 113 (950)
Literature Research Paper
July 11, 2011
The Role of women, sexuality, and Independence in the 17th and 18th century
There are two short stories that relates to the women in the 17th and 18th century. There is “The story of an hour”, and “Astronomer’s wife” and the two short stories related by the women being in a disconsolate marriage. Both Kate Chopin and Kay Boyle suggest to their reader that a woman need a man to connect with her physically to be happy. The two women experience a hard life that made them who they were. In the 17th and 18th century it was hard for women to be independent that changed as the years went on. In different ways a lot of women are being held back by their husbands and there is evidence to prove this.
The short story “ The story of an hour” was written by Kate Chopin in 1894. Kate Chopin was born in raised in St. Louis. She spent the years after her marriage in Louisiana as a society matron and mother of six. Business setbacks and the death of her husband in 1883 led her to assume control of her family business. Subsequently devoting herself to writing, she published short stories in magazines along with a novel (Chopin, 38). In the story Mrs. Mallard was heart broken to heart broken that her husband had pasted away. She wept in her sister’s arms before she went away to her room alone (DiYanni, 38). Mrs. Mallard now feels alone as she sits on her bed and look out the window. She sees trees, smells approaching rain, and hears a peddler yelling out what he’s selling. She hears someone singing as well as the sounds of sparrows, and there are fluffy white clouds in the sky. She is young, with lines around her eyes. Still crying, she gazes into the distance. She feels apprehensive and tries to suppress the building emotions within her but can’t. She begins repeating the word “Free” to herself over and over again. Her heart beats quickly, and she feels very warm (DiYanni, 39). Mrs. Mallard now fells free from all of
Literature Research Paper
July 11, 2011
The Role of women, sexuality, and Independence in the 17th and 18th century
There are two short stories that relates to the women in the 17th and 18th century. There is “The story of an hour”, and “Astronomer’s wife” and the two short stories related by the women being in a disconsolate marriage. Both Kate Chopin and Kay Boyle suggest to their reader that a woman need a man to connect with her physically to be happy. The two women experience a hard life that made them who they were. In the 17th and 18th century it was hard for women to be independent that changed as the years went on. In different ways a lot of women are being held back by their husbands and there is evidence to prove this.
The short story “ The story of an hour” was written by Kate Chopin in 1894. Kate Chopin was born in raised in St. Louis. She spent the years after her marriage in Louisiana as a society matron and mother of six. Business setbacks and the death of her husband in 1883 led her to assume control of her family business. Subsequently devoting herself to writing, she published short stories in magazines along with a novel (Chopin, 38). In the story Mrs. Mallard was heart broken to heart broken that her husband had pasted away. She wept in her sister’s arms before she went away to her room alone (DiYanni, 38). Mrs. Mallard now feels alone as she sits on her bed and look out the window. She sees trees, smells approaching rain, and hears a peddler yelling out what he’s selling. She hears someone singing as well as the sounds of sparrows, and there are fluffy white clouds in the sky. She is young, with lines around her eyes. Still crying, she gazes into the distance. She feels apprehensive and tries to suppress the building emotions within her but can’t. She begins repeating the word “Free” to herself over and over again. Her heart beats quickly, and she feels very warm (DiYanni, 39). Mrs. Mallard now fells free from all of