Unfeminine Nathalie

In the short story, The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard is overcome with joy upon hearing the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. She felt free of the burden of being just a wife. She felt that her life was starting over, she could live it according to her, not her husband and societal pressures. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, women did not have the virtue to do whatever they please. By law, women could not vote and were the property of their dad or husband. They could not own property, had job limitations and had no rights to their own children. Women were expected to sit still and look pretty, tend to the kids, do housework and most importantly-- support her husband. Mrs. Mallard didn’t want that for herself. She knew her life could be better without being tied to her husband. If any women were to publicly display these emotions, she would be perceived as a heathen, crazy, or
Nathalie is a smart young women who knows that she cannot attain love and money in one man, so she sought out two men. One for love and one for money. Back in the time period this story was written, Nathalie would be considered a harlot or a floozy by society, because women’s expectations about infidelity are non-existent. They were expected be married to one man and start a family for the rest of their life. If a woman were not to marry, she would be property of her father’s (and then be called a spinster or old-maid). Nathalie’s actions would be seen as unholy, “slutty”, and wrong to era the story was written. Just as Abigail’s were when news broke of her and John Proctor.. In today’s society, the reaction would be similar. Despite the feminist movement ,women who have many relationships or have casual sex are considered to be promiscuous or easy. The purpose of Chopin writing this was to show that women are not granted the same respect as men, even when they may be acting like