Until Death Do Us Part
Austin Norton
Professor McCarty
ENG 1020
Until Death Do Us Part: Patriarchal Dominance
Marriage, the climax that men and women spend their life rising to, has changed significantly throughout the ages. Today men and women tend to marry out of love, hoping that they have found their one true soul mate. Unfortunately, until around the time of the industrial revolution, marriage was sought out for other reasons than simply the mutual affection shared between a boy and a girl. Throughout the late nineteenth century, women were suppressed by a patriarchal society that only expressed rights for man, not woman. “Women would not openly talk about sex or desires, reveal their pregnant bodies in public, or even talk about their own social condition, unless it refers to their husband’s prosperity,” in fear that society would look down on them (Kalkstein). In Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour,” Louise’s expression of freedom after hearing of her husband’s death serves as an avant-garde for the embodiment of feminism.
Ordinarily, around the time “The Story of an Hour” was written people married because of social, economic, or political reasons. In fact, when placed in historical context, the idea of marrying out of love is quite unusual (Campbell).
Works Cited
Campbell, Kelly, and David W. Wright. "Marriage today: Exploring the incongruence between Americans ' beliefs and practices." Journal of Comparative Family Studies (2010): 329-345.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature and Its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2004. 137-39. Print.
Clem, Francis. Personal interview. 18 Oct. 2014.
Kalkstein, Molly. "VirtuaLit Fiction: Cultural Contexts." Women in the Late Nineteenth Century. Bedford St. Martin 's. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
Wayne, Tiffany K. Women 's Roles In Nineteenth-century America. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007.
Professor McCarty
ENG 1020
Until Death Do Us Part: Patriarchal Dominance
Marriage, the climax that men and women spend their life rising to, has changed significantly throughout the ages. Today men and women tend to marry out of love, hoping that they have found their one true soul mate. Unfortunately, until around the time of the industrial revolution, marriage was sought out for other reasons than simply the mutual affection shared between a boy and a girl. Throughout the late nineteenth century, women were suppressed by a patriarchal society that only expressed rights for man, not woman. “Women would not openly talk about sex or desires, reveal their pregnant bodies in public, or even talk about their own social condition, unless it refers to their husband’s prosperity,” in fear that society would look down on them (Kalkstein). In Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour,” Louise’s expression of freedom after hearing of her husband’s death serves as an avant-garde for the embodiment of feminism.
Ordinarily, around the time “The Story of an Hour” was written people married because of social, economic, or political reasons. In fact, when placed in historical context, the idea of marrying out of love is quite unusual (Campbell).
Works Cited
Campbell, Kelly, and David W. Wright. "Marriage today: Exploring the incongruence between Americans ' beliefs and practices." Journal of Comparative Family Studies (2010): 329-345.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature and Its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2004. 137-39. Print.
Clem, Francis. Personal interview. 18 Oct. 2014.
Kalkstein, Molly. "VirtuaLit Fiction: Cultural Contexts." Women in the Late Nineteenth Century. Bedford St. Martin 's. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.
Wayne, Tiffany K. Women 's Roles In Nineteenth-century America. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007.
Cited: Campbell, Kelly, and David W. Wright. "Marriage today: Exploring the incongruence between Americans ' beliefs and practices." Journal of Comparative Family Studies (2010): 329-345. Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature and Its Writers: A Compact Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2004. 137-39. Print. Clem, Francis. Personal interview. 18 Oct. 2014. Kalkstein, Molly. "VirtuaLit Fiction: Cultural Contexts." Women in the Late Nineteenth Century. Bedford St. Martin 's. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. Wayne, Tiffany K. Women 's Roles In Nineteenth-century America. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007.