“The Story of an Hour” is a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894, revolving around women’s suffrage in a Western country prior to the surge of feminist movements. “The Story of an Hour” is a story about Mrs. Mallard, who has a weak heart from a cardiological illness, going through a series of emotional shifts after learning about the death of her husband in a railroad disaster. Mrs. Mallard falls into deep sorrow from the tragedy, yet she later realizes the death of her husband means the end of the oppression she has been enduring. Just when she starts to feel relieved and hopeful for her life ahead with freedom, she sees her husband return home unscratched, and she dies from a heart attack. Chopin portrays the gender role of a woman during the 1800s, a male-dominated era, through the description of Mrs. Mallard’s background and her thoughts and emotions while grieving for her husband who she thought has passed away to critique the traditional gender roles in marriage and society and to help the female readers realize the male oppression they were living in.
Chopin indicates in her story that the oppression Mrs. Mallard receives from her husband, Brentley Millard, is a product of the social construction during that era. Throughout the entire story, Chopin never mentions the jobs of the female characters, Mrs. Mallard and her sister, Josephine. On the contrary, she describes that Richard works in a newspaper office, and implies that Brently Millard has a job, although not explicitly stated, by mentioning that he is “composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella” (Chopin para. 20) when he comes home. During the 1800s, women were expected to be married, give birth, nurture the children, and take care of household chores. The regulation that inhibited women from possessing properties and allowed a husband to possess his wife’s earnings lawfully (“The Struggle for Married Women’s Rights, circa 1880s”) further discouraged women to pursue a career in the workforce. As a result, the majority of the women did not pursue higher education and were pressured by societal and familial expectations to get married at a younger age, like Mrs. Mallard.
Chopin also describes one of the sufferings of women being kept in a house as housewives—losing connection with the outside world. When Mrs. Mallard rushes to her room and collapses on the chair facing an open window, she sees “clouds that had met and piled one above the other” (Chopin para. 5). This symbolizes the barriers that separate her from the world beyond the window and cause her to lose sight of the things that are happening out there. Unlike the men who had the opportunities to go to work, socialize with their friends, and explore many places, women were often caught up with the never-ending household chores and barely had time to go outside and enjoy themselves. Mrs. Mallard continues gazing at the clouds as they flow with the winds. The clouds aggregate and separate, showing patches of the clear blue skies: “It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought” (Chopin para. 7). The revealing of the blue skies symbolizes the breakdown of the barrier between Mrs. Mallard and her desire to go out. This is also the moment she starts to realize that her husband’s death is a blessing in disguise as she can finally enjoy the freedom she did not have when her husband was around.
Throughout the entire story, Chopin does not explicitly state how Mrs. Mallard is oppressed in her marriage to avoid associating oppression with a certain set of behaviors only. Chopin highlights that domestic violence does not have to be involved to call a marriage oppressive although oppression can potentially lead to abuse. While Mrs. Mallard is grieving for her husband, she recalls him having “the kind, tender hands” (Chopin para. 12) and “the face that had never looked save with love upon her” (Chopin para.12). This suggests that Mrs. Mallard’s husband never physically abuses her intentionally; instead, he loves and treats her gently. Unfortunately, due to the patriarchal social construct that instills patriarchal ideology in the people, Mrs. Mallard’s husband does not know how to love her in ways her freedom is not restricted and her right is not violated as a woman. Mrs. Mallard loves her husband dearly too. However, she asserts that this love is meaningless in face of the oppression she has been enduring since the day the knot is tied. While love is essential to marriage, it is not the only aspect that will guarantee a happy marriage.
Furthermore, Chopin also illustrates that the life and even the death of a woman in the 1800s are dictated by males. Towards the end of the story, when Mrs. Mallard sees her husband walks into the house alive and well, she has a heart attack and dies. The doctor, who is most probably a male, concludes that Mrs. Mallard dies of “joy that kills” (Chopin para. 22). In another word, the doctor proposes that Mrs. Mallard is overjoyed to see her beloved husband alive, and her weak heart fails to tolerate her excitements. In fact, the reason behind the death of Mrs. Mallard is that she is utterly disappointed to see her husband comes home because her dream of living a free life is now crashed, and she has to go back to the oppressive life she normally lives.
The story of Mrs. Mallard depicted by Chopin is the representation of the suffering of many women who lived in a male-dominated society where freedom, opportunity, and right were not equally granted. Through the story of Mrs. Mallard, Chopin challenges the marriage and social norm that received little to no attention in that era. Although “The Story of an Hour” sets in the 1800s, the gender role of women described in the story is still relevant today to some extent. Undeniably, oppression towards women comes in many forms and not only takes place in marriage but also in society and workforces. This short story also serves to remind the readers to take conscious actions to condemn oppression against women that are still deeply rooted in the social construct today. Chopin’s warning in the short story empowers the women in the 1800s to fight for their freedom and right. It also serves as a reference for us today to evaluate how far have we come in overcoming oppression against women and to show us that women are still being oppressed and there are more needed to be done to free the women.
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