Paper Topic:

Responding to Literature

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A Feminist Approach to Kate Chopin 's A Story of an Hour

The short story , A Story of an Hour , by Kate Chopin is one work of literature that has called much attention . However , not all of the attention that the story had received is on the positive note . Chopin 's story has received much criticisms and controversies . One reason why Chopin 's A Story of an Hour ' had become a much talked about piece is because it had discussed about gender issues . Chopin

's A Story of an Hour ' is undoubtedly a feminist text due to the following reasons : the story highlights gender differences , the story portrays women as a marginalized group , the story implies resistance to the patriarchal rule , and the story reiterates gender inequality in political and social aspects

Chopin had just reiterated to us things that are observable about gender differences . Chopin had presented us the basic structure of the society according to the aspect of gender differences . The conflict in the story was generated from the fact that the husband has to be away from home to work . In contrast to that , Mrs . Mallard has to be stuck at home performing stereotyped roles , one of which is to stay at home and worry to death for a working husband . Chopin 's reiteration of women stereotyped to be stuck in the domestic world strongly asks : why are men permitted to work and women are not ? These type of gender roles resonates as antifeminist because it implies inequality among gender - as if particular gender is more capable than the other

It seems that Chopin 's strategy as a feminist is to generate questions in the minds of her readers . Interestingly , A Story of an Hour ' ends with the doctors stating that Mrs . Mallard had died because of the .joy that kills ' A feminist approach to Chopin 's ending would reveal that there is more to it than a seemingly innocent statement Feminists would be offended by the doctors ' diagnosis on Mrs . Mallard 's cause of death . It is suggested in the narrative that the Mallard couple may had some past conflicts regarding their marriage . This is hinted by the line .and yet she had loved him - sometimes , more often than not (Chopin . It is very likely that the author wanted to present to the readers an oppressive marriage . Mrs . Mallard had expressed a sense of freedom through the line Free ! Body and Soul free ' Their marriage may have been free from marital violence . Mrs . Mallard was simply saying that she , as a woman , is now free from the oppressive stereotypical roles of being a wife . And so , the phrase of joy that kills ' is actually referring to Mrs . Mallard 's hampered freedom from gender inequality

Moreover , A Story of an Hour ' is a masterpiece of a great woman writer , Kate Chopin . It is just understandable that her work would raise some people 's eyebrows . This particular story was published...

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