لخّصلي

“The story of an hour” by Kate Chopin narrates the events taking place in the last moments of Louise Mallard, a housewife who is happy after being falsely informed about the death of her husband. Today, gender equality is one of the most debated issues. For a long time, society has been controlled by men. The desire for women to be free has led to the feminist movement which seeks to end the equality between men and women. Feminism is interested in achieving equality so that a woman can be herself and be free without her conduct and place in society being dictated by conservative social norms. It tries to show women that they can do everything that men can do. Resentment towards men is evident in Kate Chopin’s through the way Mrs. Mallard rejoices after learning that her husband has died. She is happy that she is free from the shackles of marriage. She whispers that both her soul and body are free. Although Mrs. Mallard has a heart problem, she feels that she would be able to do something constructive with her life if she was not chained to marriage. In Kate Chopin’s time, the oppression of women was prevalent, and the social institution of marriage contributed to the oppression. Marriage in “The Story of an Hour” is shown as suppressive of the identity of women, as seen through the marriage of Mrs. Mallard. Marriage’s oppressive nature in this society kills women’s attempts to achieve freedom.

The Mallards are a family of the working class at the time the story is written. Brently Mallard, the husband, works to provide for the family while Mrs. Mallard takes care of the family as she is not working. Looking at the story deeply, it is clear Mrs. Mallard suffers from the oppression that her husband and society have placed on her. Mrs. Mallard is the story’s main character. Like in all male-dominated societies, Mrs. Mallard is only known by the name of her husband. The implication of this is that without her husband, she does not have an identity. Chopin shows that Kate is oppressed from the very beginning. Her husband has a first name from the start of the story, while Mrs. Mallard’s first name is only given late in the story. Marriage is seen as an oppressive force for Mrs. Mallard. Wang writes that the statement of the mental activity of Louise shows she has undergone some degree of suppression and “that is what she deep in her deep mind in the story” (Wang 115). This makes it clear that marriage curtails the freedom of women and makes them feel oppressed.