The Story of an Hour and The Storm by Kate Chopin - Research Paper Example

Literature Research Paper Literature Research Paper In the final two decades of the Victorian era, there was seen a change in attitudes toward the status of women. There was a change in the society’s structure, with movement away from the patriarchal male dominance and dependency of females, to a society that was more open towards gender equality. This change was evident through the pieces of literature being written at that time, with a greater focus on women, their rights, and their independence. Two of the stories written at that time, “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm”, are a clear depiction and portrayal of how times were changing at that time for women, and how they were finally finding their footing in a society that was dominate by males. Kate Chopin, the author of both of these short stories, has used strong female characters, and as a feminist author, she is seen to mirror the characters of Louise in "The Story of an Hour" and Calixta in "The Storm”. The women in Kate Chopin’s stories all seem to be trapped in confining gender roles, and they try to challenge these roles and break out of them. “The Story of an Hour” was written by Kate Chopin in 1894, and it is one of the most famous stories of Chopin, along with “The Storm” which was published in 1898. Kate Chopin’s stories are known to be centered on female protagonists. Kate Chopin herself was quite independent for the women of her time and was well aware politics and other social issues. This fact is clearly reflected in her writings by her sole focus on women characters in the plots. Not only that, she has molded the characters in a way that they are a personification of her beliefs. They are shown to be free-spirited and independent, or desiring independence and the issues surrounding these women are more on the controversial side, reflecting the rebel in Kate Chopin. (Seyersted 1969) Many of Kate Chopin’s themes are along the lines of women’s revolt against conformity or against social norms that are unfair to women in any way. Some stories followed the theme of female sexuality or their search for their true selves. In “The Story of an Hour”, the female character is shown to gain the forbidden pleasure of independence as a married woman. This independence is not something a woman is expected to have; it is only something she can fantasize about. When Louise loses her husband, she is overcome by the expected grief but soon enough, she comes to realize what she has gained by losing her husband: a new-found independence, which she never had while being married. She begins to fantasize about the new way of life she would come to adopt, while being a single woman. She thinks to herself, "There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself.” (Chopin 1984) This realization that her life belongs only to her now excites her to the point where she forgets her grief altogether. She looks out the window and sees treetops and flowers which seem to represent a life lying ahead of her, full of freedom and opportunities. She has a clear, beautiful view of what her life will be like without her husband, free from any other person’s demands, and she cannot wait for that life to begin. The writer shows the oppressive side of a marriage, and how it can take away the independence from an individual, no matter how good or pure the marriage may be. Louise Mallard had been living her life according to her husband. He was the centre of her universe, her life fully revolved around him. His death brought along with it the freedom from this life for Louise. It was not that she did not love him; it was only that the love had become more of a job now. As the writer puts it, “What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!" (Chopin 2001) The writer, through Louise, shows her views that love cannot be a substitute for self-fulfillment and independence. The writer describes very well a woman who places her freedom before grief over her husband’s death, someone for whom the thought of her new independent life compensates for her husband’s death. “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature." (Chopin 1984) This thought elates her so much, consumes her so fully, that when she learns that the news of her husband’s death was actually a mistake, the shock is enough to kill her. This shows the amount of desire and excitement she had for her new independence. The theme of “The Storm” is adultery but unlike how most stories go, the adultery here is committed by a woman, Calixta. While her husband and son are stuck in a storm, she is with her former lover, enjoying her independence and rekindling old feelings. The author paints the situation in a positive light, indicating that it is okay for Calixta to be enjoying her free night. “And the first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her maiden days.” (Chopin 1984) Calixta is actually the embodiment of Kate Chopin’s own beliefs. (Petry 1996) Calixta was tied in a marriage in which is happy but not fully satisfied. She still desires fulfillment outside of it. She gains that by her sexual relation with her old lover and this makes her experience emotions of happiness and freedom that she had not felt in a long time "As she glanced up at him the fear in her liquid blue eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire." (Chopin 1984) Kate Chopin actually used the theme of a storm to put forth her views about marriage and how it can take away the excitement from the individuals’ lives. In conclusion, it is evident that both of these short stories are linked together with one common theme: the independence of women, regardless of whether it comes about in a positive or negative manner. These themes are shown through strong, and sometimes eccentric, women characters, who seem to mirror the personality of the author, Kate Chopin. In “The Story of an Hour”, we read about a woman fantasizing about her freedom and independence, and it elates her so much that she can let it compensate for her husband’s death . In “The Storm”, we get to know a woman who tastes short lived independence and self fulfillment, through a deceitful act. These female characters are shown to be unusual from their fellows, in the sense that they desire freedom, independence, and self-fulfillment, which do not seem to be readily available in the society of that time. Both of the stories follow similar themes, with strong female characters, but depict them in different styles and manners, so as to help the readers understand better the societies of that time and how the societies and their structure affected the status of women. References Chopin, K., & Gilbert, S. M. (1984). The awakening, and selected stories. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books. Chopin, K., & Chopin, K. (2001). The story of an hour. Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning Petry, A. H. (1996). Critical essays on Kate Chopin. New York: G.K. Hall. Seyersted, P. (1969). Kate Chopin: A critical biography. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget Tolentino, Jasdomin. (2008). Kate Chopins Life and Personal Influence. DigitalCommons@Pace. Wolff, C. G. (April 01, 1978). Kate Chopin and the Fiction of Limits: "Désirées Baby". The Southern Literary Journal, 10, 2, 123-133. Read More