The role of women has changed significantly in society and it was very different today than it was in the pass. “Freedom” or “independence” is the household word for working women in today’s world. Even though we talk about women's freedom, it does not mean that they can live independently; rather, it means that at some point in their life, when they are going through difficult times, they must be prepared enough to face it on their own. Women need adequate protection, social and economic development and their own identity. The word “woman” symbolizes strength, sacrifice, courage, commitment and love. Kate Chopin wrote this short story in the 19th century, in which American society held to the deeply ingrained idea that women were inferior and should remain dependent on their husbands and other male figures. Women were involved in household chores like cooking, cleaning, raising children or doing laundry etc. Their salaries were lower than those of men. They had no financial independence and their assets or property were passed from their father to their husband upon their marriage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Story of an Hour was published in 1884. It explores the idea of ​​women's emancipation from domestic constraints. This article highlights the married Mr. and Mrs. Mallards. Kate Chopin's stories present the plight and experience of a married woman at the end of the century. The treatment of female characters in her stories is considered radical and oppositional, going against familiar ideas of feminism of the time. According to Simone Signoret: “Chains don’t make a marriage last. They are threads, hundreds of little threads, that connect people over the years. The story is set in the Colvert household in the late 19th century – a time when women were confined to the home and often denied participation in social life; it was also the time when they fought for equal rights and especially for the right to vote. Men were expected to lead public lives and socialize with like-minded men in public places like clubs, meetings, or bars. On the other hand, women were generally expected to live their lives largely confined to the home. Even during free time, very few women had the same educational opportunities. Domestic space is traditionally identified as women's space that defines and limits their potential for freedom. The home and family are patriarchal institutions that seek to deny women the opportunity to express themselves and pressure them into accepting the American dream of having a good husband, good children, and a good home. The outside world is the man's sphere and he leaves the house to work outside, while the woman stays inside to manage the domestic sphere. This notion is called the “cult of domesticity” by researcher Alison Kemper, where the woman was the “angel of the house.” The author sets the story at the turn of the century to highlight the changes that were becoming visible – the breakdown of strict divisions between male and female spaces in society. Author Kate Chopin, like the character in her story, had first-hand experience of the male-dominated society of the time and experienced the death of her husband at a very young age. The similarity between Kate Chopin and her heroine can only lead us to wonder in whathow much of this story is fiction and how much is personal experience. Indeed, the lives of Louise Mallard and Kate Chopin are very similar and ironic. Louise's life began when she realized she could live for herself. During that “hour” she felt true joy and freedom, but her life ended abruptly when her husband walked through the door. Like Mrs. Mallard, Chopin's writing career began after her husband's death. She wrote a few short story collections, but when she began expressing her feminist views, critics walked through the door and her writing life was over. The context of the story gives us an idea of ​​what Mrs. Mallard's marriage meant to her. We see the image of a young, well-off wife who seems very satisfied with her life. We also get the impression that she was deeply in love with her husband. The news of his death, brought by her sister and her husband's friend, Richards, filled her with great sorrow: “She cried at once, with sudden and wild abandon, in her sister's arms. » That was her first reaction, but, in fact, Louise reacted as most wives would react. After her first emotions, she went to another room to be alone: ​​“There was, facing the open window, a spacious and comfortable armchair. Into it she sank, crushed by a physical exhaustion which haunted her body and seemed to reach her soul. These sentences illustrate how Louise always felt about her marriage. The “comfortable and spacious armchair” was his family life itself. We can now conclude that in reality Mrs. Mallard was not very happy in her marriage. His life was like a duty “the duty to marry”. And then, when she realized her husband was dead, her initial grief turned into extreme happiness. She felt free. She felt free from the “gray cloud” above her head that hid her from the sun. It is clear that the shadow over her head was her husband's domination. Moreover, Mrs. Mallard's happiness was caused by the vision of a new future. Louise felt she had no other life than marriage, but now she had the opportunity to start living in a different way. As she collapsed into the chair, she first felt deep sorrow, then she felt the fatigue of everything around her; she finally realizes that she is free. "Free! Body and soul free! she kept whispering. Subsequently, after accepting this new feeling, Louise began to feel comfortable with the idea of ​​living alone, and "her pulse was beating quickly, and the blood that flowed warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. Louise realized that happiness filled her, regardless of whether this feeling followed a bad event. Of course, she had not forgotten her husband. died She remembered the love he had for her and how she would miss him, but she also thought of the years of liberation and the air of freedom she would undoubtedly enjoy. for Louise She knew she was going to enjoy her new life, yet she had mixed feelings towards Brently, her husband “There would be no one to live for her in the years to come; - itself. No powerful will would bend its own in this blind persistence with which men and women believe they have the right to impose a private will on a fellow human being. Benevolent intent or cruel intent made the act no less seem like a crime as she viewed it in a brief moment of enlightenment. Filled with a feeling of happiness and a vision of free life, Mrs. Mallard left the room. But precisely at that moment, wheneverything was going so well, disaster struck. Brently Mallard, who was believed to be dead, entered the house. He re-enters Louise's world and ends his new life. Mrs. Mallard realized that all her dreams, all her visions and all her plans were ruined. At that moment, the flash of reality struck his mind. She realized that he was coming back and that everything would continue badly. The same “gray cloud” covered her and the particles of her broken dreams. Unfortunately, Louise was unable to tolerate her husband's return and collapsed from a heart attack. As the doctors later said, it was joy that killed her. Unlike his wife, Brently felt grief over his accident, although he did not know she was dead because he remained alive. “Liberty” – What a magic word! Each of us puts our own meaning into this little combination of letters. Sometimes we realize that we can do everything and give everything to free ourselves from someone or something that bothers us, dominates us and influences our life. In fact, the question of freedom appears to be the most burning issue in family relationships. The cause of these difficulties lies in the husband's attitude towards his wife: he dominates her, shapes her lifestyle, makes her live for him instead of living for herself. Unfortunately, the woman accepts his behavior because she loves him and doesn't want to lose him. At the same time, the feeling of obedience in order to avoid divorce only occurs at the beginning of their marriage. Over the years, she gets used to the subordinate lifestyle that her husband imposed on her. And after a while she finds out that she hates her lifestyle because she devoted her whole life to her husband and the only thing she wants is freedom. This amazing story clearly indicates how deeply Mrs. Mallard desired her own freedom, but there was a conflict between her life and death. She had her own contemplation on life like love, marriage and freedom. But it was not appropriate, more than a hundred years ago, for a woman to have her own ideas that went against established ideas. The story suggests to us that Mrs. Mallard might have lived well if she had been a traditional woman, but that was not the case. Upon hearing the news, she was not alone with her sister and her husband's friend, Richard, but she felt alone. In real life, at that time, the space for social life was large, but for Mrs. Mallard, so small. No one could share his free thoughts. Therefore, she closed the door, letting those who were bothering her think, even if they were her sister and her husband's friend, Richards. In examining Mrs. Mallard's psychological state, we might find that emotional change must be described as the development of an increasingly resistant barrier between the real external world and that world which is most authentic in her experience - the inner world of his fantasies. Even if deep in her heart there is an ardent desire for liberation and feminine self-affirmation, and beneath her reserve lies a tension of romanticism and rebellion, she has no chance of freeing herself from what she clearly felt repression or frustration, thus releasing the forces. who slept inside her. Perhaps it is such reasons that cause him heart problems. It was only when she heard the news of her husband's sudden death that she breathed the free, fresh air: her moment of vision, where she understands herself and regains control of her life, is immediately followed by the arrival of her husband, Brently Mallard. who entered, a little stained from the trip, calmly carrying his handbag and umbrella. He was far from the scene of the accident and didn't even know there had been one. His death is described as a “joy that kills”.