Introduction to Identity in “The Story of an Hour”
Kate Chopin has been interpreted in several ways including the theme of “The Story of an Hour”, her representative short story. Having been raised as a girl with access to education better than other girls of her time, Kate Chopin wrote extensively about female oppression in a society where the domestic field was simply the domain of a woman, specifically a married woman, while the external world was the domain of men. However, her views were a bit broader than this simple social convention, for she not only was a deep observer of the female characters from her own family but also around her in society, when Puritanism was having a full hold on every aspect of life. The major conflict she highlighted about identity in “The Story of an Hour” and other short fiction is about “women torn between duty and desire” (Toth 1990) with underpinnings of identity recognition as compared to patriarchal domination. However, with it is the oppression of marriage and subsequent liberation that gives further power to a mother at home after the death of the male head of the family that Louise demonstrates in the story. There also is no indication in the story about Louise whether she is a mother or not. Papke notes in the introduction of her paper that there was the propagation of this concept that women are “lesser beings” dependent on men in every way and this concept has been institutionalized through social norms and conventions in marriage (Papke 1990). The sacred institution of marriage, as Kate Chopin, shows became a reason for the oppression, or at least women with intellectual capability used to think it so as does Louise when she sees the possibility of freedom from this bondage. This situation put women as subordinate to men, which sometimes seems a sort of permanent incarceration. Therefore, identity in “The Story of an Hour” is not only a theme within a patriarchal society but also the story highlights the oppression of marriage and the desire for liberation on the part of women. However, with it is also interlined the assertion of the female identity.
Feminism and Identity in “The Story of an Hour”
In the age torn between approach French intellectual inquiry and Puritan thoughts, Kate Chopin stood upright for feminism, when a woman was judged on the basis of four virtues, “piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity” (Barbara 373). These qualities were used to outline her role as a wife, mother, sister, or daughter. And no other role was acceptable from the view of those social norms as well as religious beliefs. However, within those social restrictions, Kate Chopin was able to assert her feminine individuality but was also able to reach out for power and happiness. This is the first sign of identity in “The Story of an Hour”. The patriarchal society carved a niche for the women through cautious interpretation of the religious as well social concepts that she could have best conformed had she stayed limited to her role at home. There are ample evidences in “The Story of an Hour” regarding patriarchal dominance and the assertion of feminism. It is only a woman, who can understand the predicament of another woman whose husband has just passed away in an accident and none could better announce it other than a real sister. Yet, in this situation, a male member is required. When Josephine tells her sister the news of the death of Brently, “Her Husband’s friend Richard was there, too, near her” (Chopin) so that he could take care of her. However, the “wild abandonment” (Chopin) with which she hears the news and calms down after a sudden drift of cries, shows that she was seeing something in the future where she would not have the dominance of a male at home. At least, she has an opportunity to assert her identity without the domination of her husband “She could see in the open square” (Chopin) the identity coming to her as “something” (Chopin). Although this thought of “Free, Body and soul free” (Chopin) clearly points to her thinking about her identity coming out through the male domination, yet as a submissive woman, with the habit of accepting the dominance of Brently, she “had loved him” (Chopin). This oscillation starts creating a sort of conflict in her mind between her freedom of having a full feminine identity and power and as a domestic lady. This conflict continued until it reached its peak at the end where she was at the pinnacle of “joy” (Chopin) which ultimately led to her death.
Identity in “The Story of an Hour” and Kate Chopin
The biographical sketch painted by Emily Toth in her book about Kate Chopin states that this story could be read as an illustration of her mother’s marriage. This means she has a firsthand experience of marriage and oppression that leads a woman into depression and anxiety. It also means loss of identity as she points identity in “The Story of an Hour”. Kate Chopin witnessed the submission of her own mother to the will of her father, which led to her rebellion or at least expression of rebellion against this institution. It could be that she considered this as “an institution that traps women” (Toth 10). There are ample similarities in the names she uses in “The Story of an Hour.” It is also that the setting she created also led to criticism that it is similar to the marriage she witnessed at her own home. Although certain facts differ in the story and the real life of her mother, it is stated by her biographer Toth that she had “to disguise reality” (Toth 16) which she ultimately exposed in this story. Louise, when realizes that she is now free from the bond of marriage and oppression, sees a good opportunity as “her fancy was running riot” (Chopin). It is because she sees that there is a full life ahead with a lot of opportunities. She takes stock of her life with her husband and following her death it seems that she is ultimately free. The actual voice of her soul comes out in the shape of the silent words of “free, free, free” (Chopin) which clearly demonstrates that Louise feels marriage an oppression and the death of her husband a liberation from this oppression. This could also be interpreted that she wants to shed off responsibilities the traditions, beliefs, and social customs have tied to women as Barbara has described in her essay. This assertion is actually toward breaking this bond of marriage where only the male has full authority and women are considered or given a secondary role to keep a hold on domestic duties. In fact, the last line which tells that the doctor came is the epitome of Chopin’s thinking about this liberation. It has connotative meanings in that it could be understood as the “joy” of the freedom she won after the death of her husband, and it could be that the doctor was wrong. After all, he was also a male doctor, having full authority to announce his diagnosis. Whatever the cause is, the reality of liberty that she wants from her marriage ends with her death; an indication that this was institutionalized in marriage so strongly that it was not easy to break it open.
Mrs Mallard and Identity in “The Story of an Hour”
In his study about identity in “The Story of an Hour” Berkove states that there is a profound irony in the story, adding that Mrs. Mallard is not considered a heroin but “a victim of her own self-assertion” (Berkov 152). To some extent, it seems true. Her argument seems valid in that he has explored the story from the standpoint of psychological criticism. His argument is that she might have double issues of the heart – for she is suffering “emotionally as well as physically” (Berkov156). And this seems true, too. It is because she could not have recovered from the shock of the death of Mr. Brently, which could have easily killed any other woman of that era. The reason is that “great care was taken to break her as gently as possible the news” (Chopin), which points to the fact that she was suffering from both sorts of sicknesses. The psychologically valid point also finds some evidences within the text where it proves that she was suffering from a psychological problem of self-assertion or identity that she could not think clearly. Chopin has very indistinctly shown her heroin when her thinking is clouded, as she is just in the initial stages of her delusion that her identity is going to be recognized so she can assert herself as an independent and free woman. However, it requires another debate, except for a few references, there is no clear indication that she was a psychological patient. She was good and knew that her husband loved her. However, had she not been disillusioned before that. It is clear that this an hour between the death of Mr. Brently, and her own death. Her thinking journey just takes an hour, and reaches its peak from where it proved fatal for her to come down. However, the major point is that her depiction of this self-assertion is highly subtle as it is wrapped in an innocent desire for freedom and self-hood.
Conclusion: Feminine Identity in “The Story of an Hour”
Concluding the discussion, it is fair to state that Kate Chopin has taken cues from the institution of marriage, the status of women, and the assertion of identity against that male-dominated society to present her views in the stories, specifically in “The Story of an Hour.” The spread of the French idea of intellectual development led to a change in her thinking about the traditional concept of marriage and the roles of women. She has presented the woman going or at least desiring to go against the male-dominated society of that time in the role of Louise. It is also that the character of Louise and her muffled thinking and comments about her freedom highlights the oppression that a woman has to undergo during her married life and the possibility of freedom that she could think about. Psychologically, she has also tried to explore the very idea of female identity and self-assertion in a society where only four areas were given to women with the argument that she could have power and authority but to get within these limits. However, it is another point that her all desires dashed to the ground. The last sentence of the story is an evidence that she must have been harboring this idea since long though it was only an hour that she reached the pinnacle of her joy of having freedom ahead in the future. Leaving aside the outcome of the debate, it is quite certain from her biography and other stories, too, demonstrate that she was the torchbearer of the freedom of women, authority of the women and identity recognition in that setup of social norms, and also that she has asserted those without appearing defiant in this story.
Works Cited
- Berkove, Lawrence I. “Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s ‘The Story of an Hour.” American Literary Realism 32, no. 2 (winter 2000): 152-58.
- Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” VCU. n.d. Web. Accessed 21 July 2014.
- Hicks, Victoria. “Patriarchal Representation and Domestic Liberation: The Home in Kate Chopin’s Short Fiction.” 2009. UNCA. Web. Accessed 21 July 2014.
- Papke, Mary E. “Verging on the Abyss: The Social Fiction of Kate Chopin and Edith Wharton.” New York: Greenwood P, 1990.
- Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin. New York: Morrow, 1990.
- Welter, Barbara. ”The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860.” The American Family in the Social Historical Perspective. Ed. Michael Gordon. New York: St. Martin’s P, 1978. 372-92.
Relevant Questions about Identity in “The Story of an Hour”
- How does the character of Louise Mallard’s evolving feminine identity in “The Story of an Hour” reflect the societal expectations and constraints placed on women in the late 19th century?
- In “The Story of an Hour,” how does the revelation of Louise Mallard’s true feelings challenge conventional notions of feminine identity, particularly in the context of marriage and societal roles?
- Can you analyze the symbolism of the open window in “The Story of an Hour” and its connection to Louise Mallard’s exploration of her own feminine identity and newfound sense of freedom?
