The Emotion and Methods in The Story of An Hour
Equality is a serious issue that countless people have been fighting for throughout history,
regardless of their race, sex and social status. Gender equality, for example, is one of those
important subjects. Women’s social status had been ignored until the late 1900s, with a long
period in which females were considered to be males’ properties as well as their slaves. Up until
the 21th century, vast sacrifices had been given by anonymous heroes whose purpose were
simply to regain the rights they deserve as human being. Several legendary and colorful heroes
and the battles they involve against sexism are now spreading around the modern world to
educate the following generations to prevent tragedies from happening again. Unfortunately,
back in the 1800s, the voice against sexism did not even appear. Women, especially wives, did
not own a single right. The seemingly exuberant and splendid life actually became an endless
hell for them, with only powerful sovereignty from men, such as their husbands, to bend their
wills and force them to become emotionless slaves who were only allowed to follow orders.
Women’s self-assertions were severely restricted, as well as their ability to act as their wills. In
this depressing era, “The Story of An Hour”, written by Kate Chopin, emerges and renounces
this repressive society splendidly. Chopin writes this story with her amazing skills to mock the
unfairness upon the females and awaken the women to fight for the basic rights they deserve.
Chopin expresses her anger against oppression from the society throughout the story.
Louise Mallard, the main character in the story, is depicted as an ordinary wife who is suffering
from a serious heart trouble; therefore, when the news of her husband’s death comes in, her sister
“told her, in broken sentences” (Chopin 1). It is also understandable that Louise locks herself in a
room and shuts her family off. The emotions and feelings toward her husband death, however, do
not appear to be either sorrow or sadness. As Selina Jamil points out in her article, “on the
contrary, she is roused from her passivity by an uncontrollable flood of emotion” (Jamil 216).
The excitement and happiness about Louise’s approaching freedom is stunningly described by
Chopin, “Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her” (Chopin 2). Her husband’s
death turns out to be an unbeatable liberation for her. Chopin’s description of Louise’s happiness
tremendously implies the author’s pursuit and hope for freedom and women’s individual rights.
This excitement, as a matter of fact, originates from Chopin, envisioning the liberation for
women.
In addition to this exciting freedom, Chopin also explicitly expresses her anger against
the oppression and unfairness upon female through the depiction of Louise’s feelings about 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”
