Kate Chopin - the Story of an Hour

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The death of her mother devastated her and Kate fell into a deep depression due to the amount of tragedy she encountered in such a short period of time. At this time, her obstetrician and friend, Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer, suggest that she write in order to cope with her losses as well as for something that she really needed: money. Her writings around this time showed that at times, she longed for the security of marriage, but she also recognized that the death of her mother and husband offered her independence that was unachievable by other women and this period would be known as a time of growth for Kate.

In 1890, Kate Chopin wrote At Fault, her first novel. She also initially wrote a number of short stories, which were published in various magazines. Among her most famous short stories were "Désirée's Baby," which was published in her 1894 short story collection Bayou Folk and which details the fallout of the birth of a child of mixed race, and "The Story of an Hour," which describes the reaction of a woman who learns of her husband's death and dreams of her future independence.

“The Story of an Hour” was a combination of two tragedies in her life: the death of her father and the death of her husband. The main character, Louise Mallard, was inspired by her late mother and the name Louise even resembles her mother’s name “Eliza”, which was pronounced as “Eleeza”. Like Mallard, Kate’s mother’s husband also died in a train accident and she was submissive to him. Mallard was kept locked in her room and the way her husband kept her there was her imaginary “heart trouble”. This represented the shackles that society placed on women in the 19th century and it was her husband’s death that would be the key to free her from her restraints. Like Mallard, Kate’s father’s death felt like liberation for both her mother and herself. For her mother’s case, her marriage was arranged so it could have been a possibility that she enjoyed freedom when her husband died. As for Kate, her father’s death allowed her to grow up in a household with strong, independent women rather than in a typical nineteenth century patriarchal household. Mallard’s revelation near the end of the story that she was finally free was reflective of both her mother’s and her own perceived freedoms after their husbands’ deaths. Her usage of imagery to show how beautiful the view is outside from Mallard's window contribute to this idea of freedom. Mrs. Mallard’s death in the end also shows how ahead of her time Kate was. People that read it at the time she published it believed that the death was because Mallard’s heart couldn’t handle the excitement and happiness that her husband was alive, while it was truly because Mallard’s dreams of freedom and independence were shattered [7].

Kate's stories often deal with marriage and present an unconventional perspective on the theme. Her characters face choices between what society expects of them and what they really desire, and they usually decide to follow their own path rather than that of society. In her writing, Chopin explores the special problems and dilemmas that women face and is unafraid to suggest that sometimes women want sex or even independence. All of these themes appear in Kate Chopin's second and final novel, “The Awakening”, which she published in 1899. The novel caused a great deal of controversy because many critics perceived it as immoral, although the New York Times Book Review praised her writing.

After the public uproar over “The Awakening”, Kate wrote only seven short stories between 1900 and 1904. Her life ended on August 22, 1904, after she suffered a stroke while visiting the St. Louis World's Fair. However, decades after her death, literary critics rediscovered her work and began to celebrate her stories for their strong perspectives on female independence and sexuality.

Today, Chopin is known for addressing feminist issues many years before the feminist movement became a major social and political force in America. When Chopin was writing, the feminist movement had barely begun, and in Louisiana, women were still considered to be their husbands’ lawful property. As a result, Chopin’s brazen, sensual, independent protagonists were years ahead of their time. Through her writing, she was able to give a voice to women that felt trapped in their marriages and in society. The fact that she was able to draw from her own experiences to mold her characters made her works even stronger. “The Story of an Hour” liberates women from the constraints of society and marriage, while simultaneously drawing from Kate’s own life.

Footnotes

- http://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/katebio.html

- http://www.katechopin.org/biography/

- http://civilwarwomenblog.com/kate-chopin/

- http://www.enotes.com/topics/kate-chopin

- http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/gcarr/19cusww/kc/biography.html

- http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/katechopin.html

- http://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/

Works Cited

Wyatt, Neal. "Biography of Kate Chopin." Biography of Kate Chopin. Web. 09 May 2016. http://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/katebio.html.

"KateChopin.org." KateChopinorg. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.katechopin.org/biography/

MacLean, Maggie. "Civil War Women." Civil War Women. Web. 09 May 2016. http://civilwarwomenblog.com/kate-chopin/

Chopin, Kate. ""The Story of an Hour"" "The Story of an Hour" Web. 09 May 2016. http://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/

"Kate Chopin." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.biography.com/people/kate-chopin-9247211

"Kate Chopin." FAMOUS AUTHORS. Web. 09 May 2016. http://www.famousauthors.org/kate-chopin