Welcome!
The objective of this blog is for you to learn about "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin , specifically seeing it through the lens of the Feminist Approach. We hope you enjoy reading and have a great time!
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Where to read the story?
Here we provide you the link to "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. First, read it so you can have context about the analysis we are going to make. Click here to read the story!
Important facts about feminist theory
There are some important facts to follow, as Miranda (2020) mentions: A feminist critic does not have to be female. The critic examines images, presence and absence, representation, the way in which the work "sees" and makes us see the female and her role in the world. Women not only as protagonists. (p.212)
Analyzing The Story of an Hour with the Basic Feminist Principles
Principle 1 “We live in a patriarchal society that marginalizes and oppresses women” (Miranda, 2020, p.212). "The story of an hour" tells an hour in the life of a woman named Louise Mallard, who learns of the sudden death of her husband in an accident. From that moment on, she begins to think about her new situation in the future, not with pain for having lost her husband, but with relief. At the end of that hour, when her outlook on that new life she will have seems to be really hopeful, her husband returns unexpecte...
Now it's your turn!
After reading the story, and examining the principles, let's answer the following questions by Miranda (2020): 1. How are gender roles represented in the text? What politics ruling the lives of men and women are examined or reflected (consider marriage, jobs, family and sexual dynamics, social expectations), according to the cultural context? (p.213) The gender politics of the time are well reflected in this story. The realm of the man of the house is the world; he works out of the home, and he has the right to go out in the world to live his life. Meanwhile, the woman stays at home and takes care of the household and anything domestic. Consequently, the gender roles back then were the traditional ones for marriage, work, family/sexual dynamics, and social expectations. 2. Are women prominent or secondary figures in the text? Are they depicted in conventional or unconventional ways? Does the text support or subvert stereotypes? (p.213) The women were secondary f...