Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and the Roles of Women Today

Although Kate Chopin wrote her famous short story called "Story of an Hour" in 1894, there are many similarities to the roles of women still today. In the story, Mrs. Mallard loves her husband and never questions her life while she is with him. However, when she thinks he is dead for brief moments of time, she comes to savor this taste of freedom that fate has provided. She becomes excited about her life and then her hopes are dashed by finding out her husband is alive. This is not to say that she does not love her husband, only that she begins to wonder what life would be like without him. Marriage today still ties women down to some extent. Women are still defined by their social role and gender as well as being somewhat restricted in marriage.

Women today are still defined by their social roles. In many cases, the wealthier a woman is, the more restricted she is by her social role. For example, wealthier women are expected to do things like work for charity functions or host parties. They are not expected to do "common" things like join bowling leagues or go to bars. Mrs. Mallard is expected in the story to run a house and devote her life to her husband. She is seen as weak by her husband because of her heart condition and is treated rather like an invalid. Many women today are still sheltered from the harsher realities of life by their husbands and "taken care of." Many women today still see their role as to be taken care of by a man.

Women today are certainly still defined by gender. Even though the women's liberation movement has greatly changed the position of women in society, women are still "penned" into a box. Some women have certainly gone on to accomplish great things, but many have not lived up to their potentials. They are supposed to be more loving and nurturing. They are still expected to raise children and run homes by society. As with Mrs. Mallard, there are women who don't mind this role at all until they get just a taste of freedom. "She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been. When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free!" In this passage, Mrs. Mallard has had her glimpse of freedom, and she realizes that her life can now be what she wants it to be. Many women today experience this feeling after a divorce or after their children are grown. The fact that women still experience this today means that many women are certainly defined by their gender. Certain things are expected of them, and they still must fight for their freedom. As with Mrs. Mallard, many women today would "spread their arms in welcome" of a little freedom.

Lastly, women are still restricted in marriage. Marriage presents clearly defined roles for women. Women are still expected to cater to their husbands to some extent, and husbands are deferred to for the larger decisions in life. "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. 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. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination." This quote shows the bending of wills that goes on both ways in a marriage. Again, this concept is still at play today. Men particularly still feel it a right to impose their own private wills upon their wives. Many of them are not trying to be mean as the quote says, but the bottom line is that women are still not able to do exactly what they want to do in life. For example, women are expected to raise children ranging anywhere from getting up in the night with a screaming infant, to chauffering them around to taking care of them while they are sick. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and it's not that women don't want to do these things. The idea is that they are still expected to do these things after all this time has gone by. Men simply seem to get what they want more in this world because they expect to get what they want.

While times have gotten better since Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard is not as far from the modern-day women as we would like to believe. Social roles still dictate the behavior of women to a large degree. Gender roles are still clearly defined, although they are beginning to blur a little. There are at least stay-at-home dads and CEO's who are women in today's world. Marriage still does restrict women. It certainly offers more advantages than it used to, but it also restricts. Men are able to come and go more as they please. Women are expected to care for houses and children, only now they work outside the home too. Kate Chopin's story with its universal themes still holds many truths for us today.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. Story of an Hour. Retrieved October 31, 2007 at http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/