Ortiz 2
Feminist Criticism in The Story of an Hour
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is one of the most controversial feminist stories of the nineteenth century. The story presents the feelings of a woman called Loise Mallard after her husband's death. At first the wife is devastated and cries, but she quickly realizes that her husband's death has set her free. The protagonist dies at the end after finding out that her husband is alive. The following discussion will analyzed if the author reinforces or undermines patriarchal ideology based on feminist criticism.
In the story the author gives the protagonist freedom from male oppression by her husband's death. After tasting what will be not being subordinated to a men the protagonist refuses to return to her old life. Although at the end the doctor said she died of happiness or "joy that kills" (Chopin 3) she actually dies because this is the only way to conserve her freedom.
Based on the feminist criticism, patriarchy promotes the belief that woman are subordinate to man (Tyson 85). The protagonist desire for freedom refuses this subordination and it is a key element used by the author to go against male oppression and patriarchal ideology.
One interesting thing in the story are the unusual reaction of the protagonist towards her husband's death. Based on the feminist criticism there are two types of woman: bad girls and good girls (Tyson 88). The feelings of the protagonist go against the patriarchal rules established, making her a bad girl. This "bad girl" qualities are another element used by Chopin against patriarchal ideology.
The text also contains elements which show how the author is patriarcally programed and at some degree reinforce that ideology. In the feminist criticism woman are described as fragile and are...