rol del la mujer


TITLE:
The Story of an Hour

AUTHOR:
Kate Chopin

SETTING:
The action takes place in a single hour in an American home.

CHARACTERS:
Mrs. Louise Mallard: Young, attractive woman who mourns the reported death of her husband but exults in the freedom she will enjoy in the years to come.
Brently Mallard: Mrs. Mallard's husband.
Josephine: Mrs. Mallard's sister.
Richards: Friend ofBrently Mallard.

PLOT:
Brently Mallard has died in a train accident, according to a report received at a newspaper office. Mr. Richards, a friend of Mallard, was in the newspaper office when the report came in. He tells Mallard’s sister-in-law, Josephine, of Mallard’s death, and accompanies Josephine to the Mallard home. Because Mallard’s wife, Louise—a young, attractive woman—suffers from aheart condition, Josephine announces news of the tragedy as gently as possible.

An extraordinary thought occurs to Mrs. Mallard, interrupting her grieving: She is free. She is now an independent woman—at liberty to do as she pleases. Because Mrs. Mallard seems to feel guilty at this thought, she tries to fight it back at first. Then she succumbs to it, allowing it to sweep over her. She whispers,“Free, free, free!”

Josephine pounds on Mrs. Mallard’s door, begging entry. But Louise, saying she is all right, tells her to go away. Mrs. Mallard then resumes her revelry about the wondrous future before her—all the days that will belong to her alone. Only yesterday she wished that life would be short; now she wishes that life will be long.

At length, she answers the door and goesdownstairs with Josephine. At the bottom of the stairs, Mr. Richards stands waiting while someone is opening the front door. It is Brently Mallard. There had been a mix-up. He was not in the accident, or even near it, when it occurred. Josephine shrieks. Richards quickly moves in front of Brently to prevent Mrs. Mallard from seeing him. But it is too late.

Physicians later determine that Mrs.Mallard’s death resulted from “joy that kills.” Her weak heart could not withstand the happy shock of seeing her husband alive and whole.

THEME:
Oppression:
Society in late nineteenth century expected women to keep house, cook, bear and rear children—but little more. Despite efforts of women’s-rights activists such as Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, women still had notreceived the right to vote in national elections by the century’s end. Moreover, employers generally discriminated against women by hiring them for menial jobs only and paying them less than men for the same work. The Story of an Hour hints that Mrs. Mallard’s husband—perhaps a typical husband of his day—dominated his wife.

Repression:
Louise Mallard appears to have been a weak-willed woman, onewho probably repressed her desire to control her destiny. Consequently, during her marriage, she suffered constant stress that may well have caused or contributed to her "heart trouble," referred to in the first sentence of the story.

SYMBOLISM:
Examples of symbols in the story are the following:
Springtime (Paragraph 5): The new, exciting life that Mrs. Mallard thinks is awaiting her.Patches of Blue Sky (Paragraph 6): Emergence of her new life.

CLIMAX:
The climax of "The Story of an Hour"is when Mrs. Mallard begins to feel joyful over her renewed life. Since her husband is no longer alive, she can be set free and start over, which is symbolized by the spring time. This is the climax, because it leads to what happens to her, which is death.

POINT OF VIEW:
Third Person(Omniscient)















HISTORIA DE UNA HORA
Sabiendo que la señora Mallard padecía del corazón, se tomaron muchas precauciones antes de darle la noticia de la muerte de su marido.
Fue su hermana Josephine quien se lo dijo, con frases entrecortadas e insinuaciones veladas que lo revelaban y ocultaban a medias. El amigo de su marido, Richards, estaba también allí, cerca de ella....