An Analysis of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin through the Lens of New Historicism

“The Story of an Hour” focuses on Mrs. Mallard, a married woman, and how she reacted to her husband’s death. After experiencing sadness, Mrs. Mallard embraced new freedom for the first time. However, after seeing Mr. Mallard is still alive, she has a tremendous shock and dies. Her story reflected the typical marriage of 1894. New Historicism/Cultural Studies is using the history that surrounded the events as a perspective to analyze the text. Using New Historicism, Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” portrays the enslavement of married women and depicts death as the only way for women to regain their freedom.

“There would be no powerful will bending her”

“The tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring of life”

From the beginning to the end of the text, women were bound by their marriage. After Mrs. Mallard received the news of her husband’s death, she locked herself in her room, facing the open window. The story states that “she sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless.” The way she positioned herself on the chair indicated that she is trapped in her marriage and she cannot do anything about it. In 1894, women were bound by their obligation toward their families; they marry men for prosperity, and acceptance. They cannot go against the decision as it is common knowledge that marriages are not always about mutual loves. Women were destined to be caged in this period of time. It was common for married women to lose their rights and their freedom. As Mrs. Mallard went to her room, she sank on the armchair, “pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.” Mrs. Mallard was pressed down by a “physical exhaustion,” which turned out to be her husband. During the 1894, women had no rights and men had all the power. Once a woman gets married to a man, she becomes “owned” or property to her husband. The husband can command his wife to do anything he wanted, whether she wants to comply or not. Mrs. Mallard was a representation of these married women. Despite Mr.Mallard’s love for his wife, she was not allowed to voice her opinions and have her rights, and this haunted her body and her soul. The only way for these women to restore their rights and freedom was to become independent.

To women, social status was valuable, but it was not as significant as their freedom. As Mrs. Mallard stares at the open window, she “abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips “free, free, free!” The word “free” portrays the secret desire coming from married women, even if it means they have to “abandon” their status. These women wanted to live their life independently, without anyone making decisions or controlling them.

However, the freedom and the opportunities that await them only lasted for a moment. Mrs. Mallard is referred to as “wife” when Mr.Mallard comes back. She had to return to her old status and basically become imprisoned by her husband again. Unable to face the loss of her newfound independent, she died from a heart attack, realizing that death was the ultimate freedom.

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” portrays married women being trapped in their marriage and that death was their only way to regain freedom. Her story displays her yearning for freedom and her point of view on gender in the society. Chopin is married and has six children and she has her own independence; however, she was struggling with financial issues, which caused her to feel trapped in her marriage. The other women echo her own feelings and how a woman would feel during this era.

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