Oppression of Marriage Chopins The Story of an Hour and...

In both of Chopin’s short stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"Desiree’s baby†, Chopin highlights the oppressive nature of marriage. Both short stories illustrate a tale of heartache, regret, and the dangers of instant gratification. Without equality within the bonds that tie us together, death is often the result. Each of the character’s experience true renowned joy and just as quickly lose that joy. This joy is similar to a drug addiction and drug withdrawal. During their moments of joy they are enthralled with this new feeling and new meaning of life. And just as quickly as their hopes were raised, the hope that love could be true, they were cast back down into a pit of despair. In the case of The Story of an Hour with Mrs. Mallard,†¦show more content†¦The trees will see yet another winter and die without the joy of spring. In the case of Desiree’s Baby, there is heartache among three separate but connecting parties. Author Kate Chopin purposely leaves out past and future information for the reader to interpret what has happened and what will happen after the last word is written. The first being Madame Valmonde, the mother, the wife, and the narrator. Madame Valmonde views Desiree as a blessing from God because she could not have any children of her own. She believes, â€Å"Desiree had been sent to her by a beneficent Providence to be a child of her affection†. She believes Desiree to have been sent there because they were good people and had the resources to raise and love a child as if she was her own. Madame Valmonde had nothing but love and adoration for Desiree. The second party is Desiree, the child, the beauty aspect, and the blissful ignorant. Desiree brings joy to Armand by filling his life with love and marriage. She consumes him with love and they are to be married as soon as possible. The life of the baby brings joy into both of their hearts but more importantly, Armand’s heart. His hand is stayed and his demeanor has become joyful. Desiree is ignorant to see anything other than a child of her creation within the newborn baby. She is so filled with love that she emanates love to those who are emotionally attached to her. I believe this is why Armand does notShow MoreRelatedKate Chopin, An American Writer1425 Words   |  6 Pagesworks usually set in Louisiana, which contributed too much of her description of women’s roles. During Chopin’s time, Louisiana was in the midst of reconstruction and was having racial and economic issues. (Skaggs 4) Louisiana is the setting for many of Chopin’s stories, and they depict a realistic picture of Louisiana society. Kate Chopin published two novels and many short stories. Most of Chopin’s work challenged whether or not women should continue to follow the traditions of their time. SkaggsRead MoreResearch Paper on Kate Chopin and the Feminism in Her Works2066 Words   |  9 PagesLicano 1 Maria Licano Mrs. Hummel Ap English 08 27 April 2012 Kate Chopin: Feminism in Her Works â€Å"Love and passion, marriage and independence, freedom and restraint.† These are the themes that are represented and worked with throughout Kate Chopin’s works. Kate Chopin, who was born on February 8, 1851, in St. Louis, was an American acclaimed writer of short stories and novels. She was also a poet, essayist, and a memoirist. Chopin grew up around many women; intellectual women that is. ChopinRead MoreDesiree s Baby By Kate Chopin1770 Words   |  8 PagesBack in this era of time the most respectable job for a woman was to be a loving wife in her husband’s household. In the short story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† written by Kate Chopin, we have this setting of this older woman named Madame Valmondà © is on her way to visit her adopted daughter Desiree who has recently given birth to her son by her husband Armand Aubigny. Everything seems to be going well at the plantation due to master of the house being so thrilled about having his son being born. As timeRead MoreWomen s Search For Selfhood2169 Words   |  9 PagesWomen’s search for selfhood, for self-discovery or identity are themes that are represented in Kate Chopin’s work. Chopin was on the same regular path as other women in her era. She got married at the age of twenty and had six children. When her husband passed away Chopin wanted to support herself so she decided to start writing which was also an outlet for her feelings. During the nineteenth century women were getting sick of the rules that were forced on them and Chopin expressed her feeling towards