The objective of feminism is to empower women to stand on their own, equal to men.  During the late 1800's women in the United States began to speak out about their frustrations with gender inequality. Since its introduction, the feminist movement sparked a flame that still burns bright today.  Women have made strides in this area, but still stand unequal to men on many levels.  In hopes of improving progress, many writers appeal to the public through works of literature, speeches, and songs that empower women.  Themes of feminism and individuality in the popular "Frozen" song "Let It Go" by Idina Menzel seem to align with similar themes in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." In the song, Elsa, the main character, goes through three main phases: feeling alone and trying to hide her icy powers, coming to terms with who she is, and embracing her full potential and walking away from the past.  In "The Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard goes through similar phases after hearing that her husband has died.  For her, she begins feeling alone and guilty about the emotions she is experiencing, moves on to recognize her newfound freedom, and realizes she can never go back to the life she had lived.  This essay examines the three main phases of both works and analyzes the ways in which the song, "Let It Go" supports some of the main points in "The Story of an Hour."

The first phase in both works includes feelings of loneliness and isolation.  In "The Story of an Hour," upon hearing of her husband's apparent death, Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room and begins to think about her life, her husband, and what his death means.  Instead of sadness, Mrs. Mallard experiences feelings of relief, realizing how submissive and unhappy her marriage had made her.  Chopin explains how she now looks forward to the future, saying, "Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long" (224).  During this time in history, many married women were experiencing feelings of frustration that, once married, they were no longer able to live their lives according to their choosing.  They also tended to feel lonely, since there was no one with whom they could share these feelings.  Social etiquette was very important in the 1800's.  Going against social norms often meant becoming an outcast in society.  This is exactly how Mrs. Mallard feels in her marriage, and once she is released from the restraints of her marriage, it is as if she is finally free from the isolation weighing down on her.  The author, Chopin, also went on a lonely journey in the publication of "The Story of an Hour." She had to go out on a limb, as it was one of the first feminist works of the time, and she did not know how people would react to it.  

Elsa, in "Let It Go" also experiences this loneliness as she isolates herself from the outside world in fear that they will not accept her.  At the beginning of Idina Menzel's song, Elsa sings, "The snow glows white on the mountain tonight/ Not a footprint to be seen/ A kingdom of isolation,/ And it looks like I'm the queen." In the movie, Elsa locks herself away in a castle because she feels as though no one can relate to her problems.  The isolation she is experiencing is illustrated in the line where she explains that there is not a single footprint to be seen in the snow.  By deciding to expose her powers to the world, Elsa, just like Chopin, demonstrates courage by taking a path, which has yet to be traveled.  Chopin's short story and Menzel's song emphasize the courage it takes to challenge the status quo.  Both figures are held down by some source of power; For Mrs. Mallard it is her husband and for Elsa it is her uniqueness.  This loneliness compels each of them to look within themselves and spend time considering who they are and who they want to be. 

The second phase that both works go through involves realizing and coming to terms with one's feelings and identity.  In "The Story of an Hour," this stage occurs once Mrs. Mallard realizes her newfound freedom.  She whispers, "'free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body" (Chopin 244). Once Mrs. Mallard begins to let herself experience these feelings of freedom and relief, she relaxes and becomes more alive.  She becomes an independent individual instead of "the wife of Brently Mallard."  A section from the short story that sums up the main point of Chopin's story reads, "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" (224).  Chopin is trying to illustrate the frustration many women felt about the restrictive rules that were imposed on them at that time in history. 

In the song, the realization phase occurs when Elsa sings, "It's funny how some distance/ Makes everything seem small/ And the fears that once controlled me/ Can't get to me at all" (Menzel).  Here, Elsa is realizing that she is no longer under the control of her fears, and she is now free to be whoever she wants to be.  She has come to terms with who she is and is finally comfortable expressing herself to the world.  This is exactly how Mrs. Mallard feels in that she is ready to take control of her life and be who she wants to be.  Mrs. Mallard and Elsa both experience relief and freedom, but from different things.  While Mrs. Mallard is free from the constraints of her husband and her marriage, Elsa is free from fears rooted in who she thinks she ought to be.  Another line in the song that illustrates this freedom reads, "It's time to see what I can do/ To test the limits and break through/ No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free!" (Menzel).  Once there is nothing to hold her back, Elsa finally has the opportunity to reach her full potential and see what she can do.  For Mrs. Mallard this means not living for her husband anymore, but instead living for herself and doing what makes her happy.  Both Elsa and Mrs. Mallard experience newfound freedom after coming to terms with and accepting who they are.  

The last phase in "The Story of an Hour" that mirrors a phase in "Let It Go" is the "moving on" phase where both characters realize they can never go back to the way they once lived.  When Mrs. Mallard finds out that her husband is alive and she is not actually free from her submissive relationship, her heart simply cannot take the shock or disappointment, and she dies.  Although the doctors believe it to be overwhelming joy that kills her, the reader knows that it is, in fact, the opposite.  Once Mrs. Mallard gets a glimpse of what she is missing and what could have been, she can no longer live the way she used to live.  The "death of Mrs. Mallard in the story can be seen as a parallel to Elsa's decision to never go back to the way she used to live. Both simply cannot ho back to their old ways once they experience all of which they had been missing.  

Nearing the end of the song, Elsa comes to accept who she is and leaves behind the girl she used to be.  She sings, "I'm never going back,/ The past is in the past!" (Menzel).  This is exactly what Mrs. Mallard is experiencing.  Once they see what they can be and how amazing it is, they cannot abandon those dreams and go back to the way they were.  They are finally free from what was holding them down and causing their unhappiness and to go back to that seems nearly impossible.  The last section of the song that mirrors Mrs. Mallard's feelings reads, "Let It go, let it go/ And I'll rise like the break of dawn/ Let it go, let it go/ That perfect girl is gone!" (Menzel).  Here, Elsa is ready to stop being the girl people want her to be.  She is ready to be who she truly is and is done conforming to the rules of society.  Ironically, in dying, this is what Mrs. Mallard is saying to the world; she is done conforming to gender roles, and if she cannot live a life of her own than she would rather not continue to live.  Of course, she did not choose to die, but her death is a sign that once her dreams have been crushed, her heart cannot stand to work any longer.  By putting the song and the short story side by side, one can see that both Mrs. Mallard and Elsa experience happiness when they realize they are free from what was holding them down. 

Idina Menzel's popular song, "Let It Go," from the movie, "Frozen," carries a feminist message that is strikingly similar to that in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."  When compared to the short story, the song contains the same three main phases that occur in the story.  First, the "lonely" phase occurs where both characters feel emotionally isolated.  Mrs. Mallard cannot share her negative feelings about her husband and her marriage, and Elsa cannot show anyone her dangerous powers.  Next comes the "realization" phase where both figures realize their true potential and inner desires.  Mrs. Mallard discovers that she is free from her husband's restraints, and she can now live for herself.  Elsa, on the other hand, comes to terms with her powers and realizes that she would rather live a full life with them than hide herself away from society.  From a more basic standpoint, both works convey a feminist message in that the main characters are women who display courage to stand on their own and defy social expectations. Both seem to communicate the message that women are strong and should not be imprisoned by the constraints of society.  As a whole, the use Idina Menzel's song alongside Kate Chopin's short story enhances the readers' understanding of the story's message and helps the reader to empathize with the characters. Through this analysis it becomes apparent that even with the most childish songs, there is a message being sent.  Both "The Story of an Hour" and "Let It Go" portray strong female figures that go on an emotional journey to which readers and listeners can relate.          

