The marriage laws and how women were treated in the legal system in the 19th century is appalling when compared to how women are treated in the United State’s legal system today.  During the 19th century wives were considered ‘chattel’ of their husband.  This meant wives were their husband’s property.  The short story, “The Story of an Hour” was written by Kate Chopin, and was about how the main character Mrs. Mallard reaction to the news of her husband death because of a tragic train crash, and how she reacted when she finds out Mr. Mallard is alive.  Mrs. Mallard first reacts with grief of the news of her husband’s death, but then her grief soon turns into happiness because of her realizing her new independence.  These elements of the text help readers better understand what the culture was like during the 19th century, and how truly oppressed woman were in their marriages during the 19th Century.   

Woman had very little legal rights and obligations during the 19th century.  All of woman’s rights and obligations were given to their husband once they became married(Simkin).  Women were under the protection and authority of their husband during the 19th century.   The legal system undoubtfully favored the husband over the wife(Simkin).  Husbands during this time would oppress their wives not out of spite but out of kindness.  Mr. Mallard was conveyed as the ideal husband during the time.  There was no evidence in the text that Mr. Mallard was abusive or mean towards Mrs. Mallard.  Mrs. Mallard did love her husband to an extent, and the audience knows that because in the text there were two times were Mrs. Mallard was mournful of her husband’s death.  She was sad when she first heard the news, the author said, “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (Chpin).  She also conveys her love to her husband later in the story when the author said, “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in the death” (Chopin).   Mrs.  Mallard initial reaction is one that any wife who loved her husband would have when being told the news of her husband’s death.  Within an hour though, Mrs. Mallard grief turns into happiness.  This change of emotion is very peculiar, and almost makes the reader question Mrs. Mallard authenticity of her love toward her husband.  The author illustrates Mrs. Mallard’s love the best when she said, “And yet she had loved him-sometimes.  Often she had not” (Chopin).  Mrs. Mallard’s change of emotion did not come from her husband actually being dead, but from the fact she was finally free and could live for herself now, because her husband was deceased and she did not have to answer to him anymore.

Mrs. Mallard realizing she was finally free, and could live for herself is like a caged bird finally being released from its caged.  Mrs. Mallard was finally liberated from the restraints of her marriage, and could live life for herself.  Mr.  Mallard played as the caged bird’s owner who kept the bird in cage not out of hatred but out of love.  Mrs. Mallard is a free bird now, and she starts to fantasy about her future, and how it’s going to belong to her and be filled with only things she wanted to do.  The author shows that this what Mrs. Mallard was thinking when she said, “But she saw beyond this bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin).  That was when she first realized the new freedom she had acquired because of the death of her husband.  The author illustrates the idea that her future is going to be filled with only things she wanted to do when she said, “Spring days, and summer days and all sorts of days that be her own (Chopin).  The reason why Mrs.  Mallard was so excited about this new freedom, was because she finally her own person now and not considered her husband’s property.  

Many laws were passed during the 19th century that made wives like Mrs. Mallard feel that they were not people but instead someone’s property.   Acts like Custody of Infants Act, and Matrimonial Causes Act made women feel like essentially citizens without rights, and pretty much considered themselves as property (Peseroff).  The law that made women official not considered their husband’s property was the Married Women’s Property Act in 1894.  This act made a woman no longer a “chattel” but an independent and separate person(Simkin).  All this oppression that was placed on women made a wife like Mrs. Mallard feel suffocated with oppression, and restraints.  So much so that Mrs. Mallard felt more joy instead of sorrow when her husband passed away.    Mrs. Mallard found joy when the person who she was planning on spending the rest of her life with, the person she was going to love unconditionally passed away.  That is such a cruel thought, but it accurately coveys how bad women were oppressed at that time, and the lack of freedom they had. 

This new-found freedom of Mrs. Mallard is taken away from her as fast as it was given to her.  At the end of the story Mrs. Mallard finds out that her husband is not actually dead, and because of this news Mrs. Mallard dies of her heart disease.  Mrs. Mallard heart disease is not a surprise; the author tells about her heart disease at the beginning of the story.    The last sentence of the story is, “of the joy that kills” (Chopin). Her dying illustrates how she did not want to live the life she was living with her husband again, because she finally got to feel the ecstasy that comes from absolute freedom.  She got to feel not like an object anymore, and feel like an actual person.  Someone who did not answered to someone else, and someone who can make the world their oyster.  The feeling was so divine she did not want to go back to a life without it.       

Mrs. Mallard first reacts with grief of the news of her husband’s death, but then her grief soon turns into happiness because of her realizing her new independence.  These elements of the text help readers better understand what the culture was like during the 19th century, and how truly oppressed woman were in their marriages during the 19th Century.  Women were so oppressed during the 19th century, because of acts that were in placed that made wives be considered property of their husband and had ultimately no rights.  Later in 19th century wives were finally not considered their husband’s property anymore but as actual humans with rights.   The author Kate Chopin conveys truly how much of oppression was placed on wives during that time from their husbands by in the story Mrs. Mallard becoming happy because of the death of her husband, because of her realizing how much freedom she had now.  Chopin does an excellent job of showing what it was like for wives during the 19th century.   
