Reading “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin helped give me insight on how marriage was in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Compared to back then, marriage today has changed tremendously. Marriage back then was much more serious than how it is today. Divorce was not acceptable, legally or socially. Separation alone brought shame upon oneself. Marriage is different now, because divorce is legal. One is not negatively viewed by the public for getting a divorce. My research has enlightened me to see the differences of marriage then and now by contrasting how marriage used to be and how it is now. Also, my research gives me historical background to better understand “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.

Women did not play a major role in society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Women were uneducated, and their husbands virtually owned them after they were married (“Women in the 1830’s-1920’s”, n.d.). Mrs. Mallard, the main character of Chopin’s story, was probably a stay at home wife, which made her miserable. Some indications that she was a stay at home wife would be that her husband had a long distanced job and that Richard knew where to find Mrs. Mallard. She was a typical housewife of that time period. She was no longer a typical house wife when her husband died, because she now gained her freedom. Chopin made Mrs. Mallard to symbolize the life of a woman in the late 1800’s. Her husband dying and Mrs. Mallard’s reaction show that women need freedom in order to live a happy life.

Women didn’t play a major role in the marriage. “A wife’s responsibility was to provide her husband a happy home” (“The Role of the Wife,” n.d.). This shows that a women’s whole purpose was to please her husband. This relates back to Chopin’s story, because Mrs. Mallard is able to focus on caring for herself instead of her husband due to his death. This is different from before his death, because Mrs. Mallard was focused on caring more for her husband than for herself. This was typical of a wife back then. 

 Wives were not allowed to make decisions about anything important during early marriages. “Women were concerned that the home was no longer considered sacred and women were not being appreciated for their role maintaining [the household]” (“The Role of the Wife,” n.d.). This relates back to the article, because women were not appreciated for what they did in the home. This is what made Mrs. Mallard happy to be out of the marriage. Though Mr. Mallard loved his wife, he may not have showed much appreciation for what she did for him. This is what could have made Mrs. Mallard angry.

Even though she was unappreciated, she couldn’t leave. Although divorce was legal, it was shameful for the woman. After divorce “fathers always had custody of their children, leaving the mother completely without any rights” (“The Role of the Wife,” n.d.). Women did not have the rights to anything at all. Because the father had custody of the children, it means that he also had possession of the house and money. If Mrs. Mallard had divorced her husband, she would have brought shame upon herself and would have had nowhere to go. For her, divorce would not have been an option, because she had not ever considered living without her husband. She first considers life without her husband when she locks herself in the room, after her husband’s death. After realizing life without her husband could be great, she dies before experiencing it.

Women may want a divorce, but have to stay married. This is due to social beliefs and financial penalties. This impacts a woman’s mental state by forcing her to shower in her misery. Past research has stated that only balanced relationships are fulfilling (Berger and Bulman 2006, 53). The research has argued that women are not satisfied to stay in relationships in which they are not treated equally. During the time period Chopin wrote about, marriages were unbalanced. The men held all of the power. Men were the only ones who worked outside of the home. They controlled all the money and all decisions that were made. Once the husband came home from work, he did absolutely nothing. The woman was left with the tasks of cleaning, cooking, caring for the children, and making sure her husband was happy. Compared to the husband, the wife never gets a break. This meant that the man got to rest, while the woman had to continuously work. This research indicates that this would have been a miserable relationship for the woman (Berger and Bulman 2006, 53). 

Mrs. Mallard had freedom, which was unlike women during that time. Her having freedom made Mrs. Mallard extremely happy. She began to envision a new life without her husband. This quickly came to an end when she saw her husband alive and well. Instead of her returning to life with her husband, she died of shock.

Relationships then and now have changed tremendously. Divorces are not seen as shameful, but are seen as resolutions to an unhappy relationship. Back then, women had to learn to cope with the uneven equality in a relationship, but now, they can easily get out of it. The changing of social values within a relationship has created an easy way for a marriage to go to waste, rather than come up with a solution without divorce. Women’s roles have also changed. Women have been given more freedoms. These freedoms include the ability for them to voice their own opinion and thoughts, work outside the home, share responsibilities, and be treated more equally in society. These changes in society have their own pros and cons.

Because marriages are so different now, we must learn the historical background of marriages during late 1890’s. Learning the background will help one to understand the situation of why Mrs. Mallard was happy after her husband’s death. After understanding the historical background, I now understand the way Mrs. Mallard felt. I now feel that women should not be forced to live in those conditions. Chopin wrote this story to show how women were treated and that it was unfair for them. Though women are treated more equally now, there are still groups in society that are unfairly treated. Chopin felt responsible to bring gender inequality to light. In order for the world to become a better place, we must bring our own issues to light.
