Chopin/Story of an Hour

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A 3 page essay that includes a 1 page outline of the essay. At first glance, Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," which was first published in 1894, seems to portray a woman who is a "monster," as she revels in the death of her husband. However, when the modern reader understands the story within the context of its time, that is, the Victorian era, it becomes clear that Louise Mallard is a normal woman who loves her husband and will grieve for him, but who realizes that she has been offered an escape from the restrictive patriarchy of Victorian society. Examination of the story indicates the range of emotions felt by Louise on hearing of her husband's supposed death, and it is this range of emotional response that indicates the full implications of Victorian patriarchy. Bibliography lists 2 sources.