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Professor Gallego

ENGL 1302

28 February 2017

Oppression: An Uncommon View of Marriage

In today’s society, marriage could be defined as “the legally recognized union of two

people as partners in a personal relationship” and is a union often shared between people of all

races and sexualities. However, this has not always been this case. Ideas about marriage have

evolved over time, and society’s views over what is acceptable in marriages has changed

tremendously. In the past, marriages were a cornerstone of societal structure, with the bond

between a single man and woman serving as a means for the establishment of wealth and status.

These marriages often shared common traits, including similar racial and socioeconomic

backgrounds between spouses, the presence of the woman as a homemaker, and the belief that

marriage was a bond meant to last for life. However, these situations often led to marriages that

were byproducts of a rigid societal structure as opposed to a gesture of love. As a result, parties

frequently became dissatisfied with their partners, and issues of divorce became a central debate.

When present day marriages go awry, divorce is more frequently considered than in the past, as

views of divorce have shifted from those that viewed it in a very harsh light. In “The Story of an

Hour,” the author reveals her feelings concerning society’s pressure to marry, even in forced

situations when there is no love between the pair. I argue that “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate

Chopin, makes a commentary on society that marriage is oppressive because of its use of simile,

diction, imagery, and juxtaposition.

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In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin uses similes to give the reader a deeper understanding

of her overarching idea that marriage itself can be oppressive. When Mrs. Mallard is simply

going through the motions of grieving, Chopin compares her cries to a baby when she says that a

sob “shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep [and] continues to sob in its dreams.” The

comparison drawn between Mrs. Mallard’s cries and the cries of a child was intended to show

that Mrs. Mallard’s sobs are similar to a child who continues to weep, even after the situation has

resolved itself. A child that has thrown a screaming, crying tantrum will continue to gasp for air

and shed tears, even if they have been given what they want. Mrs. Mallard’s cries resemble a

child gasping for air after a resolved situation because society has led her to believe that she

should cry and be sad to lose her husband; however, she is internally very happy about her

newfound opportunity to experience freedom and independence. Mrs. Mallard realizes that these

feelings are abnormal, but also recognizes they are caused by feeling oppressed by her marriage.

Chopin also uses the literary element, diction, as she strengthens her main idea on the

oppression of marriage, expanding her unorthodox views. For example, in the ninth paragraph,