The Oppression of Wives in Chopins The Story of an Hour...

Writings from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s often depict husbands as controlling. This would lead to the demise of their wives. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gillman the husband’s insistence upon control, leaves their wives longing for the freedom of simple expression. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† illustrates how the husband is the controlling figure in the marriage. The two short stories also expose how the oppression put on them by their husband leaves the women unfulfilled and unhappy with their lives. The desire of the husband to control the relationship is expressed in their disallowing of their wives to think or act for themselves. In â€Å"The†¦show more content†¦Although Chopin does not reveal what the oppression had been like, there are clues that tell it had been harsh. â€Å"She had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not† (Chopin 8). The oppression by Mrs. Mallard husband led to her not truly love her husband, implying he must have been unkind. These years of oppression by the husbands left their wives longing for freedom and independence. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† it seems that the narrator wants her husband out of her life, saying, â€Å"John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious. I am glad my case is not serious!† (Gilman 12). She is in her highest spirits when her husband is away from home because it allows her some solidity. Her intense desire for freedom leads her to purposely try and drive her husband away. â€Å"There comes John, and I must put this away, -- he hates to have me write a word† (Gilman 12). She acts out in spite of John, hoping it will earn her a few more precious hours alone. The burning desire for freedom is also evident in the apt titled â€Å"The Story of an Hour†. When the suppo sedly heart-frail Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death, she is initially grief stricken. However, as she gazes through her window into the busy streets, a slow realization comes over her. With her husband’s death, she is granted that freedom she has always wanted; but it is all taken away from her quickly. â€Å"When the doctor came they said she had died of