criticism for chopin

8/19/2019 Criticism for Chopin

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Criticism – “The Story of an Hour”

“The Story of an Hour” recounts LouiseMallard’s unexpected response to the reporteddeath of her husband, Brently, in a trainaccident. Griein! alone in her roo", she slo#ly

reco!ni$es that she has lost only chains% “&'ree(Body and soul free(’ she )ept #hisperin!.” Then#hen her husband suddenly reappears, thereport of his death a "ista)e, she drops dead atthe si!ht of hi"*of “heart disease,” thedoctors announce,“of +oy that )ills.”

hopin’s handlin! of details illustrates ho#subtly she "ana!es this controersial "aterial.Louise Mallard’s heart disease, for exa"ple, the)ey to the -nal ironies and a"bi!uities, isintroduced in the -rst sentence, li)e the loaded!un of "elodra"a. But her illness !radually

deepens in si!ni-cance fro" a physical detail*a sy"pto" of delicacy and a reason to brea)the bad ne#s !ently*to a deeply spiritualproble". The "ore #e learn about BrentlyMallard’s oerbearin! nature and the !reaterhis #ife’s relief !ro#s, the better #eunderstand her “heart trouble.” ndeed, that“trouble” anishes #ith Brently’s death andreturns*fatally*only #hen he reappears.

But hopin also exposes Louise’s co"plicity inMallard’s subtle oppression. Her sub"ission tohis “blind persistence” has been the !uise of

Loe, that self/sacri-cin! 0ictorian ideal.Glori-ed in -ction hopin had often decried,this loe has been, for Louise and others, thepri"ary purpose of life. But throu!h her ne#perspectie, she co"prehends that “loe, theunsoled "ystery” counts for ery little “in faceof this possession of self/assertion #hich shesuddenly reco!ni$ed as the stron!est i"pulseof her bein!(” 1s hopin often insists, loe isnot a substitute for selfhood2 indeed, selfhoodis loe’s pre/condition. Such a stron! andunconentional assertion of fe"inineindependence li)ely explains Century’s

re+ection. ts editor, 3. 4. Gilder, had $ealously!uarded the fe"inine ideal of self/denyin! loe,and #as that ery su""er publishin! editorialsa!ainst #o"en’s su5ra!e as a threat to fa"ilyand ho"e.

The settin!, too, re6ectin! hopin’s local/colorlessons, buttresses her the"es. Louise staresthrou!h an “open #indo#” at a scene #hich is“all a7uier #ith the ne# sprin! life.” 1rene#in! rain acco"panies her “stor" of!rief,” follo#ed by “patches of blue s)y.” Then,

explicitly “throu!h the sounds, the scents, thecolor that -lled the air,” “it” co"es “creepin!out of the s)y” upon her. Louise at -rst dutifullyresists and then helplessly succu"bs. The

sense of physical, een sexual, release thatacco"panies her ac7uiescence to thisna"eless “thin!” underpins a ision of freedo"that hopin characteristically a8r"s as ahu"an ri!ht*as natural as !eneration, sprin!,or een death.

The transfor"in! po#er of that insi!ht isechoed in Louise’s altered ie# of the future,#hose len!th “only yesterday” she haddreaded, but to #hich she no# “opened andspread her ar"s . . . in #elco"e.” But it is afalse ision. The habit of repression has so

#ea)ened Louise that her !li"pse of freedo"*her birthri!ht*does not e"po#er her, butleaes her unable to cope #ith the eerydayreality to #hich she is abruptly restored. n herconentional "arria!e, the ision is trulyillusory.

“t is only after Louise e"braces this ne#consciousness, her sense of personal andspiritual freedo" in a ne# #orld, that she isna"ed as fe"ale self by her sister. This is nodoubt ironic since her sister only unconsciouslyreco!ni$es her2 she can hae little idea of the

reolution that has ta)en place in Louise’s o#nroo".”

hopin s)illfully "anipulates the point of ie#to intensify the -nal reelation and the shiftin!perspecties on Louise’s life. “Mrs. Mallard”appears to us at -rst fro" a distance2 but thefocus !radually internali$es, until #e arecon-ned #ithin her thou!hts, stru!!lin! #ith“Louise” to#ard insi!ht. 1s she leaes thepriate roo" of her inner self, our point of ie#retreats2 #e see her “li)e a !oddess of 0ictory”as she descends the stairs, and then, as the

door opens, #e are identi-ed #ith theunsuspectin! Brently, sharin! his a"a$e"entat his sister/in/la#’s outcry and his friend’sfutile e5ort to bloc) his #ife’s ie#. The -nalsentence, !iin! the doctors’ clinicalinterpretation of her death, is still "ore distant.

That distance*and the shift it represents*iscrucial. To outsiders, Louise Mallard’s de"ise isas "isunderstood as is her reaction to Brently’sdeath. That een the respected "edicalprofession "isinterprets her collapse indicts theconentional ie# of fe"ale deotion and



su!!ests that Louise Mallard is not the only#o"an #hose behaior has been "isread. . . .

Source% Barbara . 9#ell, “&1 :i!ht in 1cadie’% The on-dence of Success,” in Kate Chopin, ;n!ar <ublishin!, =>?@, pp. ??/>=.

Criticism – “The Story of an Hour”

So"e of hopin’s short stories #ere re+ected forpublication on "oral !rounds, for editorsperceied in the" an unsee"ly interest in fe"aleself/assertion and sexual liberation. Gien that“The Story of an Hour” #as published in =?>A,seeral years after it #as #ritten, #e canco"prehend the i"portance of "oral !rounds asa basis for re+ection. Marria!e #as considered asacred institution. iorce #as 7uite rare in the=?CCs and if one #as to occur, "en #ereauto"atically !ien le!al control of all propertyand children. 9en the constitutional a"end"ents

of =?@? and =?DC, !rantin! ri!hts of citi$enshipand otin!, !ae these ri!hts to 1frican/1"ericans not #o"en. 4o"en #ere not !rantedthe ri!ht to ote in political elections until =>EC.Fbiously then, a fe"ale #riter #ho #rote of#o"en #antin! independence #ould not bereceied ery hi!hly, especially one #ho #rote ofa #o"an re+oicin! in the death of her husband. The fact that she pays for her elation #ith her lifeat the end of the story is not enou!h to redee"either the character or the author.

1lthou!h “The Story of an Hour” is brief, hopinde"onstrates her s)ills as a #riter in seeral

#ays. 'red Le#is <attee says in A History of American Literature Since 1870, that the stren!thof hopin’s #or) co"es fro" “#hat "ay bedescribed as a natie aptitude for narrationa"ountin! al"ost to !enius.” Larsson notes herre"ar)able ability to “coney character andsettin! si"ply yet co"pletely.” 1ll of these7ualities are eidenced in “The Story of an Hour.”

The story opens #ith the narrator tellin! us thatMrs. Mallard has “a heart trouble.” 1 7uic)readin! of the phrase "i!ht "islead the readerinto thin)in! that Mrs. Mallard, therefore, hasheart disease. et hopin chose her phrase #ith

care. She #ants her readers to )no# that Mrs.Mallard has a ery speci-c condition thatinterferes #ith the #or)in!s of her heart. Later,#hen #e see Mrs. Mallard “#ar"ed and relaxed,”#e reali$e that the proble" #ith her heart is thather "arria!e has not allo#ed her to “lie forherself.”

1nother instance of hopin’s !ift of narrationenables the reader to understand that #hat isbein! told is "ore than a tale. This illustrationinoles Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the ne#s of herhusband’s death% “She did not hear the story as

"any #o"en #ould hae heard the sa"e, #ith aparaly$ed inability to accept its si!ni-cance.” f areader had paused at this sentence, he or she"i!ht hae #ondered #hat there #as in the"arria!e that #ould )eep Mrs. Mallard fro"beco"in! prostrate #ith !rief. The reader "i!hthae 7uestioned #hy

Mrs. Mallard #as not consu"ed #ith #onderin!ho# she #ould !o on #ith her life #ithout herhusband. et, in the ery next line #e see that sheis assuredly !riein! as she cries #ith “#ild

abandon"ent.” 4e -nd ourseles a bit surprisedat this point. Surely a #o"an in a troubled"arria!e #ould not carry on in such a "anner. nthis instant, hopin has hinted that a proble"exists, but also that Mrs. Mallard is not“paraly$ed” by the si!ni-cance that she is alone.hopin elaborates upon this #hen the narratorsays that Mrs. Mallard “#ould hae no one follo#her.” 4hile the i"plication is that she #ould haeno one follo# her to her roo", the reader #ondersin hindsi!ht #hether Mrs. Mallard "i!ht hae"eant also that she #ould hae no one interfere#ith her life a!ain.

t is also easy to co"e to the sa"e conclusion asLarsson does, that the settin! is si"ple butde-nitely co"plete. The brea)in! of the ne#sta)es place in an unspeci-ed roo" #ithin theMallard’s house. The reelation of freedo" occursin the bedroo", and Mrs. Mallard’s de"ise occurson the stair#ay leadin! to the front door that herhusband opened. hopin !ies us no details aboutthe stair#ay or the roo" in #hich #e -rst "eetMrs. Mallard. 1lthou!h ne#s of death and deathitself occur in these areas and are certainlya"on! a fe# of life’s "ost tra!ic and "o"entouseents, the settin! could be any#here.onersely, #e are inundated, or oer#hel"ed,

#ith details in the bedroo" #here Mrs. Mallardbeco"es her o#n person. 4e see the“co"fortable, roo"y ar"chair” in #hich she sits#ith “her head thro#n bac) upon the cushion.”4e see the “tops of trees . . . a7uier #ith ne#sprin! life” that #e can hear and s"ell fro" her#indo#.

So"e critics ar!ue that hopin #isely te"pers thee"otional ele"ents inherent in Mrs. Mallard’ssituation. 1lthou!h the e"otion in Mrs. Mallard’sbedroo" is indisputable, the “suspension ofintelli!ent thou!ht” re"oes fro" the reader the



need to share in the #ido#’s !rief and insteadallo#s hi" or her to re"ain an onloo)er, as ea!eras Mrs. Mallard to see “#hat #as approachin! topossess her.” Fther critics credit hopin’sreadin!s of harles ar#in and other scientists#ho prescribed to the “surial of the -ttest”theory as the i"petus, or driin! force, behind her7uestionin! of conte"porary "ores and theconstraints placed upon #o"en. n “The Story ofan Hour” hopin i"plicitly 7uestions the

institution of "arria!e, perhaps as a by/product orher scienti-c 7uestionin! of "ores, but she doesso in a cleerly te"pered #ay.

hopin, fatherless at four, #as certainly a productof her reole herita!e, and #as stron!lyin6uenced by her "other and her "aternal!rand"other. <erhaps it is because she !re# up ina fe"ale/do"inated eniron"ent that she #asnot a stereotypical product of her ti"es and so

could not confor" to socially acceptable the"esin her #ritin!. hopin een #ent so far as toassu"e the "ana!erial role of her husband’sbusiness after he died in =??. This behaior, inaddition to her fascination #ith scienti-cprinciples, her upbrin!in!, and her penchant forfe"inist characters #ould see" to indicate thatindiiduality, freedo", and +oy #ere as i"portantto hopin as they are to the characters in herstories. t can be inspirin! to )no# that "ore than

a century a!o, #o"en #ere not necessarily sodi5erent fro" #hat they are today. ertainly,#o"an hae experienced and bene-ted fro""any ne#er technolo!ies and chan!in! attitudes,but, for a #o"an, -ndin! her #ay in life can stillpresent te"porary di8culties. hopin’s “TheStory of an Hour” illustrates "any of these issues.

Source: Iennifer Hic)s, for Short Stories forStudents, Gale 3esearch, =>>D.

Criticism – “Desiree’s Baby” The title character, JsirJe, truly belon!s no#here.

'ound abandoned in front of the !ates to the0al"onde plantation #hen only a toddler, JsirJe ista)en in by the fa"ily. 'or a #hile she assu"es theiridentity2 she !ro#s into a !irl “beautiful and !entle,a5ectionate and sincere*the idol of 0al"onde.” Butthe antebellu" South o5ers fe# opportunities for#o"en other than bein! so"eone’s #ife or "other,so JsirJe "arries and assu"es the role of #ife of1r"and 1ubi!ny. Her lac) of indiidual identity isunderscored by his treat"ent of her as a possessioninstead of a beloed but hu"an partner. 1r"andsho#s his acceptance of this nineteenth/centurybelief #hen he brushes aside 7uestions of JsirJe’sherita!e% “4hat did it "atter about a na"e #hen hecould !ie one of the oldest and proudest in

LouisianaK” Thou!h JsirJe #itnesses this trait inhi", she doesn’t understand it.

Thus, #ith her "arria!e, JsirJe ta)es on a ne#identity, but she is unable to hold on to it for lon!.4hen the baby son of JsirJe and 1r"and be!ins tosho# 1frican characteristics, 1r"and assu"es thatJsirJe, the child of un)no#n parents, has taintedhis bloodline #ith that of 1frican ancestors. His cruelspurnin! of her "a)es it clear that there is no lon!erany place for JsirJe in his life, but JsirJe alsodoes not feel she can return ho"e to the 0al"ondes,thou!h they loe her. nstead, she ta)es the baby,and the t#o disappear in the bayou. t is onlythrou!h their deaths that JsirJe and her child, bothhalf/castes in a #orld #here thin!s are "easured byblac) and #hite, -nd their -nal identities as tra!ic-!ures.

The role of identity also plays an i"portant part in1r"and’s "ental and e"otional state. His identity isintrinsically lin)ed to his idea of his racial superiority. That 1r"and beliees hi"self to be superior to theslaes he o#ns is clear. He rules the" strictly and“his ne!roes had for!otten ho# to be !ay, as theyhad been durin! the old "aster’s easy!oin! andindul!ent lifeti"e.” Ho#eer, his racist ideas "oreclearly express the"seles in his treat"ent of

JsirJe after she bears hi" a child of 1frican

herita!e. 4hen JsirJe -rst notices this*lon! afterthe nei!hbors, the slaes, and 1r"and has alreadydone so*she !oes runnin! to her husband,de"andin! an explanation. He ans#ers coldly, &“t"eans. . . that the child is not #hite2 it "eans thatyou are not #hite.”’ His refusal to spea) #ith her inany depth on the "atter sho#s both his an!er at herbut also his belief that she is no# beneath hi" andthat she is not #orthy of his ti"e. 'or she is #hiteonly on the exterior, and he casts her in the sa"ecate!ory as his slaes2 her s)in is &“1s #hite as LaBlanche’s,”’ he says, "a)in! a direct co"parisonbet#een his #ife and his slae. n the -nal exchan!ebet#een husband and #ife, 1r"and ac)no#led!esthat “he no lon!er loed her, because of the

unconscious in+ury she had brou!ht upon his ho"eand his na"e.” Such thin)in! clearly sho#s his o#nfeelin!s about the #orth of 1frican 1"ericans, but itaptly re6ects those of his co""unity as #ell2 indeed,the !ossip a"on! the slaes and the “unexpectedisits fro" far/o5 nei!hbors #ho could hardlyaccount for their co"in!” de"onstrate the crisis thatJsirJe’s baby has caused in the re!ion. Thus,1r"and’s racis" is seen, in part, as a product of hiseniron"ent.

:ot eeryone, ho#eer, subscribes to such racistpropa!anda. Three people in the story espouse "oreenli!htened ie#s% 1r"and’s father, Mada"e0al"onde, and JsirJe herself.

n the story’s -nal para!raph, 1r"and’s father isreealed to be superior to standard ideas of racialine7uity2 he #ed a #o"an of 1frican descent. The1ubi!nys’ +oint decision, ho#eer, to hide this truthfro" 1r"and sho#s their understandin! of theracis" that "ost of their conte"poraries feel. Theexcerpt fro" Mada"e 1ubi!ny’s letter reeals ho#)eenly she and her husband both feel the e5ect ofracis", and she tellin!ly chooses to refer to herselfnot as a person of 1frican descent, but throu!h herascribed role in 1"erican society% as a "e"ber of“the race that is cursed #ith the brand of slaery.”



Mada"e 0al"onde is another character #hode"onstrates the ability to loo) beyond theconnotations of 1frican blood. 4hen she receiesJsirJe’s letter, she clearly co"es to the sa"econclusion as 1r"and*that JsirJe is of 1fricanherita!e. Her brief reply, #hich does not eenatte"pt to refute such an assertion, spea)s olu"es.But she also #ants JsirJe and the baby to co"eho"e. She is #illin! to accept her dau!hter and!randson no "atter their bac)!round and the sti!"aattached to it.

Lastly, JsirJe e"er!es as a -!ure #ho does nothold those pre+udices typical of her era andco""unity. 'or #hen she -rst reali$es her child has1frican characteristics, she assu"es the" to co"efro" 1r"and2 #ith her !rey eyes, fair s)in, andhands &“#hiter than yours, 1r"and,”’ she has neerhad any cause to 7uestion her ethnicity. Her pleadin!letter to her "other sho#s her need to be #hite, butshe desires this not out of sha"e, but because shesees the race issue as separatin! her fro" herbeloed husband. 1s lon! as her husband thin)s sheis of 1frican descent, she )no#s he #ill not accepther. The proof of her character co"es #hen she saysto her "other, &“1r"and has told "e a" not #hite.'or God’s sa)e tell the" it is not true”’2 these #ordsindicate her #illin!ness to accept 1r"and, #hite orblac).

The -nal irony e"er!es in the last lines of the story#hen 1r"and and the reader discoer his trueherita!e. But een #ith these lines, hopin sho#sthe a"bialence of racis", for 1r"and is the onlyperson in the story to act #ith ab+ect cruelty*and itturns out that he is of 1frican ancestry. ndeed, thestory lin)s 1r"and to that -rst source of eil*Satan*een before the last lines are reealed2 after1r"and reali$es the truth about the baby “the eryspirit of Satan see"ed suddenly to ta)e hold hi" in

his dealin!s #ith the slaes.”1r"and’s connection to the icon of eil sho#s thathe #as neer #orthy of JsirJe, re!ardless ofbloodlines. 'or JsirJe is e7uated #ith God and!oodness itself. Her ery presence see"s to Mada"e0al"onde to be the #or) of a “bene-cent<roidence.” JsirJe’s feelin! of forebodin!*“4henthe baby #as about three #ee)s old, JsirJe a#o)eone day to the coniction that there #as so"ethin!in the air "enacin! her peace”*furtherde"onstrates her connection #ith an o"niscientpresence. 9en 1r"and reco!ni$es JsirJe’s diinity.4hen he tells her to leae L’1bri, he i"a!ines “that1l"i!hty God had dealt cruelly and un+ustly #ith

hi"2 and felt, so"eho#, that he #as payin! Hi"bac) #hen he stabbed thus into his #ife’s soul.” 1s1rner assesses this scene, “By insultin! and in+urin!JsirJe, 1r"and beliees that he hurts and insultsGod as #ell2 he casts the" both out of his house.”JsirJe is lin)ed to a hi!her po#er of !ood, and isthus funda"entally inco"patible #ith 1r"and.

Source: 3ena Norb, ritical 9ssay on “JsirJe’sBaby,” in Short Stories for Students, The Gale Group,ECC=.

criticism for chopin

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