"The Story of an Hour" Lit. Questions

Question

Use evidence from the Spoon River Anthology epitaphs and "The Story of an Hour" to explain how literature of the time reflected some women's feelings of being trapped and oppressed by their husbands.

 

Benjamin Franklin said, "Be assured, a Woman's Power, as well as Happiness, has no other Foundation but her Husband's Esteem and Love."
Based on her thinking before learning of her husband's death, how would Mrs. Mallard in "The Story of an Hour" have responded to Franklin's idea?
Use evidence from the story to support your conclusion.

Answer 1

Benjamin Franklin’s statement reflects a patriarchal view of marriage: that a woman’s happiness and power depend entirely on her husband’s esteem and love.

Before learning of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard would likely have rejected this idea, though perhaps quietly, because her private revelation shows she did not see her joy as rooted in her husband’s regard.

After she receives news of Mr. Mallard's demise, however, she thinks with excitement of “a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely.” This shows that she associated her power and happiness not with her husband’s love but with independence from him.

Her whispered words, “Free! Body and soul free!” directly contradict Franklin’s notion by asserting that her happiness can exist apart from, even because of the absence of, her husband.