Looking through the Story of an Hour through a gender lens made it easier to view the story. For example, The man and the women act differently and respond to things differently throughout the passage. The man and the women have different roles in the story, the man is supposed to be the powerful, strong, and determined and the one who makes the money while the woman is supposed to stay home and make dinner and clean the house up. There is a gender stereotype in the story of how the man is supposed to treat the woman and how the woman is supposed to act or how the woman does everything at home while the man goes to work. You can see in the story of how the woman reacts to the mand dying you would expect her to be crying sad and heartbroken but she is happy and feels free that her husband has died.
The gender lens in the story has many different points towards the woman and the man. The man is supposed to have the power in the story and have dominance over the woman. When the husband dies, the woman finally feels open and free and like a weight has been lifted off of her. “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves“ (kate Chopin, 3). From this quote from the book, you can see how the woman feels and how it is different than what society thought it would be. The woman finally feels free and feels like she has the power now since her husband has died and can’t be stereotyped by society anymore.
In Story of an Hour, the man is supposed to set the rules for the woman and tell them what to do. Louis is husband is the one working and gaining all the power and money when Louise can’t because of the stereotype that society has on women. She can’t express herself or the way she feels towards this to anyone or society because society forbids it. “Due to her unhappiness in marriage, she ends up getting a heart disease that weakens her immune system “ (kate Chopin, 4). This explains how she feels during the marriage and how she cannot speak up or say anything to anyone because of society and the way they look at gender. Louise feels as if she can’t do anything in her marriage because of society and the way society portrays women and what they are supposed to do.
In society, women want to be able to do what they want and have freedom and not be stereotyped or have rules set by society. In the book, Louise wants freedom and to be out of the marriage but she can’t get that because society doesn’t approve of it so she feels unhappy and sad in the marriage. Louise no matter how much she tries can’t do anything because of society and the way they treat a woman. “'free! Free! Free!” (kate Chopin 10). This is how Louise reacts to her husband passing how. She feels free and happy that her husband has died and feels like she has beaten society.
Looking through the Story of an Hour through a gender lens made it easier to view the story. Society treats women as if they are nothing and suppose to do nothing while men can do anything. The man and the women have different roles in the story, the man has more power and wealth than the woman. Louise feels very unhappy with the marriage and with the way society and the man treat her. There is a gender stereotype in the story of how the man is supposed to treat the woman and how the woman is supposed to act. You can see in the story how the woman reacts to the man dying, you would expect her to be crying, sad and heartbroken but she is happy and feels free that her husband has died.