Essay on Freedom in Chopin’s Story of an Hour and...

Freedom in Chopin’s Story of an Hour and Gilman’s Turned In â€Å"Turned,† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† by Kate Chopin, two female protagonists gradually reject and overcome their socially constructed and internalized female consciousness’. These changes of heart happen when horrific events that relate to both the characters’ husbands occur. The women are then forced to define themselves as individuals rather than relying on their mates, their families, and their households to give them meaning. Their life-changing realizations are shown through the environments surrounding them and through suggestive water images. In these pieces, the female mind and thought process is dissected to show how these women†¦show more content†¦The image of an armchair seems masculine because it is traditionally a man’s chair or placed in a man’s office. The image of Mrs. Mallard sitting in the chair suggests that she is in control or in a position of power. She faces an †Å"open window† (Chopin 536) where she can see an â€Å"open square† (Chopin 536). The repetition of the word â€Å"open† along with â€Å"the notes of a distant song† (Chopin 536) and the â€Å"countless sparrows twittering in the eaves† (Chopin 536) enforce a sense of liberation and harmony that is encompassing the widow. The â€Å"song† is â€Å"distant† and the sparrows are hidden under the â€Å"eaves,† implying that freedom is available to her but only in the future. Mrs. Mallard looks out through her window and sees â€Å"patches of blue sky...through the clouds† (Chopin 537) which indicate that a storm is just about to end and that there is a possibility of hope for her. The scenery, which is â€Å"reaching toward her† (Chopin 537) and through which â€Å"she was drinking in a very elixir of life† (Chopin 537), brings her subtle happiness. It makes her realize that she is â€Å"’free, free, fr ee!’† (Chopin 537) to exist as a self separate from her husband. Similar to Chopin’s story, â€Å"Turned† uses the household to symbolize the female’s switch from an obedient, stereotypical housewife to an independent, self-serving individual. The story begins with the