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  • Essay / Portrayal of main characters in Kate Chopin's novels

    During the 1800s, women did not have the same freedom as men, they were expected to always be happy, stay at home and be a mother of female. That's when these two stories came out and made people realize that they deserved to have their own lives. The Awakening is about Edna trying to find herself after realizing she's not happy with her husband, which is when she wakes up. The story of the hour has Mrs. Mallard going through a difficult time after discovering that her husband is dead, but later she discovers that he is actually alive. Although the two stories The Awakening and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin are completely different, the two main characters, Edna and Mrs. Mallard, go through similar situations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Edna and Mrs. Mallard are alike because they both feel the same way. They felt like they needed to make their husbands happy, but at the same time they felt trapped. In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin talks about how Mrs. Mallard feels when she says, "Free, free, free!" “The blank look and the look of terror that had followed it disappeared from his eyes” (Chopin 170). She begins to feel like she needs more freedom instead of just staying at home to make her husband happy. Mrs. Mallard is now beginning to realize how stifled she feels in her marriage. Edna also wanted to be more at peace, without worries or expectations. In The Awakening it is stated: “she became bold and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far, where no woman had swum before” (Chopin 47). She has suffered so much that she just needs to be alone, where silence reigns. She wants to be herself, but how could she do that if many people expect so much from her. Mrs. Mallard and Edna both had toxic marriages that led to their downfall but also their awakening. Edna's husband Mr. Pontellier did not really show his love and affection to her in order to make her feel different emotions. In the story The Awakening, Kate Chopin said, “When Mr. Pontellier became rude, Edna became insolent” (Chopin 95). Mr. Pontellier always took her for granted. Even though he gave her money and bought her gifts, he always seemed to be in a bad mood with her. It was a toxic relationship, as Mr. Pontenllier became meaner, but so did Edna, so she slowly fell in love with Robert because he would treat her better and actually care for her. It's a bit similar to Mrs. Mallard's wedding. She had thought her husband had died at work. In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin said: “She had loved him, sometimes. Often she had not done so” (Chopin 170). Mrs. Mallard often realized that she deserved better. After discovering that her husband was still alive, she died of a heart attack because she was surprised to see him; she had thought he was dead. The deaths of Edna and Mrs. Mallard were not only because they had a toxic marriage, but also because they felt like they were being controlled. They both also had expectations about how they should have been treated; their husband never treated them as if they were their wife but as someone who was just there. Mrs. Mallard and Edna struggled to be themselves and have freedom. That's why Edna went to the sea, where she too escaped and felt free. In The Awakening it was said: “The voice.