Patriarchal society and the erasure of the female self in The Story of an HourCritical readings of Chopin's works often note the tension between female characters and the society that surrounds them. Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin was concerned with exploring "the dynamic interrelationship between women and men, women and patriarchy, and even women and women" (146). Often, critics focus on the importance of conflict in these works and how Chopin uses gender constraints on two levels, to open a path for discussion of female identity and, at the same time, to criticize the patriarchal society which denies this. identify. Kay Butler suggests that "entrapment, not freedom, is Chopin's source of inspiration, as she is primarily interested in exploring the ways in which gender roles deny identity"; she continues: “yet, without entrapment, the question of identity, nor even the inspiration to write about identity, would not exist” (18). Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" very poignantly balances the dual focus of his work, depicting Mrs. Mallard's dawning awakening, and thereby exploring the possibility of female identity, while ultimately denying the realization of such an experience. Like all of his works, this short story responds to a specific historical setting, the Cult of the True Woman, in its indictment of patriarchal culture. As Barbara Welter notes, in the 19th century, "a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband, her neighbors, and society" according to the attributes of a real woman which included "purity" and "domesticity". » (372). . The concept of purity, because it suggested that women must maintain their virtue, also, paradoxically, negated the...... middle of paper...... Story of an hour.'” CLA Journal 16 (November 1994): 59-64. Bauer, Margaret. Chopin in Her Time: Critical Essays on Patriarchy and Female Identity. Durham: Duke UP, 1997. Butler, Kay. “Freedom and desire: the theme of awakening in the works of Kate Chopin. » Critical interpretations: Kate Chopin. Ed. Harold Blooming. New York: Chelsea House, 1989. 14-32. Chopin, Kate. “The story of an hour.” The Health Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. 2nd ed. Flight. 2. Lexington: Heath, 1994. 644-46. Papke, Mary E. On the Edge: The Social Fiction of Kate Chopin and Edith Wharton. New York: Greenwood P, 1990. Welter, Barbara. “The cult of true femininity: 1820-1860. » The American family in social historical perspective. Ed. Michael Gordon. New York: St. Martin's P, 1978. 372-92.