Inner Struggles of Three Women

Paper Summary:

This paper shows how "Story of an Hour," "A Secret Sorrow" and "A Sorrowful Woman" all focus on the inner life of their main characters who are either unhappy with their marriage or who cannot have children. The paper describes the struggles of these three women and the different emotional reactions generated by the anxieties and problems of life. The paper also identifies the common theme throughout these works of whether happiness and personal fulfillment is possible in the presence of strict social demands. The paper suggests that communication seems to be the antidote to despair as Godwin's protagonist is the only one who achieves happiness thanks to her ability not to isolate herself from the rest of the world.

From the Paper:

Gail Godwin "Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" depicts the inner struggles that take place inside Mrs. Mallard, a young woman whose husband is reported to have died in an accident. Mrs. Mallard's sister, Josephine, informs her of her husband's death. The young woman starts crying and rushes to her bedroom wanting to grieve the loss of her husband alone. The themes of life and death are tied together in Chopin's short story; death is seen as both an ending and a new beginning from the point of view of the wife. Mrs. Mallard does not realize how unhappy and trapped she feels until she hears the tragic news of her husband's death. Stricken with grief and profound sadness, she is now given the chance to re-examine her feelings. In "The Story of an Hour," the conflict is of man versus self. In this respect, the focal point of the narration is on Mrs. Mallard's feelings and inner turmoil."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chopin, Kate. "Kate Chopin: The Story of an Hour." 1998. <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/chopin.html>
• Godwin, Gail. "A Sorrowful Woman." <brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/sorrowful-woman.pdf>
• Van Der Zee, Karen. A Secret Sorrow. Canada: Harlequin Books, 1981

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