Kate Chopin's, "The Story of an Hour," is a very tightly written short piece of fiction. The story's extremely short length, however, in no way reflects its depth. "The Story of an Hour" has much to say about the plight of women, and it speaks volumes not only about the way women were, and at times are, viewed by society, but also the way women were taught to view themselves. Mrs. Louise Mallard is an exquisite example of the conflicting emotions that must have held many Victorian women immediately following the death of their husbands. While every death undoubtedly brought deep feelings of loss and pain, in those days, the only moderately acceptable means for a woman to manage her own affairs and make her own decisions was the death of her husband. Even if women were treated with a moderate level of kindness, as Mrs. Mallard appears to have been, they were still considered emotional weaklings who were unable to handle their own affairs. Women married young, and their husbands became masters of not only their wives but also all of her possessions and decisions. Certainly many women longed to be free from the confines of marriage and the burdens placed upon them by the culture of that day. Chopin's piece examines the repressed strength of Mrs. Mallard and the impact of society's views regarding women.
             Because of the attitude towards women in the society of that day, many women possessed strength that they were never allowed to use. Chopin implies that this strength is repressed when she describes Mrs. Mallard as having a face "whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength." (Page 635) Mrs. Mallard is an exceptionally strong woman who immediately begins to take her life into her own hands and starts to make decisions and plans for her future. Many women would not have had the strength to deal with these new ideas and emotions, but would have simply allowed another male to take control of their exi...