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Historical Context in The Story of an Hour

Historical Context Examples in The Story of an Hour:

The Story of an Hour

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"doctors..."   (The Story of an Hour)

In the late 19th century, most doctors were men. Notice how these doctors draw exactly the wrong conclusion: that Louise was so in love with and dependent on her husband that the surprise of his arrival killed her. The doctors make a sexist and false assumption about Louise, assuming her complete devotion to her husband; it’s sexist because the same devotion would not necessarily be assumed of men.

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"There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature...."   (The Story of an Hour)

Louise continues her moment of epiphany with a strong condemnation of societal expectations. Through Louise, Chopin writes that both men and women believe they have the right to control others; in the 19th century context of the story, the majority of that control would have been exercised by men, making Louise's observations critical of treatment of women at the time.

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