American Literature

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty & The Story of an Hour

Introduction

Kate Choplin in her mini story 'The story of an hour' depicts very beautifully the yearnings and longings of a woman in the 19th century. The story is short and beautiful, and the underlying message is that women are just as humans as men and they have the same yearning desire for freedom as the men in their life. Whereas, As a comic short story writer, James Thurber had few rivals in the mid-20th century. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (collected in My World—and Welcome to It, 1942) is arguably the best of his stories and is still cited as an exemplar of its form during that period.

Thurber's story has its roots in American cultural tradition. His chief character, Walter Mitty, has forerunners in native folklore and fiction. Carl M. Lindner points out that "Mitty is a descendant of Rip Van Winkle and Tom Sawyer" in serving to orchestrate the theme of conflict between the individual and society, and "he dream-wishes qualities customarily exhibited by the legendary frontier hero." At the same time, the main theme of the story, the craving for power, is presented in a distinctively modern context.

The Story of an Hour

Women in the 19th century

When understanding the story, it is important to throw some light on the life or women in the 19th century. The life for women back then was much different from the life of women in today's age. Women in those days were not considered at par with men. In fact, they were considered inferior to men. The sole purpose of a woman's life back in those days was to grow up and get married to a man, after which she was expected to submit herself, in body and soul, to the man in her life. This submission meant doing everything that the man asked you to do and living the way he wanted you to live (Chopin, 1894, 1-4). The woman was only a mean of a man's pleasure and reproduction. She had no rights, no opinions, no sentiments no emotions.

Women in those days were ill treated to the extent that they were not allowed to choose a way of life for themselves. Once married, a woman could not escape the bondage even if the marriage was deprived of the conjugal bliss the woman so deserved.

Women were controlled by the men in their life, and each woman was expected to conform to this societal value. Women in the 19th century were a commodity. When she got married, her inheritance automatically shifted to the man she tied the knot with. They were discriminated even though they worked as hard as men. 80% of women in the 19th century were involved in the economic activity through various occupations. They worked in the farms and also carried out their daily household responsibilities.

The discrimination against women was also eminent in the various classes. The wealthy women looked down upon ...