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Analytical Paper 1

Analytical Paper

Rodolfo Nieto

West Coast University

English 240: Written Communications

Melissa Cueto

May 2026

Oppression, Irony, and the Powerlessness of Women in Kate Chopin’s Stories

Kate Chopin was an American writer of the 19th century whose works questioned the social constructions of their era, especially gender and race. “Désirée’s Baby” (published January 14, 1893) is a story about a woman who is left by her husband when their baby turns out to be of mixed race, whereas “The Story of an Hour” (published April 19, 1894) is about a woman who momentarily feels liberated after her husband dies. Both stories are set in the American South of the 1800s, a place ruled by strict racial and gender inequalities. “The Story of an Hour” and “Désirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin have several similar elements—the theme of oppression, dramatic irony, setting symbolism, and the powerlessness of women—which altogether help to successfully criticize the devastating social expectations of 19th-century American society (Chopin, 1893, 1894).

Both stories demonstrate how women are trapped by the people and systems surrounding them, and how oppression ultimately destroys them. “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” (Chopin, 1894). Louise understood the domination of her husband as something he did not realize was harmful, revealing that her marriage was more like a prison than a loving relationship. “Yes, go.” “Do you want me to go?” “Yes, I want you to go” (Chopin, 1893). Armand treats Désirée coldly, demonstrating that he holds total power over her life; a single word from him collapses her entire world, and she has no ability to resist or defend herself. “When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God” (Chopin, 1893). This passage reveals how completely Désirée’s emotional well-being depended on Armand’s moods, illustrating the total emotional control men exercised over women in this era. “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (Chopin, 1894). The reversal in Louise’s feelings about the length of her life shows how oppressive her marriage truly was—what once felt like a burden now feels like a gift the moment she believes she is free.

In addition to oppression, both stories employ dramatic irony to deliver their most powerful and gut-wrenching final moments. “Night and day, I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother…belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery” (Chopin, 1893). Armand sought to destroy his family to protect his “pure” name, yet he himself was of mixed race all along—making his cruelty utterly pointless and deeply ironic. “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of the joy that kills” (Chopin, 1894). The doctors believe Louise died of joy, but the reader knows she died from losing the freedom she had just discovered—creating the story’s sharpest irony. “It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of ‘killed’” (Chopin, 1894). The reader is told from the very first paragraph that Brently may not actually be dead, since the news was unverified. This creates dramatic irony throughout the story as Louise celebrates a freedom that was never real. “There was the remnant of one back in the drawer from which he took them. But it was not Désirée’s; it was part of an old letter from his mother to his father” (Chopin, 1893). Chopin withholds the reveal of Armand’s true ancestry until the very last lines, so the reader understands simultaneously with Armand that everything he did to Désirée was based on a lie about his own identity.

In addition to irony, the physical settings of both stories are used to reflect the emotional states of the characters. “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air” (Chopin, 1894). The spring scene reflects Louise’s internal awakening, as though nature itself is celebrating alongside her newfound sense of freedom. “Big, solemn oaks grew close to it, and their thick-leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall” (Chopin, 1893). The word “pall”—a cloth draped over a coffin—foreshadows death even before any tragedy occurs, establishing L’Abri as a doomed, oppressive place from the start. “There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window” (Chopin, 1894). The blue sky breaking through dark clouds is a symbol of hope and freedom emerging from the suffocating weight of Louise’s marriage, mirroring her emotional journey in this scene. “She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou; and she did not come back again” (Chopin, 1893). Désirée’s walk into the murky bayou uses the dark, still water as a symbol of death and erasure. Unlike Louise’s window of possibility, Désirée’s setting offers no escape—only disappearance.

Most significantly, both stories portray women who have almost no control over their own lives in a male-dominated world. “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin, 1894). The repression visible on Louise’s face indicates that her powerlessness is not a new condition but a lifetime of suppression written into her very appearance. “Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name” (Chopin, 1893). Armand treats Désirée as an object that either elevates or damages his social standing—never as a full person—showing how little power women had over their own value and identity in this society. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin, 1894). The fact that living for herself is a radical, almost shocking idea for Louise reveals just how completely women’s identities were expected to be defined by their husbands in this era. “Armand looked into her eyes and did not care. He was reminded that she was nameless” (Chopin, 1893). Désirée’s lack of a family name meant she had no identity or social standing of her own—she was entirely dependent on Armand to give her one, perfectly illustrating the powerlessness of women without male validation.

Overall, through the use of oppression, dramatic irony, symbolic setting, and the depiction of women’s powerlessness, Chopin’s two stories together create an accurate portrait of how 19th-century society failed the individuals living within its rigid constraints. These stories demonstrate that racism and sexism share the same root belief—that some people have a right to dominate others—and Chopin shows that both forms of oppression cause irreversible harm. The tragic endings suggest that Chopin believed her society could not offer justice to women, and she wrote these stories to challenge readers to imagine how it could be different. These themes remain urgently relevant today, which is testament to how far ahead of her time Kate Chopin truly was.

References

Chopin, K. (1893). Désirée’s baby. https://www.katechopin.org/pdfs/desirees-baby.pdf

Chopin, K. (1894). The story of an hour. https://my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_219.pdf