Introduction
Kate Chopin identifies the importance of self-identity through her from various practices and different characters across the book, "The Story of an Hour." She is one of the best feminist writers who used a number of writings to bring the concepts of feminism to a better understanding (Sabbagh et al., 20). Her work reflects on feminism by centralizing some of the female characters in the context to express their experiences and practice of self-identity. Kate utilizes robust and vibrant terms to express the idea; some are shown through emotional utterings of Mrs. Mallard, one of the characters in the story. Self-identity significantly play a role for Mrs. Mallard, especially the time when she is faced with a situation of extreme resistance and numbness. This article describes how the writer, Kate Chopin, expresses the importance of self-identity in her book "The Story of an Hour."
Kate Chopin naturalizes self-identity in the context of female characters who struggle to overcome cases of traditional norms and strict social structures in society. The author uses this opportunity to explore feminism from a firm and personal perspective, female characters in the story have to utilize their inspirations and self-driven qualities of life to live a healthy life despite the challenges they face in their society (Sabbagh et al., 19). In the story, female characters are seen confronting different inappropriate practices tirelessly to challenge the institutions and address their issues. Through female self-identity, we know the significance of women in the society in fighting some of the social practices which are ethical from the author's perspectives and general view of feminine nature.
In the story, women are better when left to make their own decisions, work to achieve their dreams, and participate equally in society. From the author's potent of view, women play a significant role in society, which in many cases in the story presents women fighting to fit into the community, which does not accept them as entities but subjects to a social structure. Female characters actively take their position despite the challenges they go to establish their identity. Women can fulfill their desires, dreams, and goals in life by struggling to develop their position in society regardless of the social structure in place.
The story significantly relies on steps that women undertake to attain social freedom by developing a sense of self-identity in their daily practices. The author relates different sentences to indicate a specific thing; for instance, the case about peddlers in the story is not just about music and nature, but instead, it reflects on the reality between the in-world and outside world of Louise (Karami, Negin, and Esmaeil Zohdi, 15).
Desire to change female position in the story leads the female characters to make decisions on their top to determine their destiny and fulfill their dreams. Through spirits of gaining freedom and self-identity, women develop new life and new social structure that addresses their position and rights and stop from being victimized for joy and freedom. The book shows negative assumptions about the role of women and cultural practices that hinder their growth and development as members of society. The author succeeds by using self-identity to change concepts of patriarchal society.
In many instances the author focus on Mrs. Louise Mallard, she is presented as protagonist character across "The Story of an Hour," she is seen as women who has never been to exposed to the outside world, this is evident from the place she is expressing her emotions, the author tells us that she has remained clustered in her room but never been to the outside the house (Karami, Negin, and Esmaeil Zohdi, 13).
On the other hand, the windows surrounding the place are regarded as alive and exciting like Mrs. Mallard's mind, however physically, she is clustered in her room. The death of her bund marks the beginning of her new identity; she realizes her potentials and how much she has been missing (Karami, Negin, and Esmaeil Zohdi, 19). Windows and rooms, the story symbolically play a role as archetypes which depicts the concepts of feminine freedom and expression of women's real mindset in fighting their liberty. The author uses windows and rooms to ironically express the inner-world of a female who is controlled by societal norms and traditional perspectives.
Self-identity helps women to confront cases of equality; Kate appreciates an environment of equality, a place where women and men are equally addressed and members of the society. She utilizes certain invisible clues as symbolic aspects of addressing female issues. The death of Mrs. Mallard's husband and life afterward indicates the role of female identity, before the incident, she is regarded as a woman with no identity and self-individuality. On realizing herself in the new world, where freedom of women prevails, she can make decisions affecting her life as an individual without influence from social structures in society.
The importance of self-identity is seen from the cycle of women's oppression in the story. Men take a high position in society and stick to social and cultural practices to oppress women, however with the desire of women to explore their potentials in life and gain the identity, they succeed and manage to establish a new presence. With identity, female characters confront patriarchal beliefs and find a place in society and their families to play a role. Female characters in the story fail to achieve what they want because they have been suppressed (Distel, Kristin, 11). Many of the females are eager to get independence, freedom, selfhood to overcome several limitations. Women encounter challenges and failures in society because of their feminine discourse; they do not have the joy and love until they attain self-identity; it gives them hope and strength to continue living. Self-identity brings about the spirit to fight social obstacles and overcome feminine limitations.
Conclusion
Through this story, Kate establishes a different perspective of men and women relationships in society in terms of the roles they play and the social structure. She suggests that women and other members of the community who are considered minority must have the same place in the society, serve equal roles, threats and values to various forms of oppression based on social or traditional beliefs. From the author's perspectives across the story, women cannot obtain their freedom and identity in society without any form of stiff resistance, especially in where parochial concepts of life play a role.
The destructive social structures and functions of men that bring fear and develop a sense of worthlessness among women should be confronted, women must identify themselves as members of the society with have equal roles to play as men. Self-identity is vital for women to overcome oppression, negative social practices, and patriarchal beliefs in society. Women have the potentials to attain a recognizable position in society, play roles beyond what social structures determine and fulfill their desires and dreams.
