The theme in Emily Dickinson’s “The Wife” relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour” by using the theme of oppressiveness within marriage. In “The Wife”, there is a lack of independence within marriage. In “The Wife”, line 1 starts off with “She rose to his requirement, dropped” (Dickinson). I find this quote shows the lack of bodily autonomy, relating to how Mrs. Mallard felt during her marriage. In lines 3 to 4, the text states, “To take the honorable work Of woman and of a wife.” (Dickinson). Dickson uses the two words woman and wife to mean very different things. You have to give up a part of yourself being a woman to become a wife, losing a part of yourself you once were to be a wife. The poem highlights the reality of how women are overlooked and their own identities are stripped away from them within marriages to please their husbands.
In paragraphs 8 through 10 in “The Story of an Hour”, Chopin writes, “But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought. There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully… as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been. When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin). Her husband’s death though shocking at first gave her a sense of independence. Normally a wife would be portrayed as devastating hearing their husband is dead but focusing on the societal expectations of a wife around that time period, marriage can be exhausting. Wives having to bend at their husband’s will would be thrilled to have them die. Mrs. Mallard feeling free ties back to being freed of the expectations of a wife depicted in “The Wife”.
One thought on “Shaniyah Chisolm Discussion 9”
That is an excellent observation Shaniyah. I also believe the oppressiveness of marriage is a prominent theme between the characters in both stories. I see it as one in the throws of her oppression, and the other facing the freedom of hers(the latter being Mrs. Mallard). While I can’t say I understand the differences between woman and wife(lines 3,4 of the reading) I do agree that the first line of Ms. Dickinson’s poem signifies the lost of her individuality into the servitude of marriage.