Comparison of the Female Protagonists in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”

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Comparative Analysis of the Female Protagonists in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”
Kate Chopin is an American author known to write literary pieces for a wide variety of readers. Chopin's work often times touch daring topics that are too controversial during their era as a form of self expression and address compelling social issues (Beer, 1). Chopin's highly celebrated works are mainly about her portrayal of women that displays passionate behaviors that are considered inappropriate by society's standards (3). The short stories, “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour” by Chopin, both present the story of a married woman that showed inappropriate conduct towards the conventional norms of society. In “The Storm,” the female protagonist committed adultery, while in “The Story of an Hour,” the female protagonist felt happiness upon knowing her husband’s death. Although both of these short stories portray similarity in themes, the comparisons of inappropriate conduct of the wives resulting from: the circumstance of marriage, repressed desires, and freedom from husbands, should be further discussed as these reasons tempted the female protagonists to act the way they did.
The circumstance of marriage of the two married wives contributed to their inappropriate actions. In both stories, the wives felt an unsatisfying feeling towards their marriage. In "The Storm," Calixta and Alcée were passionate lovers in the past; however, they married different people. The unrequited love of their past created a crack in both Calixta and Alcée’s marriage that made them commit to adulterous acts. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard felt that she had a very unsatisfying marriage with he...