Freedom in Chopin's Story of an Hour and TurnedIn by Gilman “Turned,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “ "The Story of an Hour", by Kate Chopin, two female protagonists gradually reject and overcome their socially constructed and internalized feminine consciousness. These changes of heart occur when horrific events involving both characters' husbands occur. Women are then forced to define themselves as individuals rather than relying on their spouses, families, and homes to give them meaning. Their life-changing achievements are shown through the environments around them and through suggestive aquatic imagery. In these plays, the female mind and thought process are dissected to show how these women discover their complex and somewhat hypocritical social positions. The two protagonists are finally able to understand the weight of their role as wife and woman in their confined societies. With their new understanding, they are forced to see the idle and mean lives they have lived to gain acceptance from the other. Indeed, the characters attempt to renounce their oppressed feminine roles and adopt their own lifestyle. The “turning points” that emerge in these feminist works are suggested by the environment in which the women live. Their surroundings not only imply a change in lifestyle, but indicate a change in the tone of the stories. Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" opens with Mrs. Mallard receiving the news of her husband's death through her sister. With the tragic news hanging over her head, Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room to be alone. Her room becomes a retreat for her; she is able to look down on society without participating in it and contemplate her n...... middle of paper...... femininity and marriage. Achieving independence, even if it may result in death or making a person an outcast in society, becomes Ms. Mallard and Ms. Marroner's ultimate goal. Works cited and consulted Chopin, Kate. “The story of an hour.” In Literature and its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters, eds. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. Martin, Wendy, ed. "Introduction." New essays on the hour story. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1998. Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction. NY: St. Martin's P, 1997. Knight, Denise D. Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Study of Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne, 1997.Lane, Ann J. To Herland and Beyond: The Life and Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. NY: Pantheon Books, 1990.