Blog Post #4

The Storm is a story that in the time it was written (c. 1898) was pushing the boundaries of what would and could be talked about in regards to women. Womanhood in the late 1800's meant being married with children, being a homemaker, with great emphasis placed on cordial behavior and decorum. When Kate Chopin penned a story that spoke of woman as sexual beings instead of wives and mothers it was to say, in the context of the time period written, provocative. Calexia, the main character of the story and Alcee, an old boy friend, who arrives at the house to retreat from inclement weather, have a sexual encounter outside of their marriages. Through the lens of Feminist Criticism, this encounter can be viewed as an act of liberation or defiance by the author, especially in a time in history when women where not allowed to vote or was it socially acceptable for women to work. While this piece pushes the boundaries of womens sexuality it also touches on how the beauty of a woman is perceived. In the following passage we see an example of this, "She was a little fuller in figure than five years before when she married; but she had lost nothing of her vivacity. Her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair, disheveled by the wind and rain, kinked more stubbornly than ever about her ears and temples." In almost every culture a woman is measured or compared to other women by her outward appearance. This perception may change between different cultures, but in western culture it usually involves a woman being slender in appearance, with large eyes and a fair complexion. Within the quoted passage the author speaks to this stereotype of beauty and debunks it.

In the story I Stand Here Ironing, a young mother in the depression era tells the story of her daughters life while at the ironing board in the morning. The story told is tragic in the sense that the mother doesn't have much to say about her daughter that could be considered positive. The story speaks of Emily past the time of her birth as a homely girl that had been psychologically marred by the abuses of a teacher at daycare/school and the absence of her father. The story which is told by Emily's mother, speaks of Emily through grade school and into young adulthood. Emily being a young woman in the late '20's is already at a disadvantage in the sense that women, especially young girls in this time period. Women in this time period were in some cases viewed as 2nd class citizens. There is also the stigma attached to Emily (and which was also seen in The Storm) of what makes a woman beautiful and uses this stigma to solidify the plight of Emily's tragic life. Through the entire story great emphasis is placed on Emily's lack of physical beauty, from her frail frame and homely appearance to her pock-marked face. Opposite to that in The Storm, the author in this story uses western cultures idea of what makes a woman beautiful to paint a story of a tragic existence of a young woman.