Emily Dickinson’s “The Wife” and “The Story of an Hour”

“The Wife,” a poem by Emily Dickson, reveals the poet’s concerns for the native feminineness in middle-class people by articulating the gender roles of women by applying the term “wife” frequently. Patently, the poem’s persona is a woman, and conservatisms of marriage are articulated from the female perspective. Further, the theme in Dickinson’s poem tends to relate to Mallard’s passionate state in “The Story of an Hour.” In this regard, the paper discusses how the theme in Emily’s poem relates to Mallard’s work.

“The Story of an Hour and The Wife” tends to focus on the female gender. Emily Dickson demonstrates the subtle feminist transformation of ladies into wives. The poet starts the first stanza by indicating that “I’m Wife.” According to Emily, females become their rulers after marriage (Dickinson 1). On the other hand, the “Story of an Hour” focuses on a female character who felt relieved after the death of her husband. After discovering that her husband escaped death, Mrs. Mallard passes through various feelings and emotions.

Moreover, “The wife” and “The Story of an Hour” indicate that men exclusively dominated the marriage institution. For instance, in the poem “My Wife,” the poet indicates that once a female got married, her entire life changed completely as she had to submit to the man. Dickson believed that being a female, who comfort the notion of being a “woman,” marriage was a compulsory part of a female’s life. Mrs. Mallard’s joy in”The Story of an Hour” after discovering that her husband was no more indicates that she received freedom from the chains of being controlled by another person. As indicated by (Chopin 1), “she would live for herself,” thus showing that Mallard got liberty when her husband died.

In conclusion, Emily Dickson’s The Wife and “The Story of an Hour” tend to have a common theme. For instance, the two-piece work focuses on the female gender and their position in society. Also, the two tend to show how marriage was an integral part of all women’s life. Still, the theme in the two depicts that men significantly dominated women’s life.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. “‘The Story of an Hour.’” Vcu.edu, 1894, Web.

Dickinson, Emily. “Love, Poem 17: The Wife | the Poems of Emily Dickinson: Series One | Emily Dickinson | Lit2Go ETC.” Usf.edu, 2019, Web.