The life of a woman after the man“Free! Free body and soul! She kept whispering” (705). Kate Chopin sets up an illumination of hope for all women with her short story about a woman's realization of life AH (after her husband). In The Story of an Hour, shortly after the death of her husband, a woman realizes that life without the constraints of marriage and a husband could be liberating. Chopin wrote in the 19th century on culminating controversial subjects. The hour-long story unfolds in the space of an hour; and during this time, the reader is invited to realize how married women might feel. This story truly embodies what was going on in the mind of a married woman at that time; this feeling of feeling trapped and neglected by society. They had to be content to simply live in their husband's shadow, knowing that they were capable of so much more. Chopin certainly conveys the importance of realizing one's abilities before it is too late. Kate Chopin's hour-long story does much more than tell the story of a woman who finds relief after the death of her husband. It allows us to become aware of what women felt and thought. Chopin is able to communicate to 21st century audiences that women then, just like women today, wanted to accomplish a purpose in life. 19th century societal norms would have rejected the idea of ​​women freely expressing their desire for usefulness outside the home in the form of a story that Chopin is able to allude to this idea even in this era. The importance of her surprising writings is that it awakens the idea that women should stop being seen as weak, be valued and empowered to serve greater purposes beyond the traditional roles of subservient housewives. This story still makes readers jump ... middle of paper ...... because she is a housewife and is allowed to have aspirations in life again. This story allows the reader to travel into the mindset of a married woman who is oppressed in a life she did not choose and with the death of her husband, the person who enforces the societal limitations of women who have left for a whole new life is at his disposal. Although times have changed, this concept still holds true for some married women: they live for their husbands and are expected to do so. Nearly 100 years after the publication of The Story of an Hour, activist Gloria Steinem said, “A woman without a man is like a bicycle without a fish.” Women don't need to function; it is society that paralyzes women into believing this to be true. Women are capable of anything, but if society's constraints continue to oppress them into designated roles, we will never know their true capabilities..