The social constructions of gender are manifested through the forced institution of marriage in “La Belle Zorade” and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin . The protagonists of each story experience repressed emotions in response to the social institution of marriage, which limits their feminine individuality. When either protagonist attempts to question these social constructs, they are afflicted with an internal turmoil that manifests itself physically and externally. The male minor characters in each story inspire the protagonist to question social constructs, while the female minor characters dissuade the protagonists from questioning these social constructs. Chopin uses symbolism to illustrate the constraints of the protagonist and further uses imagery to create an atmosphere that conveys the influence of social constructs. Kate Chopin develops the protagonist's inner turmoil as a response to the social limitations of the genre. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay By questioning the social constructions of gender, the protagonists' attempts to free themselves from pent-up emotions are futile. Chopin uses the symbolism of bodily illness to demonstrate the effect of expressing formerly repressed emotions. To illustrate this, Chopin prefigures the physical exposure of bodily ills when, in a dialogue with Zorade, Madame Delarivire declares: “You deserve to be whipped like any other slave” (36). The physical mistreatment of the slaves to which Madame alludes evolves into Zora's dementia by the end of the story. This is symbolized by the “foolish bundle of rags.” . . [on which] she [draws] the mosquito net. . . and [next to whom] she [sits] contentedly” (39). This mental instability results from Zorade's decision to express his emotions and free himself from the oppression of society by pursuing his love for Mzor. Mzor's physical distance from Zorade encourages him to question social constructions of gender. Chopin uses symbolism to contrast the rags, which symbolize Zorade's submission to social conformity, with Zorade's child, which symbolizes the affirmation of her feminine identity. Zorade's rejection of the child at the end of the story signifies her rejection of her feminine individuality. This is an inconclusive nature of his inner turmoil caused by his attempt to express his formerly repressed emotions. Chopin presents Louise Mallard as being physically afflicted with “a heart problem” (1). This progresses to death at the end of the story and is brought about when her husband physically triumphs over his supposed death to return healthy to the story. Mrs. Mallard's death is motivated by her attempt to express her repressed emotions by questioning the social institution of marriage. She almost recovers from this physical affliction when she is confined in the locked room. The locked room symbolizes the assertion of her feminine individuality as she escapes the social institution of marriage to pursue her feminine identity. This contrasts with the open door to the story's outcome, which symbolizes Louise's return to society. This signifies the unresolved end of her internal turmoil as Louis encounters the social constructs she had attempted to escape during her confinement in the locked room. Minor characters in each story introduce disturbances that spark internal conflicts between the characters. The physical movement of Mzor results inmental damage to Zorade, while Brently's replacement causes Louise's death. The similarity in the role of minor characters in causing the character's physical ailments is attributed to the protagonists' internal conflicts with repressed emotions. Chopin's objective is to emphasize that the protagonists are limited to their female bodies and cannot satisfy their desires; However, she treats the two minor characters in different ways as the protagonists experience different circumstances. Through visual imagery, Chopin creates a mood of longing and longing as the protagonists attempt to resolve their internal turmoil. Chopin establishes this mood through visual images that convey Zorade's deprivation. To demonstrate this, upon seeing Mzor dancing the Bamboula on Congo Square, Chopin declared: “The heart of poor Zorade became sick with love for the handsome Mzor from the moment she saw the fierce glow of his eyes, lit by the inspiring accents of the beautiful Mzor. Bamboula. . .” (35). The epithet Chopin uses to describe Zorade contrasts with the visual imagery of Mzor's dance and expresses the desire with which Zorade responds to the dance. Due to social constructs, she is deprived of pursuing her love for him, but tries to resolve this inner turmoil by watching him dance the Bamboula on Congo Square. This deprivation is further compounded by the physical displacement of Mzor, “who was sold in Georgia or the Carolinas. . . where he would no longer hear his Creole language spoken, nor Calinda dance, nor hold the beautiful Zorade in his arms” (37). The mood of longing and longing also sets in when Zorade is deprived of her baby. This minor character is introduced to temporarily disrupt this atmosphere, because following Mzor's physical displacement, Zorade "comforted himself". . . in the thoughts of her baby” (37). The atmosphere returns to one of longing and longing when the narrator states that "there is no agony that a mother will not forget when she holds her firstborn to her heart and presses her lips to the baby's flesh. . .” (37-38). The fluctuating atmosphere signifies the futility of the protagonist's attempt to resolve her internal conflict. Zorade's deprivation is a response to social constructions of gender. Zorade experiences mental isolation from society when she attempts to assert her feminine individuality by pursuing her love for Mzor. The atmosphere of longing and longing is caused by Madame Delarivire's decision to deprive Zorade of her child. Madame Delarivire intends to repress Zorade's emotions and discourage her from expressing these emotions. Obviously, the atmosphere of mental instability which permeates the outcome of the story is disrupted by Madame Delarivire when she presents the child to Zorade and declares: "No one will take him away from you again" (39). This demonstrates the effect of a minor character, who comes to terms with social constructs, on the atmosphere in which the female protagonist finds herself. Chopin creates a mood of desire and nostalgia through visual imagery that invigorates Louise. For example, after learning of her husband's death, Louise confines herself to a room in order to physically isolate herself from society. Visual imagery is used to describe the trees outside the window as "quivering with new spring life" (13) and to attribute to the rain in the air "the delicious breath" (14). Both examples of visual imagery metaphorically allude to the invigoration that Louise feels as she attempts to break free from the institution of marriage. The narrator also states that there were "patches of blue sky appearing here and there" (17), signifying the hope that surrounds Louise's invigoration and foreshadows her assertion of.