Opression Case

The theme of oppression is demonstrated by the main characters in "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin and "Sweat" by Zora Neale Hurston. Oppression is a burden of sorts that makes someone feel unequal, or inadequate. Oppression also hinders one from feeling free. "Story of an Hour" and "Sweat" portray social oppression, mental oppression, and physical oppression.The stories are both about the two main character's husbands. In "Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband has been killed in a train accident and in "Sweat," the author tells of how Delia is treated throughout her 15 years of marriage and how she deals with it.

After Mrs. Mallard gets news of her husband's death in "Story of an Hour," she immediately retreats to her room to deal with the array of emotions she begins to feel. Once in her room, she begins the grieving process and her sister keeps trying to come in but Mrs. Mallard insists she is okay. Mrs. Mallard wants to be alone, which shows the reader that she deals with things by herself, away from society and the outside world.

In "Sweat," Delia and her husband have a pretty rocky, unbalanced relationship. Sykes had been treating her really bad, and to top it all off, cheating on her with a woman named Bertha. The whole town knew of his infidelity, therefore making Delia look like a fool. She knew that the entire town was aware of Bertha and Sykes, so unless she was returning or picking up laundry, she stayed inside. This is a form of social oppression as well, because Delia was confined to her home due to embarassment.

"Story of an Hour" shows mental oppression because once Mrs. Mallard's brief grieving period ends, she realizes she is now free, and that she hadn't been for some time now. She had not lived for herself, thought for herself, or spoken for herself since she and her husband had been together. She'd pretty much been brain washed to believe what he said went.

Delia portrays her mental oppression much more clearly in "Sweat." The story tells of how Sykes spoke to her, in a very demeaning tone every time. He'd belittle her daily, and trample the clean clothes she'd just washed and folded. She dreaded his return home every night. She was always down on herself, wondering why he cheated and why everything she did wasn't ever good enough for Sykes.

Mrs. Mallard is oppressed physically when she initially heard the news of her husband's death. The author spoke of her feeling weighted down by exhaustion that haunted her body and soul. She was sad. There is a very strong sense of previous oppression only because of how much better she suddenly feels once the grief passes. She begins to relax and think of how much easier her life will be now that he is gone. Once she finally emerges