Hills Like White Elephants

Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills like White Elephants"  provides insight on 19th century gender roles. The story takes place in the Spain's Ebro Valley and is a tale of a couple that appears to have been backpacking through Europe staying at various places. At first the narrator describes a grating image of a train stop, a transit location where people pass en route to another destination. The couple sit down a order two beers to pass time as they are waiting for there connecting train to arrive in forty minutes. Suddenly, the girl who is nicknamed Jig, brings up the comment "[The hills] look like white elephants". As a dialogue unfolds you learn that Jig has something else on her mind. Then her friend, says "It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig". It becomes apparent that Jig is pregnant and her male companion is attempting to convince her to have an abortion.  The pregnancy seems to be a result of all the parting they have been doing. Now that a baby has been conceived the man is doing everything in his power to stop the pregnancy.
Jig is reluctant to do the abortion and continued to observe the scenery, showing her emotional state. The man eventually is successful in convincing that the abortion is the best and simplest option. In the process the couple display very different behaviors; the male as a analytical and very cold attitude while Jig shows a very warm perspective on life. Jig attempts to save the baby. by trying show her friend how go they can be together. Even though the story is focused on the conversation of the abortion, Hemingway presents the reader with multiple underlying problems with the gender roles. The characters are polar opposites and the irony of the fact that they are crossroads and seem to be heading in different directions in life. The girl is exploring the world with emotions and her boyfriend appears to see the world in a cold "rational" manner.
The true genius of this short story this that the two are avoiding discussing the "elephant in the room"; the unwanted child for him and the opportunity to build a family and settle down for her.

"Cult of True Womanhood"

After reading Chopin's story, I was inspired to look into the repression of woman in the 19th century. During my research I come across similar sentiment in following example. In Europe's mid-19th century, women were discouraged from participating in intellectual studies, it was perceived that this behavior would influence younger generations. Towards the end of 19th century, an art studio in Paris started to offer classes to woman for life drawing, which was considered the quintessential part of academic study at the time. Marie Bashkirtseff, a student of this art class later released "In the Studio." This artwork depicts women in this time, who were eager to learn. By examining this artwork, you notice the room is filled with women students with successful draft work hanging from above. Bashkirtseff seems to showing women be working together to achieve mastery of artwork, which to me appears to be a symbol of progress.

In the Studio

by Marie Bashkirtseff

Chopin's short story was written during the women’s suffrage in American. Which begun around Civil War era. At this time, the ideals of biological determinism was becoming more widespread, meaning that your physical and mental capabilities were determinism by your race and gender. Meanwhile, many American women were beginning to disagree with the “Cult of True Womanhood”. Which is, the belief that a “true” woman is a subservient wife, who is only concerned with her household. These two clashing ideologies eventually led to the new way of thinking and redefined what it meant to be a woman.

The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin

The short story, "The Story of An Hour" puts you in the shoes of a married woman in the late 1800s.

Chopin does a great job in defining the gender roles in this time period by labeling the protagonist, as "Mrs Mallard" a woman without a first name or with no personal identity.

The story begins with what seems to be a sad message, Mr Mallard has been identified as a casualty of a train car accident. The shocking news takes Mrs Mallard on a emotional rollacoaster ride. At first Mrs Mallard accepts the news in a deviating manner and shows genuine sadness, but quickly develops a feeling of empowerment. She begins realize the freedom that has come as of a result of Mr Mallards death. The freedom generates excitement and a new found passion to live. Even though Mrs Mallards husband never shows evidence of unfair treatment, the repression during their marriage had contributed to this hidden resentment. Now that Mrs Mallard believes that her husband is gone, she starts to envision taking control of her live. This brief moment was interrupted by then news that her husband was in fact not dead. The now enlightened Mrs Mallard, could not bear to return to her old life and dies from her heart condition.

This short story is written in the late 1800s, approximately 20 years before the Woman's suffrage. Did this story have any influence on the woman's rights movement in the years to come? What could this Author's message be the woman of this era?