16 October 2012 The institution of marriage has waned in significance, becoming less important today than it was when our great-grandparents said and meant, “I do.” The values of marriage have lessened a great deal in today’s time. The New York Times states, “Contrary to the widespread perception of divorce as a midlife phenomenon, more marriages dissolve before the age of 30 than at any other time. The divorce rate for young couples is more than double the national average.” Marriage is changing culturally, and is no longer the expected tradition that one must to go through to be socially accepted. Lori Heyman Gordon, director of Family Relations at the Falls Church in Virginia, reports that, “new roles and women's expectations of equality have led to greater confusion and resentment that partners are being taken advantage of.” The women of today are much stronger than those of the past. Women now are willing to fight for their freedom and take a stance on marriage. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour’s,” main character Louise, died to escape from her lifestyle that she couldn’t end on her own simply due to the time period she was planted in. Chopin focus’s on the realization of true feelings toward marriage, the complexity of ones emotions, and the competition of whether to choose freedom over love, which elaborates on the factors of marriage and the measures an individual will take to experience the tangibility of freedom.
Louise had her own idea of imagery that mirrored her desire for freedom. As she sat pondering in a room alone, she exposed herself to the open window that blew the fresh spring in air in, and the bitter aroma out. The window symbolizes the releasing of her feelings into the open air. The air was fresh like her life. Chopin states, “This would be Louise’s new beginning. Spring days, and summer days, would now be all hers” (300). Meanwhile,