Freedom in Chopin's Story of an Hour and Gilman's TurnedIn “Turned,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “The Story of a Now”, by Kate Chopin, two female protagonists gradually reject and overcome their socially constructed and internalized female consciousness. These changes of heart occur when horrible events occur affecting both of the characters' husbands. Women are therefore forced to define themselves as individuals rather than relying on their partners, their families, and their nuclear families to give them meaning. Their life-changing accomplishments are shown through the environments around them and through evocative images of water. In these pieces, the female mind and thought process are analyzed to show how these women discover their complex and somewhat hypocritical social positions. Both protagonists are finally able to understand the weight of their role as wives and women in their confined societies. Through their newfound understanding, they are forced to see the idle and petty lives they have lived in order to gain each other's acceptance. Indeed, the characters attempt to give up their oppressed female roles and adopt lifestyles of their own. The “turns” that emerge in these feminist works are suggested in the environment in which the women live. Their environment not only implies a change in lifestyle, but indicates a change in the tone of the stories. Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour” opens with Mrs. Mallard receiving the news of her husband's death through her sister. With the tragic news floating around her head, Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room to be alone. Her room becomes a refuge for her; he manages to scrutinize society without participating in it and to contemplate its n...... paper center...... of femininity and marriage. Achieving independence, even though it may involve death or exclusion from society, becomes Mrs. Mallard and Mrs. Marroner's ultimate goal. Works cited and consulted Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." In Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters, Eds. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997.Martin, Wendy, ed. "Introduction." New essays on the story of an hour. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1998. Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction. NY: St. Martin's P, 1997. Knight, Denise D. Charlotte Perkins Gilman: A Study in Short Fiction. Boston: Twayne, 1997.Lane, Ann J. To Herland and Beyond: The Life and Work of Charlotte Perkins Gilman. New York: Pantheon Books, 1990.