Final answer:
In 'The Story of an Hour,' Mrs. Mallard's fragile health and societal gender expectations contribute to the delicate manner in which she is given news of her husband's death. This contrasts with the more stoic expectations placed on men during the era, who might have received such news in a less gentle manner.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Story of an Hour details careful communication to Mrs. Mallard about her husband's death, highlighting societal norms of the time which treated women as fragile, particularly in contrast to men. This careful approach was partly due to her heart trouble, which made her physically and metaphorically delicate in the eyes of others. Moreover, the era's perception of women as homemakers and the weaker sex contributed to a gentler delivery of such devastating news, which may not have been similar had the recipient been a man. During this time period, men were expected to display stoicism and emotional restraint, hence the news delivery to a man might have been more straightforward and less tempered by concern for their emotional well-being.
Gender expectations during the time in which Story of an Hour was set, and later periods, often determined the way women were treated in various contexts, including journalism and the workplace. Women were expected to be dependent on men and were not thought to handle stressful situations as men would, leading to a generally more protective attitude towards them.
Challenges associated with the emergence of the new woman ideology, particularly following World War I, did allow some societal changes but continued to encourage the core principle of women's role as a homemaker, highlighting the slow evolution of gender roles.