The Chaser

Open Ended

Do you believe in love potion?

Open Ended

What will you do if the woman/man you love the most doesn't love you back?

These stories exposed how marriage in the 19th century limits women’s freedom and identity.

By Amelita Etorma Loberanes

The chaserThe story follows Alan Austen, a young man who is deeply in love with a woman named Diana. Feeling unsure that she loves him back, Alan visits an old man who sells mysterious potions.

The old man offers Alan a love potion that will make Diana fall madly and permanently in love with him. The potion is cheap, and Alan eagerly buys it. However, the old man also mentions another product—an expensive, odorless poison—which he calls a “life cleaner.”

Although the poison seems unrelated at first, the old man hints that people who use the love potion often return later to buy the poison, once the forced love becomes overwhelming or unbearable.

The story ends with Alan confidently leaving with the love potion, unaware—or ignoring—the warning—showing the dark irony of trying to control love and another person’s free will.

Key feminist ideas in the lesson:

• Lack of female agency: Diana never speaks or chooses. Her feelings are meant to be manufactured by a man.

• Control over women: The love potion symbolizes men using power, manipulation, or social pressure to force women into relationships.

• Objectification: Alan wants Diana’s devotion, not her consent or independence.

• Consequences of forced love: The poison suggests how controlling relationships can turn dangerous when women resist or become inconvenient.

Feminist Perspective on “The Chaser” by John Collier

Alan wants Diana to love him, but he does not care how she feels. Instead of communicating with her or respecting her choice, he uses a potion to force her love. From a feminist viewpoint, this reflects how women are often treated as things to be owned or controlled, rather than people with autonomy.

Feminist idea: Women have the right to choose whom they love.

The story centers on Louise Mallard, a woman with a heart condition, who is told that her husband has died in a train accident. At first, she reacts with grief and cries.

Soon after, Louise goes to her room alone, where she begins to realize that her husband’s death means freedom. She quietly repeats the word “free” and imagines a future where she can live for herself instead of being controlled by marriage.

When Louise leaves her room, her husband suddenly walks through the door alive—he was never in the accident. The shock causes Louise to collapse and die. Doctors say she died of joy, but the reader understands the irony: she dies because her brief sense of independence is taken away.The story highlights women’s lack of freedom in marriage and critiques the social expectations placed on women.

Marriage Limits Female Freedom

Louise’s reaction to her husband’s “death” shows that marriage has restricted her life. Instead of only feeling sadness, she feels relief because she can finally live for herself. This reflects a feminist idea that women in marriage were often expected to obey and depend on their husbands.

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2. Lack of Female Autonomy

Louise’s whispered word “free” shows her desire for independence. From a feminist viewpoint, this moment highlights how women had little control over their own lives and choices. Her freedom exists only briefly, showing how fragile women’s autonomy was.

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3. Patriarchal Society Silences Women

When Louise dies, the doctors say she died of happiness. This is ironic because it ignores her true feelings. Feminist criticism points out that male-dominated society often misinterprets or dismisses women’s emotions, replacing them with explanations that fit traditional gender roles.

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4. The Irony as Feminist Critique

The story’s ending shows that society cannot accept a woman’s desire for independence. Louise’s death symbolizes how women are punished—emotionally or physically—for wanting freedom outside marriage.

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Key feminist connections:

• Lack of female autonomy: Louise Mallard’s marriage defines her life. Only when her husband is believed dead does she feel free to live for herself.

• Inner vs. outer life: Louise’s private thoughts show desires that society does not allow women to express openly.

• Marriage as oppression: Even though her husband is described as kind, the institution of marriage still restricts Louise’s independence.

• Silencing women: The doctors misinterpret her death as “joy,” symbolizing how women’s true feelings are often misunderstood or ignored.