Mrs. Mallards Reflections on Life in Kate Chopin’s “The...

Anyone who receives notice of a loved ones death is never expected to take it lightly. In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Mrs. Mallard is informed of her husbands â€Å"death† as gently as possible, and immediately she understands the enormous significance this loss will have on her life. Unlike many widow’s, her feelings of utter devastation do not last. Mrs. Mallard’s sobs of loss turn to cries of joy after she reflects upon her own character and discovers truths about her marriage. As any woman would, Mrs. Mallard initially â€Å"wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment,† (227) at the news of her husband’s death. Her weeping almost seems forced as Mrs. Mallard’s true character is revealed later on. She is described as â€Å"young, with a†¦show more content†¦This personal confession shows that Mrs. Mallard, though she will mourn at first, now is free to â€Å"live for herself,† (228) not for her imposing husband. Before her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard believed she was in a healthy, normal marriage. This death revealed to her how while she cared about her husband, she despised the lack of freedom her marriage had given her. All of the realizations that Mrs. Mallard reaches during her time of reflection shows the readers exactly why she will no longer mourn the death of her husband. The reader might question as to why Mrs. Mallard’s feelings towards her husband’s death change so quickly. Was she previously unaware of the â€Å"subtle and elusive† (227) thoughts that made her believe that this death might be a blessing in disguise? Mrs. Mallard, before her husband’s death, had a romanticized view of her marriage. While she believed she loved Brently and was happy, after his death she became aware of the freedom she would now experience without a controlling husband. The â€Å"powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence† (22 8) would no longer be present. Mrs. Mallard was aware of her yearnings of independence and joy, but would never voice them while locked into her marriage with Brantley. While at first, it may seem as Mrs. Mallard was unaware of these feelings, the death of her husband was just the catalyst that allowed her deepest feelings to be revealed and her dreams of independence to finallyShow MoreRelatedSymbolism as Found in Kate Chopins Story of an Hour Essay1532 Words   |  7 Pagesas found in Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Story of an Hour† In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Story of an Hour† the protagonist, Louise Mallard, is going through a life-changing event that is brought on by the news of the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. During this hour, she is told of her husband’s death, grieves for a short time, discovers that she will now be able to â€Å"live for herself† (16) and is finally able to free herself of the restrictive marriage she has been living in. The end of her last hour comes when sheRead MoreThe, Open Window, And The Husband, By Kate Chopin1615 Words   |  7 PagesTrees, seasons, phases of life and even the hydrogen bond are cyclical in nature. Poets, musician and writers of literature can use cyclical themes as an expression of time. Kate Chopin was born in the late 1800’s, where she lived in both, St. Louis and Louisiana. She wrote about women, race, and the class system of the time period. Through her writing Chopin became a master at using contrast, natural imagery and cyclical stories to provoke deep observation into the issues into the human psyche,Read More Irony in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour Essays1295 Words   |  6 PagesIrony in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour A very dull and boring story can be made into a great story simply by adding in something that is unexpected to happen. When the unexpected is used in literature it is known as irony. An author uses irony to shock the reader by adding a twist to the story. The author of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is Kate Chopin. Her use of irony in the story is incredibly done more than once. Irony is thinking or believing some event will happen but in return the unexpectedRead MoreThe Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin1254 Words   |  6 Pages Kate Chopin provides her reader with an enormous amount of information in just a few short pages through her short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour.† The protagonist, Louise Mallard, realizes the many faults in romantic relationships and marriages in her epiphany. â€Å"Great care [is] taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death† (Chopin 168). Little do Josephine and Richards know, the news will have a profoundly positive effect on Louise rather than a negative one. â€Å"WhenRead More Mrs Mallards Experience of Freedom in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin1707 Words   |  7 PagesMrs Mallards Experience of Freedom in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin In The Story of an Hour, Mrs Mallard, who has a heart attack is the main protagonist. Like any ordinary women, she is a normal housewife who depends on her husband. The news of her husbands death gives her freedom and sets her free from restraints, marriage and a lifetime of dependency. Kate Chopin uses several techniques to create the image of how freedom affects Mrs Mallard. At firstRead MoreEssay on Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of An Hour1087 Words   |  5 PagesFreedom in Kate Chopins The Story of An Hour In Kate Chopins The Story of An Hour the theme is found within the concept of how someone can be trapped in a repressive, unsatisfying reality because of anothers thoughtless oppression and manipulation. When combined with the contemporary societys beliefs --- presumably the later half of the 19th century for this story -- a further understanding of Chopins thoughts and feelings can be realized. Mrs. Louise Mallard, the victim and messengerRead MoreEssay about Disappointment in Kate Chopins Story of an Hour783 Words   |  4 PagesDisappointment in The Story of an Hour      Ã‚   The Story of an Hour is a short story in which Kate Chopin, the author, presents an often unheard of view of marriage. Published in the late eighteen hundreds, the oppressive nature of marriage in The Story of an Hour may well be a reflection of, though not exclusive to, that era. Mrs. Louise Mallard, Chopins main character, experiences the exhilaration of freedom rather than the desolation of loneliness after she Read MoreAnalysis Of The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin811 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis of The Story of an Hour In Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour, the reader is introduced to three characters and an event that has occurred prior to the beginning of the story. The three characters that the reader is introduced to are: Mrs. Mallard, who is the protagonist of the story, Josphine, who is her sister, and Mr. Richards, who does not play a major role in the story. Throughout the plot of the story, the reader can gain a sense of sympathy for Mrs. Mallard as theyRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1421 Words   |  6 Pages Essay One â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is arguably known as Kate Chopin’s best short story. Those who have read the story, can agree that Louise Mallard, receives tragic information of her husband, Brently Mallard’s death. Mrs. Mallard then accelerates through a sequence of emotional reactions of â€Å"new spring life† and â€Å"elixir of life† (476-477), but she receives another shock that her husband is actually alive. This shock is so devastating that it is fatal. Chopin’s depiction of open windows and springRead More The Importance of Freedom in Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour†1907 Words   |  8 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† grabs its readers from the start and creates an unexpected twist at the end of the short story. Louise Mallard is given the news that her husband has died in a terrible train accident. To her surprise, he arrives home and â€Å"did not even know there had been one† (Cho pin, 607). Upon the death of Louise who once believes she was a widow only to find that her husband is still alive, the confusion begins. The death of Louise is questioned by many critics as a state