Sometimes the most liberating experiences are those not sought. In Chopin’s stories: “The Story of an Hour”, and “The Storm”, we are exposed to different views of liberation. The opportunity to venture with or without someone will be further elaborated. Furthermore, the act of gaining something is not necessarily always accomplished by addition.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard was a woman trapped in a marriage. You quickly realize exactly what type of marriage and level of confinement she was in. When Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death, “It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing” (Chopin 82). Her reaction is initially not out of the ordinary. “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (82). Pain and sorrow would obviously take over. As Mrs. Mallard took to a bedroom, the door would close behind her. No one would understand what she was going through. There is no time frame on ones recovery, but suddenly the idea of freedom would take over. “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself” (83). A woman, who loved her husband, is finally able to give herself what she never got; love. “She said it over and over under her breath: free, free, free! (82). In a society were woman followed suite, Mrs. Mallard was finally able to live for herself. With her husband being gone she gained her independence. Weak hearted, Mrs. Mallard was full of spirit and ready to take on the world. How ironic that the man who once confined her, was able to set her free. Unbeknownst to her, Mr. Mallard did not parish, “It was Mr. Mallard who entered, a little travel-sta...
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...confines of marriage, as only she knew what she had done.
Mrs. Mallard and Calixta were two women living in a time primarily dominated by men. Neither woman had control in their personal life, or in different scenarios. They both savored control and the ability to be free. Mrs. Mallard had a glimpse of freedom that would last the rest of her lifetime; whereas, Calixta had small a window of time to liberate herself momentarily. With their choice of actions, both women spontaneously thought of themselves only, and went against the grains of society.
Works Cited
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, Compact 5th. Boston, MA: Heinle 2004. 82-83 Print.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide, 11th. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins 190-194 Print.
Kirsznerand and Mandell, Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Earl McPeek. USA: Harcout, Inc., 2001, 1997,1994,1991. 388-395
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour”. The Seagull Reader: Stories. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. 65 – 67.
Unlike Calixta, Louise Mallard is a fragile woman afflicted with heart trouble. It comes to her attention through a trustworthy friend that her husband, Brently Mallard has been killed in a railroad disaster. She is overcome with intense grief and instantly weeps o...
Booth, Alison, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. A7
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. DiYanni Robert. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986. 38-41. Print.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading & Reacting & Writing. 4th ed. Boston: Earl McPeek, 2000. 388-423.
Mrs. Mallard is the example of a typical housewife of the mid 1800’s. At the time, most women were not allowed to go to school and were usually anticipated to marry and do housework. During that time, the only way women could get out of a marriage was if they were to die or their husbands was to die. In that time period, the husband had control of all of the money, so it would not be wise if the wife were to leave the financial freedom that was provided by the husband. This is most likely why Mrs. Mallard never leaves her husband’s death, she is sad at first but then experiences an overwhelming sense of joy. This shows that she is not in a fulfilling marriage as his death means she will finally have own individual freedom, as well as financial freedom being the grieving widow who will inherit her husband’s wealth. In the words of Lawrence I. Berkove he states, “On the other hand, Chopin did not regard marriage as a state of pure and unbroken bliss, but on the other, she could not intelligently believe that it was desirable, healthy, or even possible for anyone to live as Louise, in the grip of her feverish delusion, wishes: to be absolutely free and to live totally and solely for oneself.” (3) Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death is Chopin’s way of expressin...
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows one to explore many ironic instances throughout the story, the main one in which a woman unpredictably feels free after her husband’s assumed death. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to illustrate the struggles of reaching personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself to reach self-assertion while being a part of something else, like a marriage. In “The Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, celebrates the death of her husband, yet Chopin uses several ironic situations and certain symbols to criticize the behavior of Mrs. Mallard during the time of her “loving” husband’s assumed death.
Tan, Amy. "Two Kinds". Literature, Reading Reacting,Writing. 5th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Heinle, 2004.
In conclusion, “The story of an hour” is a clear depiction that women status in the society determines the choices they make about their lives. In this work, Chopin depicts a woman as a lesser being without identity or voices of their own. They are expected to remain in oppressive marriages and submit to their husbands without question.
In both her short stories The Story of an Hour and Emancipation: A Life Fable, Kate Chopin presents the them that no matter how terrifying freedom can be, it is always superior to confinement. She does this using literary devises such as tone, symbols and irony.
Kate Chopin, author of “The Story of an Hour” written in 1894 was the first author who emphasized strongly on femininity in her work. In the short story, Chopin writes about freedom and confinement Chopin is an atypical author who confronts feminist matter years before it was assumed. The time period that she wrote in women were advertised as a man’s property. The main idea in the short story is to illustrate that marriage confines women. In “The Story of an Hour” the author creates an intricate argument about freedom and confinement Mrs. Louise Mallard longing for freedom, but has been confined for so long freedom seems terrible. Mrs. Mallard wife of Brently Mallard instantly feels free when her husband dies. The reason she feels this way
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 8th. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.