Mrs. Mallard In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

479 Words1 Page

“The Story of an Hour” Essay In “The Story of an Hour”, following the supposed death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard deals with the conflict between her true self, including her feelings and ideas, and the expectations of society placed upon women during the time period. Even before hearing the news of Mr. Mallard’s death, societal norms are being pushed upon Mrs. Mallard with expectations as to how she will react. Both Josephine and Richard are afraid of her reaction to the news; they break it to her gently as to avoid a sudden shock, for Chopin states that “Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble”. Mrs. Mallard’s companions believe her to be a fragile woman, incapable of handling such terrible news. Much to Josephine and Richard’s surprise, Mrs. Mallard reacts …show more content…

Mallard’s death, Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room alone, despite protests from her companions. They believe she is “making herself sick” all by herself; after all, fragile women are not expected to be strong enough to handle such a shock alone. Despite this expectation, Mrs. Mallard demands to be left alone. As she sits at the window, she feels a strange feeling creeping into her. Chopin states “she was waiting for it, fearfully.” The feeling Mrs. Mallard is experiencing is freedom. The passage states that Mallard is afraid of the feeling; this is the socially acceptable part of her. She has been raised in the patriarchal world of her time, where women are meant to serve as lifelong submissives to their husbands. Inside Mrs. Mallard’s true mind, however, she welcomes the freedom with open arms. She describes the feeling as “a monstrous joy”. She is overjoyed with her newfound freedom, yet part of her feels monstrous for not being inconsolable with grief. Quickly, Mrs. Mallard begins to hope for the future, something that many widows cannot bear to imagine. She is once more conflicted between her ideas and feelings and what society tells her to

Show More
Related

  • Story Of An Hour As A Naturalist Essay

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mallard’s excitement towards her recent discovery of her deeply embedded desire for freedom accentuates the importance of women’s freedom in society. During the 1890’s, the time period in which this piece was written, most women experienced limited amounts of freedom in their lives, as they were bound to their husbands and other loved ones, and many of them were never truly able to extinguish their inner flame to pursue their dreams and live an unconstricted life. Luckily, today, many women are exceptionally independent, and very few struggle to realize their desire to live freely. Throughout the short story, “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Murray’s unhappiness towards her husband’s return and her realization for her longing for freedom exhibit Chopin’s desire to change women’s limited freedom in their relationships and general lives. As Tennessee Williams wisely noted, “Caged birds accept each other, but flight is what they long

    Read More

  • 19th Century Women Depicted in The Story of an Hour

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mrs. Mallard, from The Story of an Hour, is an excellent example of the oppressed women of the 19th century. Her reaction to the death of her husband highlights all the issues in the dominantly male society. There were stereotypes and specifically narrow duties of a woman during that time. Reacting with grief at first, the story shows the many fast paced reactions that bring to light just how binding life as a woman during the 19th century was, and how women eventually took control and made a change.

    Read More

  • Unveiling Mrs. Mallard's Paradox: Freedom in Death

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Like in many tragically true stories, it would seem Mrs. Mallard 's freedom came too late. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour” begins by introducing Mrs. Mallard as a person afflicted with heart trouble. The story builds on this by having Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and her husband Richard explain the situation in a very sensitive manner. Their efforts would prove to be in vain however as Mrs. Mallard then proceeds to emotionally break down. The news shocks Mrs. Mallard to her very core and has her at odds with how she should feel now that all was said and done. After coming to terms with her situation, fate delivers its final blow in a cruel and deceitful ploy towards Mrs. Mallards. And with that, Mrs. Mallard 's dies. In her hour of change Mrs. Mallard 's was delicate, thoughtful and excitable.

    Read More

  • Marriage And A Woman's Role In The 1800s

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, it talks about marriage and a woman’s life in the 1800’s. This story illustrates the stifling nature of a woman’s role during this time through Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death. When Mrs. Mallard obtains news that her husband is dead, she is hurt after a brief moment and then she is delighted with the thought of freedom. This story shows how life was in the mid 1800’s and how women were treated around that time.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mrs Mallard

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mrs. Mallard is the central character and the protagonist. She has likely been dominated by the men in her life for all of her life; first the father and then the husband. Mrs. Mallard is described as weak and frail and although she secretly longs to be free she had resigned herself to a loveless future. The author stated, “…a future where she would bend her will to his dominance both kind and cruel…” (Chopin). From the stages or loss and bereavement, Mrs. Mallard demonstrates the last step of acceptance indicating that she likely went through the other stages when she married Mr. Mallard.

    Read More

  • Mrs. Mallard In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin it seems like Mrs. Mallard loves her husband's as she was hurt and was crying when she heard the news of her husband's death (Chopin 13). But at the same time the narrator also states that “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” which means that she is getting freedom from Brently which she wants to get rid of and she is all alone and independent after that (Chopin 13). She was happy and was also ready for her new independent life. Kate Chopin also states that “And yet she had loved him- sometimes.

    Read More

  • Story Of An Hour Analysis Essay

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most women in Mrs Mallard’s situation were expected to be upset at the news of her husbands death, and they would worry more about her heart trouble, since the news could worsen her condition. However, her reaction is very different. At first she gets emotional and cries in front of her sister and her husbands friend, Richard. A little after, Mrs. Mallard finally sees an opportunity of freedom from her husbands death. She is crying in her bedroom, but then she starts to think of the freedom that she now has in her hands. “When she abandoned herse...

    Read More

  • Essay on the Selfish Mrs. Mallard in Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s story, "The Story of an Hour," may seem to be about Mrs. Mallard’s unexpected and ironic reactions to the news of her husband’s untimely death due to a railroad disaster. At least that’s what I thought when I read the story. It seemed to me that she led a normal life with a normal marriage. She had a stable home life with a kind, loving husband who cared for her. She seemed to love him, sometimes. She had some kind of "heart trouble" (Chopin 25) that didn’t really affect her physically, until the very end. I thought Mrs. Mallard would have been saddened and filled with grief for an adequate period of time after her spouse died, but her grief passed quickly, and she embraced a new life that she seemed to be content with. Therefore I believe there is good evidence that Mrs. Mallard was an ungrateful woman who did not appreciate her husband or his love for her. That evidence is found in her selfish behavior after the death of her husband, Brently Mallard.

    Read More

  • Sympathy For Mrs. Mallard In The Story Of An Hour

    423 Words  | 1 Pages

    The short story "The Story of an Hour" had quite a twist. In the beginning not only did I feel sympathy for Mrs. Mallard because she had heart trouble and found out her husband died but it seemed as if she was sad from all the tears she shed. However the truth behind it all come out when "And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not" was stated. It now was clear that Ms. Mallard was glad to see her husband past away because now she " could live her long life free".Yet very tragically her husband comes back to visit her and then is when her days of daydreaming without her husband are gone she unfortunately could not handle his return and died. I can Infer from this the women/s were gaining entrance, they had more than before.

    Read More

  • The Struggle For Freedom In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mallard at the end of the story stands for the suffrage of women during this time to be free. She would rather die than lose her newfound freedom. Chopin’s biography before the story states “[t]he loss of her husband, however, led to her assuming responsibilities…Eventually devoting herself entirely to writing” (30). Her success was found only after she was free from her marriage; Chopin herself could have been hinting to the fact the she would have rather died than lose her own freedom. Chopin also uses the heart condition to kill Mrs. Mallard. She writes “the doctors…said she had died of a heart disease—of the joy that kills” (32). The metaphor of the heart condition standing for the weakness put on women returns with her husband. She is no longer strong and free; she is weak and trapped by her marriage. Chopin uses this purposely to show that women are weak in marriage and need to be set

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis on Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chopin describes her as a fragile woman. Because she was “afflicted with a heart trouble,” when she receives notification of her husband’s passing, “great care was taken” to break the news “as gently as possible” (1). Josephine, her sister, and Richards, her husband’s friend, expect her to be devastated over this news, and they fear that the depression could kill her because of her weak heart. Richards was “in the newspaper office when the intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of killed” (1). He therefore is one of the first people to know about his death. Knowing about Mrs. Mallard’s heart, he realizes that they need to take caution in letting Mrs. Mallard know about it. Josephine told her because Richards feared “any less careful, less tender” person relaying the message to Louise Mallard (1). Because of her heart trouble, they think that if the message of her husband’s death is delivered to her the wrong way, her heart would not be able to withstand it. They also think that if someone practices caution in giving her the message, that, ...

    Read More

  • Theme Of Freedom In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    1222 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mallard. Her self-assertion surpassed the years they were married and the love she had for him. She is beginning to realize she can now live for and focus on herself. The text insists “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” (Chopin 477.) Finally she can live freely and no longer worry about being confined in her marriage and inside her own home. She has come to realization that she is now independent and can think freely and achieves happiness and freedom. She is no longer held down or back by her marriage. She will no longer be someone’s possession she will be free and respected. Her husband Brently returns and he is alive the happiness and freedom she once possessed briefly with the mere image of her deceased husband were quickly torn away. “When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease of joy that kills” (Chopin 477). She was free but still confined without the knowledge of her husband who wasn’t dead. Chopin illustrates at the end that she was free because joy killed her. She was joyous because she was finally set free but she is now once again confined by the grief knowing her husband was not killed

    Read More

  • The Character of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    In "The story of an Hour," Kate Chopin reveals the complex character, Mrs. Mallard, In a most unusual manner. THe reader is led to believe that her husband has been killed in a railway accident. The other characters in the story are worried about how to break the news to her; they know whe suffers from a heart condition, and they fear for her health. On the surface, the story appears to be about how Mrs. Mallard deals with the news of the death of her husband. On a deeper level, however, the story is about the feeling of intense joy that Mrs. Mallard experiences when she realizes that she is free from the influences of her husband and the consequences of finding out that her new-found freedom is not to be. At First, Mrs. Mallard seems to be genuinely affected by her grief: "She wept ar once, with sudden, wild abandonment....When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. SHe would have no one follow her". At this point in the story, the reader is able to look into the mind of Mr...

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived. The shock of seeing him alive is too much for her bear and she dies. The meaning of life and death take on opposite meaning for Mrs. Mallard in her marriage because she lacked the courage to stand up for herself.

    Read More

  • Oppression In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main theme in “The Story of an Hour” is a woman’s freedom from oppression. Mrs. Mallard does not react accordingly to the news of her husband’s death; in the third paragraph it states, “she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment.” After her initial wave of shock and sadness has passed, however, she becomes elated with the thought of finally being free of her husband. Originally, she is described as being “pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body” and having lines that “bespoke repression”; in an attempt to be a perfect wife to a man whom she did not even love, Mrs. Mallard has been masking her true self. Once she realizes that she has finally gained the freedom that she has been longing for, Mrs. Mallard begins to

    Read More

More about Mrs. Mallard In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

Open Document