Taste Of Freedom In The Story Of An Hour

Taste of Freedom What is freedom? Is it the day you finally drive and explore the world without the passenger correcting your every move? People may consider that an example, but in “The Story of an Hour,” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, momentarily taste freedom before having it, along with her life, taken. The social expectations of this time and her heart condition lead to the death of Mrs. Mallard. For one thing, the social expectations of this period manifested the death of Mrs. Mallard. Because “The Story of an Hour” was written in 1894, the role women fulfilled in a marriage was viewed differently than it is now. In the 19th century, women controlled little to none of their lives. As an illustration, the author writes, “There would

Mallard’s heart condition contributed towards her death. To analyze this, the author first points out her heart condition by saying, “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.” (1). Emotional pain distresses the heart just as any damaging health choices do. Additionally, fear arose deeply inside those who cared for Mrs. Mallard, and they knew these transgressions might affect her negatively. Mrs. Mallard was fragile and any unexpected news dangerously affected her wellbeing. Most compelling evidence is portrayed when the story says, “It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences, veiled hints that revealed in half concealing.” (2). The author was proving the sensitiveness of Mrs. Mallard by having her sister tell her cautiously. Finally, to emphasize the severity of her heart condition, the author writes, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills.” (23). The emotional trauma Mrs. Mallard experienced took a toll on her physically. Within an hour, she heard the news of her husband’s death and later found he was alive. This was an extreme emotional roller coaster that Mrs. Mallard could not survive. As can be seen, the heart condition that consumed Mrs. Mallard affected her death. Overall, in the story, “The Story of an Hour”, the time the story was written and her heart condition impacted the