Louise Mallard Isolation

Isolation: Yay! My Husband Died! Life versus death. When someone who is loved dies, pain prevails. In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin demonstrates the exact opposite to what one would expect after the passing of a loved one. Chopin’s main character, Louise Mallard, faces an unexpected emotional response to death in which she is undergoing isolation. In addition, it could be noted that she is facing denial as she consciously decides to ignore the despondency of her situation. For the majority of people who have lost a loved one, they would express feelings such as sorrow and grief. It is clear to the reader that Mrs. Mallard is not having a healthy reaction to the news of her husband’s death. As she sits in her room, it only takes an hour for her to recover from the tragic news, hence, “The Story of an Hour.” Psychologically we can see how she isolates herself just by the way she acts within minutes of being informed of his death. “She said it over and over under her breath: ‘Free, free, free!” (128).

Mallard’s behavior the reader can also observe that she is facing denial, in which she tries to convince herself that everything is fine even if it is not. “And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!” (128). In this passage the reader can see how both isolation and denial come into play. In response to the loss of her husband, her feelings of relief are an example of isolation. Mrs. Mallard is also expressing symptoms of denial as she tries to convince herself she had not always loved him and now can finally go about her own