The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

The doctors thought “she had died from heart disease-of joy that kills.” However, she didn't die from the joy of getting to see her living husband but from losing her future filled with freedom. 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.

Once she heard about her husband 's death she imagines a whole life of freedom and a way out of a loveless marriage. Symbolism and imagery plays a huge role in this story because it used to describe the new life appearing before Louise Mallard 's eyes. First, Louise Mallard suffers a heart trouble. When Louise believes that her husband died, her heart trouble is representative of her mixed feeling about her marriage and the lack of freedom that causes her. The heart beats strongly and she embraces the idea of finally being free from her marriage.

However, when it is revealed that her husband had been alive the whole time, she is unhappy to see him and suffers a fatal heart attack. While she did have heart trouble, Richards and Josephine thought that the news of her husband’s death, not her seeing him again would be detrimental to her health, possibly even fatal. Chopin succeeded in getting this message across.

Critical Analysis of “The Story of an Hour” Because of Mrs. Mallard's heart condition, everyone basically takes care of her very carefully. When her sister and family friend find out that Mr. Mallard got killed in an accident, they take time to tell Mrs. Mallard that her husband died. She cries, then goes to her room to be by herself and locks the door. Inside, she seems terrified of some realization that comes to her and she finally realizes that it's her freedom. Even though they loved each other, and she's saddened by his death, she feels free for the first time.

As well as, the death of her husband was not enough to kill her from a broken heart because of her condition. Finally, Louise not wanting companionship in her room shows that what she strives for has not been found in its entirety. The turning point to her real feelings about her being married has come to realization. This overwhelming feeling came over Louise, and the author wrote, “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with h... ... middle of paper ... ...ense of freedom. The grief of her husband’s death is gone.

This means that they did not walk in and tell Mrs. Mallard her husband had died. They used great care to walk around the subject, to lead Mrs. Mallard to her own conclusion that her husband was now dead. (Chopin) Wiggs 2 The conflict continues in the next passage, “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away... ... middle of paper ... ...egaining her husband and all of the loss of freedom her marriage entails.

The main character in this story is Louise Mallard, a delicate woman whose life is changed with the announcement of her husbands’ death, delivered by her sister and a family friend. Louise receives the news with overwhelming grief and tears where others would have been shocked into disbelief. Her grief is short lived as she begins to imagine her future alone. Any burdens Louise had felt were lifted at her thoughts of being free to live for herself. As she sits in her room digesting all the mixed emotions running through her mind and heart, Louise experiences the fact that her marriage of discontent was over.

Mrs. Mallard 's Change Of Thought In the short story “The Story Of An Hour” by Kate Chopin Mrs.Mallard has been brought with the news of the death of her husband, and is now alone. Mrs. Mallard is naturally shocked at the situation and begins crying into her sister 's arms. Mrs.Mallard goes to a room to be alone, but after some time she slowly realizes that the death of her husband is actually a blessing rather than a curse. Mrs.Mallard is seen changing from a depressed widow, to a women that is ready to embrace her newfound independence. Mrs.Mallard is now depressed, and alone after hearing the news of the death of her husband.

Kate Chopin’s short story titled “The Story of an Hour” shows us in a number ways that life without freedom is no life at all. In the story, a nineteenth century women named Mrs. Mallard finds out about her husband’s death. She has heart disease so Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, tries to break the bad news to her as calmly as possible. After hearing the news, Mrs. Mallard’s unpredictable reaction shocks us the readers as well as the characters in the story. Instead of feeling the sorrow of her husband’s death, she feels the joy of freedom from him as well.

She knew that once she was at the funeral and saw the body of her once husband she would grieve and weep again, but the other part of her felt relieved. It made me think after reading this story and after I thought about it for a minute, did women who lived this way when males and females were looked upon differently really have this feeling of relief once their significant other passed away? One of the thoughts Kate Chopin wrote in “The Story of an Hour” stated, “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” (VCU, pg.1). Mrs. Mallard had a slight feeling of joy after the passing of her