Summary:
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. Analysis about the story of a woman who is battered to submission in her marriage and wants freedom desperately.
The Freedom That Never Was
"The Story of an Hour" was written by Kate Chopin in the nineteenth century. This story takes place in Louisiana. Although at first Mrs. Mallard seems to be a dutiful and devoted wife, upon closer examination she is seen as a person who is confused, depressed, repressed, and self-assertive.
In the beginning of the story, Louise Mallard appeared to be frail but dutiful, and devoted by the way she was addressed as "Mrs. Mallard." There seemed to be a loving relationship between Mr. Mallard and Mrs. Mallard. As a result, coupled with the bad condition of her heart, great care was taken, in breaking the news of her husband's death to her as gently as possible.
Nevertheless, Mrs. Mallard portrays confusion by her reactions to the news of her husband's death. Upon hearing about his deadly accident, "---she wept at once with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms" (653). Yet, her reactions are not typical of a woman who has just lost her husband. She does not feel paralyzed or unable to accept his fate as most widows would. She is confused that she skips the step of a normal grieving process.
Another characteristic of Louise Mallard as seen in the story is depression. Immediately after hearing the news, she began to cry in her sister's arms. She then went alone to her room, refusing to allow anyone to go with her. Once alone, she sat in an armchair, looking out the window. The news of Brently Mallard's death had left her physical and emotionally exhausted. She sat occasionally sobbing. "She sat her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quiet motionless, ...as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its his dreams" (654).
Moreover, repression is portrayed by Mrs. Mallard in the story. As time passed, after the news and grieving of her husband's death, she began to feel an emotion coming over her that she could not identify with. It seemed like coming out of the sky and from the sounds and smells drifting through the window. She suddenly began to feel her chest rising. Her pulse began to beat faster and blood coursed through her body, warming her. "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"' (654). She did not question whether the joy was pure or evil. She immediately decided it did not matter. She could look past the difficult funeral and see the years of freedom to come. She opened her arms to welcome the rest of her life back for the first time. She would be in charge of her own life, no other person would be able to make decisions for her. It occurred to her that bending another person's will is wrong, whether the motive behind the act is cruel or kind. She so much wanted freedom from the repressed state that she died upon hearing her new freedom had ended before it could really begin. ."..of joy that kills" (655) Mrs. Mallard, the young repressed woman, began to look at her widowhood as a rebirth. She began to feel the joy with freedom she found in her husband's death. However, she expired as a result of an exacerbation of her heart disease which had vanished with Brently's death but returned fatally, by the instant knowledge that her husband was not dead after all.
In addition, Louise Mallard portrays the characteristic of self-assertiveness by her reaction to the news of her husband's death. It opened a door for her to rejoice and ponder her own life. She relaxed and gained control over herself as she imagined life without her husband. She also embraced visions of the future. She realized that whether or not she had loved him was less important than ."..this possession of self-assertion" (654). As soon as Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband death she becomes "Louise" (654), a woman aware of own identity and desires, and thought she would live for herself. ."..She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of victory" (655). She remembered the ."..kind, tender hands" (654) of her husband and realized that she would weep when she viewed the corpse. Yet, when she looked farther into the future, she knew she would delight in her solitude. She opened her arms to the years ahead ."..that would belong to her absolutely" (654).
In conclusion, Mrs. Mallard, even though seemed to be devoted and dutiful, as the story unfolded, depicted the characteristics of a confused, repressed, and depressed woman whose husband's death awakens her to self-assertion.
This is the complete article, containing 774 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
