Louise Mallard is a pampered, adored housewife with a husband many women would beg for. Despite not having to lift a finger, Louise has been afflicted with heart trouble. Not an obvious symbol at first, the heart trouble began to define itself as the story progressed. Mallard’s heart trouble was both physical and symbolic of her being bound and unhappy (The Story of an Hour 4). Despite possessing the “perfect” husband, Louise was all but upset to hear of husband’s passing.
The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin, The Story of an Hour was written in 1894. Kate Chopin, originally name Kathrine O’ Flaherty, was born in 1851. She was born to a wealthy merchant and an aristocratic mother. At nineteen she married her husband, Oscar Chopin and moved to New Orleans and then Louisiana. Chopin is known for her short stories Bayou Folks and A Night in Arcadie.
“The Story of an Hour” After reading the tale I felt like I went on a very strange emotional rollercoaster. As I was reading I thought I knew how this story was going to end, but it did not end exactly how I thought it would, instead it decided to take an unexpected turn. Within the first sentence it tells you on how she was not well, “…Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble…” (Kirszner). Then at the end of the sentence tells the reader that her husband had just died which foreshadows on how the story will end.
In paragraph five of “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard could see the new growth in the forest, hear distinct songs and smell fresh rain from her window, which symbolizes the new life she is going to embrace from her husband’s death. She could see the trees that were “all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin 307) from her window. She is free from her oppressive marriage and the trees show new life in the same way she can live free. The air was full of the “delicious breath of rain” (Chopin 307) in spring which even though it’s raining, Mrs. Mallard sees the rain as a wonderful thing that will lead to new life. The use of this seasonal change clearly excites Mrs. Mallard as its symbolic to the way her marriage life has changed.
Kate Chopin wrote a short story titled “The Story of an Hour”. It is about a wife named Louise Mallard who had a heart condition and finds out her husband, Brently Mallard, supposedly died in a train accident. Once she found out about the news, she ran up the stairs into her room crying. An example from the story was when the narrator described Mrs. Mallard as “…young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength,” (235). Another example would be when she realizes she is finally free from her marriage.
As I was reading “the Story of an Hour” it was confusing at first and i had to read it again. From what is understood Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the news of her husband death was sad at first. According to the story it says “ she wept at once, when sudden, wild abandonment, in her sisters arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one to follow her.’’
Those who feel trapped at times often search for ways to seek the fulfillment of freedom from that certain confinement. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, readers experience what it was like to be a woman of this era being controlled by society’s ideals. In the story, Mrs. Mallard, a sickly woman must face the harsh news of her husband’s death but what seems to be a widow gone mad turns out to be a woman finally realizing what it is like to be free for the first time in her life. Chopin’s purpose or message in “The Story of an Hour” is to seek happiness through independency and thinking/acting for oneself.
‘Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door—you will make yourself ill.’ said Louis”(Chopin). It is ironic that Josephine is so worried about Mrs. Mallard when in reality she is in her room dreaming of how her new life will be. The short story is rather entertaining because you have to think past what the author writes, and create for yourself your own depiction of what the meaning is.
Louise lived like a bird in a cage, merely observing a life from behind bars that was just outside of her reach, and not allowing her to exhibit her liberty and free will. Hence, she was born free, but everywhere she was in chains. “The Story of an Hour” introduces Louise Mallard, a woman afflicted with heart trouble, whose husband was allegedly killed in a railroad accident. Her husband’s friend and her sister, Richards and Josephine respectively, break the news to her as carefully as possible. Mrs. Mallard violently weeps for his loss and then seeks the solitary refuge of her room.
During the 1800s, most women looked at their marriage as not be able the have any type of freedom. During that period of time, women roles were supposed to be a regular housewife that cooked, cleaned and that care of the family when their husbands were at work. Most of them during that era felt trapped in their marriage and wanted to do more than doing housewife duties. That was the average role for a middle age woman in that period of time while the men role was to provide and take care of the family. The men in 1800s had more power and control over their wife or spouse, which made the women wanting freedom from their marriage.
Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, has been widely interpreted from the feminist perspective. This story was written in 1894, a time when the roles of husband and wife and equality in marriage were viewed differently. It was a forbidden pleasure for a woman to be independent in those days, and in the story she unveils the deep rooted longing for independence that Mrs. Mallard experiences. Chopin uses symbols, imagery, and irony to convey meaning to the illumination that comes to Mrs. Mallard as she is secluded in her room upstairs, as well as to give insight on the struggles of a 19th century wife.
With a limited omniscient point of view, Kate Chopin reveals the emotional development of, mainly, Mrs. Mallard, connecting well a fine story line. Though the Chopin clearly sees all the thoughts of the protagonist, Mallard, she leaves the thoughts of Joesephine and Richard to readers, even a bit obscure. To begin with, the limited omniscient point of view is a third-person narrative voice, in which objectively describe the line of the story but subjectively grants Mrs. Mallard certain feelings and thoughts. The third-person narration is easily determined by the fact that the author does not interact with any characters in the story.
In the story "The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin there is not many setting in the story but the bedroom of the home seem to play a big part in the story and rendered a bulk of the emotions that were displayed in the story. Louise runs into her room after being told that her husband had died she uses her room as almost a safe or happy place as many people do the room does not distract the reader from the time span because she goes through so many emotions so quickly. Furthermore I believe the when she looks out the window and notices the fluffy white clouds is where the story slows down and she begins to think about how her future is going to be without her husband and begins to get happy which is a odd feeling to have knowing that someone
The story I really enjoyed the most was “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. The story scene was mainly in the home of the Mallards. Mrs. Mallard was at home when she received the news her husband had died in an accident. What was so appealing about the story to me was how her sister and her husband’s friend made an extra effort to break the news gently. They was so concerned about her heart trouble.
Love is a small word that is magical and wonderful, while freedom is a powerful word that represents strength and individualism. These two simple words, love and freedom, are two of the most sought after things in life. Everybody wants to love, and be loved in return, whether they admit it or not. Everybody also wants to know they have the power of freedom and the ability to do as they please. If this is the case, then why do freedom and love seem so contradictory in “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin?
