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Louise Mallard Symbolism

445 Words2 Pages

Kate Chopin wrote from a place of captivity and loneliness, for no one could understand her. The stories Chopin wrote were an expression of her oppression in her time period. Although she lived in a period of what would be known as ignorance today, she utilized her talents to write pieces that still hold presence today. In The Story of an Hour, Chopin gives symbolism a new meaning. Love is heavily stereotyped, yet in this work, love is not so simply defined. 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 only thoughts that came to her mind where the thoughts of a free woman. All Louise thought of was how happy she finally …show more content…

As she begins to truly process her husbands suspected death, Mallard envisions a whole new life. As stated in page 2 of the story, “She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free!’(Chopin). Free to live, free to defy society, free to be equal to that of a man, Louise never thought her life had the potential to be in her complete and utter control. Little does she know, Brently, Mr. Mallard, still controls her thoughts, her aspirations, and her future. The open window is a symbol of ambiguous freedom. The story is set in the springtime in the nineteenth century, for springtime represents new life. However Louise can only perceive springtime as the window allows her too and her view is obstructed. Due to her acceptance of a illusion of a sort, Louise Mallard is still not truly

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‘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.

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We think that the form of the “Imaginary” mentioned in Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory of Mrs. Mallards family and friends “imagining” that the devastated new of Mr. Mallard’s death would cause her a heart attack, however later on in the story it was mentioned that she was in fact relieved to know she was a free woman of her marriage. Consequently, the reality of Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts, perceptions and feelings were not the same as others may have assumed or imagined to be. Based on stereotypical standards of society this was misunderstood because a wife should feel an enormous pain for the death of her husband. As the story continues, when Josephine whose Mrs. Mallard’s sister told her about the death of Mr. Mallard, instead of reacting in shock as “many women would’ve (Chopin, The Story of an Hour)” done so, Mrs. Mallard “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.

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