Story Of An Hour Fate

The short story, “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin, is filled with internal struggle as Louise Mallard experiences a wide range of emotions ending in a cruel twist of fate. The story was crafted to fit the individual reader’s interpretations and cause and effect were never clear throughout the story. One thing that was clear in the story was Louise’s conflict with her own thoughts after learning her husband died; and that wasn’t even the ultimate cruel twist of fate. Was Brently Mallard a bad husband? Was Louise Mallard a heartless wife? Was there an acceptable reason she would relish in freedom so soon after hearing the bad news? In the span of one day, she experienced grief, confusion, joy, hope and two shocking deaths; quite

Throughout the story, her life is described with phrases like physically exhausted, imposition of will and repressed, none of which would be used to define a happy marriage. Upon hearing that her husband died in a tragic railroad accident, she had a wildly emotional fit of grief, leading readers to assume she must have cared for him. After crying in her sister’s arms, she retreated to her room alone. Sitting in her chair, her gaze was fixed nowhere in particular as often happens after receiving shocking news or having a good cry; a relatable experience for most readers. It’s at this point that the author gives us a first peek into the possible state of her marital life – naming the lines in her young face as evidence of repression. “More recent interpretation has largely followed a strong, and at times an extreme, feminist bent. Representative of this in both approach and language is Emily Toth's well-known characterization of the story as one of Chopin's “most radical ... an attack on marriage, on one person's dominance over another."1 The readers never learn if Brently Mallard mistreated his wife. One could assume that if he wasn’t guilty of being a bad husband, the inequalities between men and women experienced at that time would be enough to wear any wife down. Defeat, depression, repression and lack of independence

In the recesses of her mind, it was growing. She tried to fight it, fearful of what it meant. The author describes the feeling as “creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her…” The reader could almost imagine a hand reaching through the clouds, beckoning for her to accept what was coming; something that couldn’t be ignored. Louise began to hear it, quietly at first - whispers of freedom! She could have body and soul freedom. Her thoughts were conflicted, but quickly replaced by thoughts of summer and spring days all her own; days that belonged to her. Her despairing thought that “Life might be long.” was quickly replaced with “Life might be long!” as a happy and hopeful expression. The author’s description of the scenery outside Louise’s window symbolized her impending happiness and joy. Trees with new spring life, sounds of song, birds chirping and delicious breath of rain. Even the patches of blue sky peeking through the clouds were rejoicing with her as she breathed in what was called the elixir of life through her window. For a moment, she stopped to reflect on the sadness she knew would