Death Of Louise Mallard In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

Louise Mallard began to grief her husband’s death in Josephine’s arm. When alone in the room the sobbing had stopped. She then reveals great joy as Louise realizes

When Brently Mallard returned home and was found not to be dead, the immediate anticipation of one is that the characters will have a happy ending. However that is not what happened next. Mrs. Mallard was so ecstatic of her husband’s return that she died from her happiness. “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills (pg.397)”. Happiness is expected to make a person’s life more worth living for not worth dying

Initially, Mrs. Mallard reacts with great sadness over the news of her husband’s death. Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffers from “heart trouble”, Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister decides to “hint” her the news of Brently’s death in “broken sentences”. Josephine assumes that Mrs. Mallard “[loves]” her husband, and naturally

These pieces of information confirm that Mrs. Mallord is happy to of her husband’s untimely death. The weight of being married is lifted off of her shoulders and she looks forward to the life as Louise again where she can free to do as she please.

In the beginning, Louise Mallard is referred to as the wife of Brently Mallard instead of her own name. Showing us the she doesn't get to be her own person. Once she heard about his death she "went way to her room alone", and she began to think about the life she has waiting for her.

Mr. Brently Mallard and his wife Louise, had been married for quite some time until the end, in which, Louise had died from shock after seeing her husband again after she had heard the news of his death. Louise had been actually a little joyous that her husband died. She had been, in her opinion, confined to this one person for the rest of her life, bending to his will in an ever so slight manner. As described in this quote here:”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.”

In conclusion, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin demonstrates how a woman desires individuality and freedom. She goes through an emotional rollercoaster to achieve the short amount of independence she will live through but still shows how she is a loving wife even after she makes us believe she has a horrible marriage. Her cause of death can be inferred to be her loss of freedom rather than the joy of seeing her husband

The reader might question as to why Mrs. Mallard’s feelings towards her husband’s death change so quickly. Was she previously unaware of the “subtle and elusive” (227) thoughts that made her believe that this death might be a blessing in disguise? Mrs. Mallard, before her husband’s death, had a romanticized view of her marriage. While she believed she loved Brently and was happy, after his death she became aware of the freedom she would now experience without a controlling husband. The “powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence” (228) would no longer be present. Mrs. Mallard was aware of her yearnings of independence and joy, but would never voice them while locked into her marriage with Brantley. While at first, it may seem as Mrs. Mallard was unaware of these feelings, the death of her husband was just the catalyst that allowed her deepest feelings to be revealed and her dreams of independence to finally

As Louise stares into nature, she begins to reminisce about the great moments of her marriage, but she instantly realizes that now she is independent without anyone to hold her down. Even though Louise loved her husband dearly, she is now ecstatic and decides to ignore everyone to think of the life that she is planning ahead because she is now free. The last paragraph in the short story, The Story of An Hour states, “Someone was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.” Given that, Mr. Mallard was not dead, but Louise had suddenly died due to a heart disease of being exceptionally happy thinking that now with Brently dead she could be

From the details and uses of symbolism provided by the author, the marriage between Louise and Brently Mallard had been miserable in reference to her heart condition. When Mrs. Mallard dies at the end of the story, the diagnosis of “heart disease” seems appropriate because the shock of seeing her ‘dead’ husband was surely enough to kill her. However, the doctor’s conclusion that she had died of overwhelming joy is ironic because it was actually the loss of joy she had previously attained that had caused her death. The open window from which Louise gazes for much of the story represents the freedom and opportunities that await her after her husband has died. When Louise turns from the window and the view of the blue sky, she quickly loses her freedom as well.

Louise described her husband with a “face that had never looked save with love upon”, which leads us to think he would probably never imagine Louise could enjoy his death. As for Josephine, she appears to also like her sister very much and care a lot about her. Josephine was indeed the one who broke the news of Brently’s death to her sister as gently as possible, “in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing” to spare her vulnerable heart”. She had also been standing behind Josephine’s door worrying for her sister and imploring her to let her come in. So, Josephine would also accept the doctor’s story, unless of course she noticed the “feverish triumph” in her sister’s eyes and saw how Louise “carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” when her sister finally decided to leave the room. But the author does not reveal any clue suggesting Josephine could have read her sister’s true feelings. Richard’s character looks ambiguous to me, even more because we know very little about him. At the beginning of the story, Chopin described Richard’s hurry to announce Brently’s death to Louise: “He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.” This reaction makes me wonder what was his interest in delivering the

In "The story of an Hour," Kate Chopin reveals the complex character, Mrs. Mallard, In a most unusual manner. THe reader is led to believe that her husband has been killed in a railway accident. The other characters in the story are worried about how to break the news to her; they know whe suffers from a heart condition, and they fear for her health. On the surface, the story appears to be about how Mrs. Mallard deals with the news of the death of her husband. On a deeper level, however, the story is about the feeling of intense joy that Mrs. Mallard experiences when she realizes that she is free from the influences of her husband and the consequences of

Immediately after the news of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard races upstairs into her room where she settles into “a comfortable, roomy armchair” (para.4). The armchair symbolizes the rest from the oppressive life she had and freedom from society's expectations. Since it was tradition for women to be married by a certain age, Louise Mallard must have obligated to marry Brently. Sitting in the armchair, she gazes out of the window and starts indulges in deep thought, which establishes her as an intelligent individual.

In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived. The shock of seeing him alive is too much for her bear and she dies. The meaning of life and death take on opposite meaning for Mrs. Mallard in her marriage because she lacked the courage to stand up for herself.

After quickly recovering from the storm of grief which showered her, Louise comprehends her own independence; “‘Free, free, free!’” (202). Something of which she has not possessed before. Not to mention, Louise holds great passion for the future without her husband influencing her decisions, “...(the) long procession of years to come (...) would belong to her absolutely” (202). As the story continues, it becomes evident that Mrs. Mallard’s confidence and jubilance holds direction in her long life to come. Ironically, however, Louise only lives to see the next few minutes of her life. As the shock of seeing the living dead births a heart attack; “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease- a joy that kills” (203). Ultimately, her gluttonous behaviour and extreme state of joy lead her to an untimely death when her eyes lay upon the presumed dead, Brently