In the story “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the main character Louise Mallard had a heart condition that soon lead to something unimaginable. Her family just recently found out her husband has died and they have to tell her calmly or else she would have a dangerous rapid heart beat. When she heard the news of her husband, she became very depressed but then felt joy that overcame her that no reader would have guessed. Then suddenly her husband walked through the door. When she saw him she died immediately. A doctor came in and said that she died from joy. The doctor’s explanation for Mrs. Mallard’s death was inaccurate due to her joy of being free after he died, her happiness after she thought he died, and her sadness when she saw her husband walk in the door.
In the story Mrs. Mallard experienced a sudden joy after the news of her husband’s death. She started to realize and think of all of the benefits she will because her husband is gone. “It was not a glace of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought” (332). This quote describes that Mrs. Mallard is becoming more joyful. She is starting to think differently about her husband and this describes that her thoughts are changing. Mrs. Mallard also experienced physical joy and happiness after receiving news of her husband’s death. “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to posses her, and she was striving to beat it back with her
Reading this story you are given background information and details about the main story unlike “Popular Mechanics” therefore giving it more of a classic short story feeling. This story is about a woman by the name of Mrs. Louise Mallard who receives word that her husband has died in a trainwreck while away on business. In the opening of this story you are told that Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition and that any emotional breaking news would be bad and to be caring and gentle. When she received the news that her husband had passed and the news was a shock, she went to her room alone to weep and sorrow over his passing. As the news became processed, she became less sad and more relieved of her husband's passing. Mrs. Mallard felt as though she had been set free and the weight of the world was let off of her shoulders. She finally left her bedroom and returned to her sister’s company after this. But after leaving and walking downstairs that weight of the world fell onto her as her husband entered the front door. The shock of her husband’s presence and her failing, weak heart killed her and similarly to the other story, it ends with great irony, reading, “When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills,” (Chopin
Mallard’s emotions towards the “death” of her husband because of outside inspiration that took apart in her epiphany. When she first discovered her new emotions and did not know that they were tied to how she had felt in her marriage, she had questioned what she was actually feeling “What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (Chopin 476).The emotion that she had of the liberation her husbands “death” gave her was reaching out to her from the window and the forethought of a life where she lives as her own
Anyone who receives notice of a loved ones death is never expected to take it lightly. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard is informed of her husbands “death” as gently as possible, and immediately she understands the enormous significance this loss will have on her life. Unlike many widow’s, her feelings of utter devastation do not last. Mrs. Mallard’s sobs of loss turn to cries of joy after she reflects upon her own character and discovers truths about her marriage.
While such a practice may be perceived as normal, according to Deneau (210), the woman in such a scenario feels like the property of her husband and it can therefore not be overlooked that the woman felt a loss of part of herself. Such a scenario is portrayed in “The story of An Hour” when Louise, who, despite the fact that she has a heart condition, she becomes hysterical and she weeps as she retires to her bedroom when she receives the ‘good news concerning her husband’s death through an alleged train crash. The feeling of freedom becomes unavoidable and pleasurable. Documenting Mrs. Mallard’s “monstrous joy” Chopin observes (concerning Louise)
Although some people react dramatically when facing a situation, after reflecting on their initial reactions, their previous emotions may be affected by a previously unknown feeling of freedom. In Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, receives some sad news. Initially, Mrs. Mallard reacts with great sadness over the news of her husband’s death. As the story progresses, Mrs. Mallard begins to reflect on her previous emotions alone and begins to develop her true emotions towards her husband’s death. Finally, Mrs. Mallard realizes that the wonderful feelings of individual freedom overpower her feelings of sadness. Therefore, although Mrs. Mallard reacts with sadness over the death of her husband, Brently, after reflecting on her previous emotions, she discovers that the feelings of individual freedom overtake the relationship with her husband.
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.
“The Story of an Hour” (Chopin 353-354) by Kate Chopin, is a short story about a young lady, Louise Mallard, who has her life turned upside down in an elapsed time of an hour. Louise has just been informed of her husband, Brently’s, death due to a railroad disaster. Louise has heart trouble and this tragic news begins to take a toll on her. Louise’s sister, Josephine, is aware of her heart trouble so naturally becomes concerned when Louise starts to sob and locks herself in her room. Desperately trying to get Louise out of her room before she becomes ill, Josephine finally gets her out and they continue to walk downstairs. Just as they make it downstairs, the front door opens and in walks Brently, alive. Doctors eventually arrive and explain how Louise has died from a heart attack brought on by happiness. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, it is said that there is a “joy that kills” (354). Is it the guilt from having any remote feeling of joy that kills, or truly the joy itself that kills? It is in fact, the guilt that kills.
“The Story of an hour” a complex piece of literature by Kate Chopin, has various interpretations to it. This story has, one definite interpretation, which is the following: life has to go on no matter what is happened in the past. In this story, Chopin implies Ms. Mallard’s husband has been very cruel to her in her lifetime. However, she never lets her husband get in the way, finally he dies, and, she thinks she is free although she really is not.
In "The Story of an Hour," Kate Chopin suggests that in certain scenarios, the death of a loved one may be a blessing in disguise. Possible situations may include an abusive relationship, or an unhappy marriage, as the story suggests. Although the circumstances throughout the story might lead the reader to believe that Louise's husband's death would cause her great pain, ironically, when she hears the news, she feels a sense of euphoria. This suggests that death may not always cause agony.
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
We read “A story of an hour” written by Kate Chopin. It is about a young married woman, Louise Mallard, who has a heart condition and a shock can kill her immediately. Her sister, Josephine, was careful not to upset Louise that her husband, Brently Mallard, died in a train accident. Louise cried and went to her room. However, Louise
Upon hearing the death of her husband's, Mrs. Mallard went through many different emotions. The first emotion is grief, the author tried to compare Mrs. Mallard to other women that would've responded to the news of their husbands death with "paralyzed inability" ( "she
In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin describes the series of emotions a married woman with a heart condition, Mrs. Mallard, endures after hearing about the death of her husband, Mr. Mallard. She assumes that she will be a mournful widow, but she ends up silently rejoicing. It turns out that she was not happily married and the thought of freedom from her attachments of marriage gave her
In “The Story of an Hour” (1894), Kate Chopin presents a woman in the last hour of her life and the emotional and psychological changes that occur upon hearing of her husbands’ death. Chopin sends the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, on a roller coaster of emotional up’s and down’s, and self-actualizing psychological hairpin turns, which is all set in motion by the news of her husband’s death. This extreme “joy ride” comes to an abrupt and ultimately final halt for Mrs. Mallard when she sees her husband walk through the door unscathed. Chopin ends her short story ambiguously with the death of Mrs. Mallard, imploring her reader to determine the true cause of her death.
Next, Mrs. Mallard was a woman who suffered from the times where women were treated with less value and importance. She lost her own life because rejoice at her husband’s tragedy. Her uncontrollable desire to be free made her become a frivolous woman, who let his personal longing’s end with his own life. When she realized that her husband was alive all his plans vanished. Her happiness was a temporary happiness which lasted less than an hour.