Freedom In Mrs. Mallard's Short Story Of An Hour

Mrs. Mallard and Mrs. Sommers have a fair share of intemperance. Mrs. Mallard has come to the realization that the death of her husband is not only a tragic occurrence, but also a beneficial cutting of her previously binding marital ties. The crisis of her grief has given her new insight on her life, and Mrs. Mallard understands that her marriage has limited her independence and freedom. Due to this realization she immediately forgets about the accident and starts to think about her freedom: ““Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering” (paragraph 14). It is only an hour after Mrs. Mallard has received the bitter news of her husband’s death. Considering that her husband is gone, instead of mourning, she is overwhelmed with the freedom she

In “The Story of An Hour” Mrs. Mallard is told of her husbands “demise” and she had that of a considerably odd reaction. One that seemed unprecedented by her sister, who had delivered the news, who is obviously severely worried by this reaction. She, no doubt, thought Mrs. Mallard had gone mad with the news of her husband’s death. Proclaiming about how free and liberated she felt after hearing this “oh so devastating” news. This was all due to the fact that Mrs. Mallard did not all together love her husband. Instead of feeling dread and sorrow at the news she was overcome with a sense of immense liberation. She could finally live for herself. She could make her own decisions in her own best interest instead of what her husband would like. She had finally been

Mallard tastes new life for the first time. Even though she loved her husband and will weep for him again, one thought comes to her over and over again: “free, free, free!”. Mrs. Mallard realizes at that instant that her life from now on is her own to live as she chooses; no more will she have to succumb to the needs and wishes of her husband. Her body betrays her excitement for the thought of this new life; her pulse races and her chest repeatedly rises and sinks with fervor, as she “recognizes this thing that was approaching to possess her.” At this moment a change takes place, for with this freedom Mrs. Mallard ceases to exist and Louise emerges. She has found a new desire for life, which she now hopes will be long.

In the midst of her grieving, Mrs. Mallard pictures the time that is to come, when she will be able to make all of her own decisions and will be given the freedom to live her life as she pleases. Suddenly, she feels relieved more than she is upset. “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death…but she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely (Booth 307). Her desire for freedom overcame the despair of her husband’s death.

Write a critical analysis of any aspect of "The Story of an Hour" which you found of interest and significance.

Mrs. Mallard feels the freedom run through her body, she finally says what she truly feels. She has been under so much distress living for her husband, and now she feels the comfort of being alone. Mrs. Mallard clearly expresses the feelings she’s been keeping to herself because she now has the freedom to think for herself.

Mallard, they get the idea that she is a small, frail woman who would do nothing more than rest for most of the day. Upon receiving news that her husband has died, it would be expected that she may cry or sob. However, after a brief moment of mourning, she begins to feel excited about her husband’s death. “Free! Body and soul free!”( ). At first, someone may be startled by this response, as it appears that she has no reason to be acting this way, but if you look between the lines, you realize why. Ms. Mallard was a woman who felt trapped in her marriage. She craved freedom and was never to reach it until the death of her husband. When she first feels it, she likens it to something vial or sinister, but soon after she compares it to an elixir of eternal life. While this reaction appears to be extreme, it is important to realize that divorce was not an accepted practice at the time of this story. This means that she was essentially stuck in her marriage until one of them died, which is why she was so untroubled by the demise of her

In ''The story of an hour.'' Mrs. Mallard recives news, from her sister, that her husband has died in a train wreck. You would think that she would be upset but it is the oposite, she seems ecstatic. She later explains that she is now free from her husbands control. 'When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under hte breath: "free, free, free!"'

In the short story “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin, the character Mrs. Mallard is a grieving wife who pictures her life by herself. While grieving her husband’s death she is thinking about being free and independent. Mrs. Mallard and women in the days where they depended on their husbands for everything, while they stayed home and took care of the house could now live for herself. “But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would be hers absolutely.” (p. 548) She was a sympathetic character who loved her husband, but is ready to be free. Mrs. Mallard’s reactions to Mr. Mallard’s death is justified by the way she grieves for him. I am for her and the way she is dealing with the loss of her husband, even though in the end it kills her.

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.

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.

When her husband is killed in a train accident Mrs. Mallard cries, but for different reasons than would be expected. She is sad for her husband’s death, but, moreover, she is overcome with joy. For now she is free. No one recognizes her true emotions because women fall apart when their spouse dies; it’s required. Marriage is portrayed as a life sentence. "She said it over and over again under her breath: ‘free, free, free!' Her pulse beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body"(1). Mrs. Mallard was relieved that her husband died for she thought her sentence was over. When she realized that he was still alive, and therefore she was still committed to the marriage, she died from the shock and horror of being trapped.

When an author uses characterization in a story, the reader gets a better understanding of the character. In “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin doesn't directly characterize Mrs. force the reader to infer Mallard, she uses more indirect characterization to force the reader to infer the traits of Mrs. Mallard.

Mallard first finds out about her husband’s death she had gone off on her own to think over the situation and the freedom begins to seep into her. She tries to fight the feeling of freedom that attempts to overcome her. Within the story, freedom is depicted as something scary that is trying to overpower her, forcing her against her will. So she finds it to be something terrifying (Shen 119). Looking at it from a total different time, it seems quite strange and peculiar. One would think that you would take in freedom, letting it come with open arms to take it in with no trouble, and you would be more than happy to let it overcome you. Mrs. Mallard, on the other hand, was being haunted by it (Shen 120). How could someone find freedom terrifying? But eventually she gets to the point of feeling elated and harmonized from within (Deneau 218). She gained her own identity which had allowed her heart to open up, emotions filling her once empty vessel (Deneau

After reading “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin the reader can see that the text reveals a major theme about freedom with the use of a few characters, a basic setting, and plot. This text was written to address the crisis of the restricted lives women were forced to live during that time period. In the beginning of the story, the narrator is discussing how they were being careful to break the news of Louis husband’s death because she had a heart problem. In the middle of the text, we learn how the news was accepted. Finally, in the end of the text, the author adds an interesting plot twists that brings the meaning of the story together. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” is the best story because it developed the theme of the loss of freedom can be detrimental through her use of plot, setting, and character.