Grief In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

She was never able to experience true love. Just like Mrs. Mallards others have died looking for happiness and freedom in which they did not find in their relationship. Some of these individuals feel trapped in the marriage and feel as if they will be able to start a new life once the spouse dies, similar to Louise. Though the 19th century was very different from today’s day they still share similarities. The Story of an Hour represents how some marriages have a tragic ending. An individual should have the rights to marry someone whom they share the same beliefs and

As she beings to consider all of the opportunities that will soon await her, Mrs. Mallard becomes Louise. She blossoms into a free, relaxed woman who was ready to begin her life on her own. During the hour which Louise believes Brently is dead, her heart beats strongly. She opened and spread her arms out, welcoming her new life. She whispers to herself repetitively, “Free! Body and soul free!” (158) A statement that shows her new independence really is for her. Louise soon becomes a woman aware of her own desires, enjoying the anticipation of being freed from the confines of her marriage.

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.

This personal confession shows that Mrs. Mallard, though she will mourn at first, now is free to “live for herself,” (228) not for her imposing husband. Before her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard believed she was in a healthy, normal marriage. This death revealed to her how while she cared about her husband, she despised the lack of freedom her marriage had given her. All of the realizations that Mrs. Mallard reaches during her time of reflection shows the readers exactly why she will no longer mourn the death of her husband.

Mallard is unsatisfied with the limitations of her marriage, however, like Desiree, she is submissive and believes that the end of her duties as a wife will come at the death of her husband and her freedom will be given to her. Also, she experiences little or no feelings because of her marriage. This is shown when Mrs. Mallard, after hearing of her husband’s death, cries, but ironically she senses a moment of euphoric pleasure at the awaiting freedom in her remaining life. “She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely.” Mrs. Millard is now aware of things that were not noticeable before such as: the beginning of spring, patches of blue sky through clouds, the twittering of sparrows and the smelling of the pending rain, which may signify the nature of her freedom. Mrs. Mallard would now be able to live her life outside the home and find her identity.

In “The Story of an Hour” we see Mrs. Louise Mallard receives news of the death of her husband. The

At the beginning of the story no one wished to tell Mrs. Mallard about the death of her husband due to her heart condition. Her heart trouble is a symbol for the way she feels crushed or hurt by her marriage. During this time period women were expected to live under the control of their husbands, so while being married to Brently, she begins to lose her identity. In the story, she is only referred to as Mrs. Mallard she isn’t referred to as Louise until after her husband’s death. She is an accessory to her husband is forced to live in the shadow of her husband and as a result of this she has lost herself over the years. Louise’s character is used as a symbol to represent the women of this time period and show the sacrifices they make for their husbands and the troubles that come along with the inequalities they experience in marriage.

It was not typical in the time period of the story, nor is it now, for the sister of a bride to live with her and her husband in their home. Her presence is not at all crucial to the progression of the plot, and she has no significant impact on the substance of the story, the feelings and rebirth of Louise Mallard, which comprises the majority of the story’s text.

Mrs. Louise Mallard never really had any freedom because she married young and was always confined in her home doing wifely duties“‘ Free! Body and soul free!”’she whispered this multiple times. Louise Mallard, has come the realization that her husband's passing was not only tragic, but also a beneficial cutting of her marital ties. The crisis of her grief has given her a new insight on life and she also understands that her marriage has limited her independence and freedom. Mrs. Mallard was very unhappy in her marriage and she barely loved her husband. “‘And yet she had loved him--sometimes”’ Mrs. Mallard was seeking freedom from her marriage because she was unhappy and when she found out her husband died she could feel the freedom she’s always

In the short story, written by Kate Chopin we are able to live through Louise Mallards’ emotions after she was given the dreadful news that her husband, Brently, had been killed in a railroad accident. She is finally beginning to feel a sense of freedom and independence, an hour has gone

In “The Story of an Hour” there is conflict that states why Louise would want to be free; the role of the wife versus the role of the husband. For instance, Louise struggled with her feelings about her marriage for years. Louise thinks "what could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being" (16). She admits that she did love her husband, but often she did not. On the other hand, the story suggests that her husband was

I think Mrs. Mallard felt trapped in her marriage, a marriage where communication no longer existed. I believe this caused her to feel very alone and restless in her marriage. In the late nineteenth century, women basically had little or no rights. It was thought that women’s sole purpose in society was to marry, have children, and to care for their family and household. Women of this era were not allowed to satisfy their own wants and desires. Therefore, we can assume that Mrs. Mallard got married at a young age. This fact, along with the crumbling of her marriage caused her to feel lost in a world where she knew not even herself. The fact that she was unable to experience life for herself resulted in her yearning desire for independence. These explanations contributed to Mrs. Mallard’s overwhelming enjoyment of her newfound freedom.

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

off Mrs. Mallard as a timid wife, but in the process of her husband’s death, her grief turns to be

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.