"How Happy is the Blameless Vestal’s Lot": Meaning of Quote by Alexander Pope

because she knows she has no one to live for, there will be no one forcing her to do anything that she doesn’t want. She develops the sense of independence and confidence before she dies of a heart failure. Kate Chopin tells how the character Mrs. Mallard`s feeling changes in the course of the story and how her general view of life changes in the aftermath of her husband`s death. Mrs. Mallard is a weak and dependent woman at the beginning of the story. But as the story progresses, she realizes how her husband’s death doesn’t mean the end of her life but rather the beginning of a new independent life in the years to come.

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.

Firstly, we will be examining the physical effects of guilt in The Scarlet Letter’s Arthur

Mrs. Mallard is, outwardly, a typical woman in the 19th century with a husband, family, and home. It is first apparent that Mrs. Mallard is not satisfied with her role as a wife when she receives the news of her husband’s death and begins to feel a sensation of joy that overcomes her. The wife’s unhappiness with her married life is enhanced when the narrator states, “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.” (Chopin 16) The reader infers that Mrs. Mallard was figuratively suffocating under the duties and stereotypes a 19th century woman was subjected to, such as caring for a house and family instead of pursuing a career outside of the home. Mrs. Mallard views her husband’s death as an escape from her role and a chance to have control over her life and choices, showed when she whispers “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin 16) In the final portion of the story Mrs. Mallard’s husband returns home, having never been in an accident, and she dies of what doctors determine is an overwhelming joy for seeing her husband alive. The reader infers that Mrs. Mallard has lost her chance of a new start and freedom from her role and dies of grief over her loss of freedom. The author contrasts Mrs. Mallard’s lack of control and freedom in her life to

Edouard, Sarah’s father in-law, was forever traumatized into silence about seeing Sarah return to the apartment to find her dead brother. Edouard had nightmares and would never forget what he had witnessed. As Julia read Edouard a letter from Genevieve to Gaspard’s family about Sarah, her life, and her now joining the DuFaure family “He sounded like he was crying, but he appeared to be doing everything he could to make me think he wasn’t” (195). Seeing Sarah return to the apartment to find her brothers dead body locked away had been a defining moment in Edouard’s life and being able to hear the letter about Sarah’s new and better childhood with the DuFaure’s he gained some closure, at least Sarah found a great family after what she had gone through. William Rainsferd was also greatly affected by learning about his mothers true identity. He rethought his entire life, caught in a whirlwind of emotions and new information, and finally at the very end of the book made peace with the new knowledge and used it to better his life. His life was forever changed by learning more about

She feels responsible and guilty for this day again, she feels like a sister that never keep her promise and being the “the one who never came back” (259). She writes a letter addressed to Michel, saying that she will “carry the burden of [his] death […] till the day [she dies]” (260). She also, in this letter, confesses that she never has been able to pretend to be someone else, since she cannot forget about her past. She cannot forgive herself because “[her] scars will never

However, like in this novel, guilt can be good as it can motivate a person to attempt to make amends and to try to repair damage. As a result of the guilt these three characters had, they made up for France’s darkest

As a gesture of love, acceptance, and forgiveness, the grandmother goes to touch the Misfit; he, however, shoots her dead. The Misfit is aware that “grace worked through him to strengthen the woman’s faith” (108). This scene defines the moment of grace in the grandmother’s life as she was able to fill her conscious with compassion by viewing him as one of her own children. An interesting remark is that the Misfit In the midst of such heartbreak and violence, the grandmother was able to feel love and sympathy towards the criminal. O’Connor emphasizes the dramatic transformation of the grandma in traumatic times from selfish and manipulative to benevolent and warmhearted.

This tragic marriage and feelings of guilt and grief have been haunting her since the time which can be seen in a recurring motif of a polka tune Varsouviana which „[has been] caught in [her] head“ (Williams 113) and which she associates with the night her husband committed suicide. It is obvious that she has never come to terms with her past. Whenever someone mentions her dead husband, she does not feel well: „The boy - the boy died. Iʼm - going to be sick!“ (Williams 31) She realizes that she is responsible for his death and does not know how to deal with it which results in her love affairs, withdrawal from reality and the final mental breakdown.

Mrs Mallard's awkward attitude after learning of her husband's death establishes an irony- somebody who is really happy in marriage will not enjoy nature in peace and have mixed emotions; the person will feel genuine grief upon hearing of the death of her husband. Here, Mrs Mallard's reaction portrays the extent to which her thirst for freedom was strong. Kate Chopin allows us to visualise the moment that Mrs Mallard is able to shed the bondage of marriage: "free, free, free!." She feels liberated through her husband's death. Much emphasis is laid on her joy upon finding freedom- "there would be no one to live for." The author also points out that "she knew that she would weep again.....folded in death." This only highlights the fact that it is not an expression of love but seems more like a duty that

" She was very far from wishing to dwell on her own feelings, or to represent herself as suffering much, any otherwise than as the self command she had practised since her first knowledge of Edward's engagement... (p220)"

The tone of this story is one of fear, regret, and guilt. The story first leaves the reader with impression that it may be a recount of the life of a daughter who was lost due to neglect. Soon it is evident

In Michael Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), the connections between people and memories become the focal point of a very unique romance. Through the use of new technology, the possibility of erasing memories makes painful relationships disappear like they never happened. The tale of Joel and Clementine allows the audience to rethink and question the process they undergo as beneficial or destructive. Though the process might be helpful in eliminating the pain caused from another person, four key scenes show how the lessons learned through relationship experiences are important.

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. Finally, she recognizes the freedom she has desired for a long time and it overcomes her sorrow: "Free! Body and soul free! She kept whispering." In her soul, the dark clouds are disappearing because she is illuminated. All the memories of her husband are now of the past. She is living in the present. At this point, she is no longer "Mrs.Mallard." She is Louise and is ready to welcome a new horizon of freedom : "Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own." Overwhelmed with a new sense of herself, she feels as if she

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.