Kate Chopin Oppression

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.

“But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin 157). She feels free from the obligations to her husband that was forced upon her during the Victorian era and she is looking forward to the years of independent freedom that are yet to come. “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” (157). Mrs. Mallard did not want to submit to the oppressor, who in this case, was her husband. She wanted to make her own decisions and didn’t want to take orders from her husband. She was forced to live that way because her husband controlled her. Once she found out that he was supposedly dead, she felt free from the male oppression that she had been a victim of since the day she and her husband exchanged vows. Mrs. Mallard would rather live for herself and not have to live for her husband, and his alleged death allowed her to live for herself without getting a divorce, so her society wouldn’t look down upon her.

I n the Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin gives us the feeling that Mrs. Mallard is unhappy in the by telling us “she was presses down by physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul” (227). We learn right off that Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition and should be treated tenderly. When she heard the news of her husbands death, she was at first upset and distraught. She did not begin to feel better until she had time to sit and think, with “the delicious breath of rain was in the air” (227). Mrs. Mallard felt lonely and did not know what to do with herself anymore. She realized that there would no longer be someone there with her to be there when her life expired. She often had the feeling that life was too long and that the end would never come for her. That was a sign that Mrs. Mallard was a lonely and isolated woman. She was sitting there in the chair when it came to her in a sudden rush. That she is “Free! Body and soul free” (228). Mrs. Mallard knew then that life was not short after all. Life was short and she should live it to the fullest. She is now free to do as she pleases. Mrs. Mallard has a feeling of freedom, freedom form the loneliness and isolation that she has felt for a very long time. She is now free to be herself

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.

"There would be no one to live for her 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 woman believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature" (Chopin 182). Chopin makes her strong statement in this quote from the story here. Mrs. Mallard has no one to answer to but herself now, she feels liberated that her husband can no longer control her.

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

So, as a result, Mrs. Mallard dies, which although tragic Mrs. Mallard would not have to succumb to the bondage of marriage. She could keep the joy of her freedom and self-identity allowing no one one to take it away from her. Mrs. Mallard was finally free so that one hour secluded in her room transitioned to her freedom in death. Lawrence L. Berkove states in his article, “Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s ‘The Story Of an Hour.’.” “Marriage, of course, restricts freedom, whoever marries, or even loves, gives up large arrays of freedom…”(Berkove

From the very beginning of the story, we see that Mrs. Mallard is suffering in her relationship with her husband. When she finds out about his tragic death, she initially has a “paralyzed inability” to see what kind of impact it has on her (par. 3). Mrs. Mallard later realizes that his death releases her from her miserable marriage. As the story progresses, it seems as if she is almost happy about the untimely death of her husband. She has a feeling that she is now “free” and that she would not have to be with a person who “had never looked save love upon

Mallard discusses her marriage throughout the short story and it enforces the idea that it was not joy that had killed her when her husband made a sudden return. Mrs. Mallard may have felt some excitement when she realized her husband was gone, but that does not mean that she did not love him. She knew that “she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death,” but that did not keep her from imagining a life “that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin 556). Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts seem to suggest that she viewed marriage as an oppressive force for both husband and wife. She was stuck in a lifeless marriage that no longer offered her any happiness.

“Mrs. Mallard’s death is both symbolic- in one hour; her freedom has been won and lost. For Chopin, Mrs. Mallard represents numerous women who sit silently bear the feelings of being trapped in unhappy marriages,” (Harris, 2007, p. 6).

Mallard feels oppressed as a consequence from her relationship with her husband. Although Mr. Mallard “had never looked save with love upon her,” Mrs. Mallard often had not loved him, so she had to do everything for a person she did not love (Paragraph 13). Mrs. Mallard was elated that from then on, all she would do was “live for herself” (Paragraph 14). Chopin defends Mrs. Mallard’s feelings by stating: “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” (Paragraph 14). In this statement, the author is denouncing oppression of all types no matter if it is executed by man or woman because it is a “cruel intention” and “a crime” (Paragraph 14).

While Mrs. Mallard remembers Mr. Mallard as a kind and tender man who loved her, she also viewed him as the oppression that marriage put upon women and men. While Mr. Mallard was kind and loving to his wife, he was also controlling and overbearing. Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister and Richards, Mr. Mallard’s friend is there to break the news of Mr. Mallard’s death. Richards has learned of Mr. Mallard’s death at the newspaper office, not wanting to believe the information that was received, Richards waited for the new to be delivered for a second time before enlisting the help of Josephine. They are both there to support Mrs. Mallard and their support shows that they care for Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.

Now this text means that the people taking care of Mrs.Mallard just assumed that she is in love with her husband and that the news of his death will cause more heart trouble. Yes Mrs.Mallard does show grief when she gets the news that her husband has died but, that grief was quickly replaced by joy that she had gotten, because she realizes that she is now a free woman. She realized she

(654) It is quite apparent that Mrs. Mallard was struggling to fight back certain feelings about her husband?s supposed death. Although she is at first sad, she slowly begins to realize that the death of her husband can mean a number of great things for her. As the story progresses Mrs. Mallard eventually solves her internal conflict by accepting her husband?s death as a gift.

“There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name” (Chopin 1). Mrs. Mallard is unhappy in her marriage, when her husband dies she sees this as an opportunity to live for herself. “But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely.