Mrs Mallard Symbolism

Symbolism is an important element in reinforcing the meaning of a story. It is a kind of formalist strategies which helps the reader understand the images that the author is trying to say in words. Symbolism is widely used in “The Story of An Hour” and “The Cranes”, which use conventional symbols, literary symbols, and even allegory. “The Story of An Hour” is written by Kate Chopin. Mrs. Mallard hears of her husband’s death from her husband’s friend Richards. At first, she feels depressed, but then she feels free and can have her own new life after thinking things through. Sadly, her “new” life is cut short by the abrupt return of Mr. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard, who has a bad heart, was so

Mallard as “young, with a fair, calm face…” (428) who is suffering from heart trouble. From the start, the readers are led to believe that Mrs. Mallard was going through emotional turmoil in her life, as it is scarce for a young woman to be facing heart issues.  The story is written in 1894, a time period where women had no right to vote and were expected to remain housewives. It is clear that Chopin is referring to Mrs. Mallard’s health issues as a result of her being overly limited by her husband. Chopin illustrates, “There would be no powerful will binding hers… men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (429). Mrs. Mallard realizes that the life she lived, with her husband controlling her and society dictating how she is supposed to act, was not the type of life she ever wanted. She understands her worth as a human being, and her rights to freedom and equality. This is shown when she echoes, “Free! Body and soul free!” (429). At the end of the story, the fear of losing her freedom and sense of self-worth is what causes Mrs. Mallard to die due to her already weakened heart, after seeing her husband

The story continues to reveal a conflict Mrs. Mallard may have had in the relationship with her husband. Though she speaks about him lovingly and knows that he loved her, there is something deeper that is brought to the surface in

Mrs. Mallard had, "in that brief moment of illumination"(15), stumbled upon a truth: she was now her own person, free from the confines of her husband. She had loved her husband, "sometimes"(15), but that didn't matter: "What could love ....count for in the face of theis possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being! THE theme of the story unfolds at this point: Mrs. Mallard, through the death of her husband, is able to experience the joy of the realization

When she goes in her room alone, she unveils her true emotions. The setting shows comfort and indicates that she feels safe. The "open window" symbolises her new beginning and she fills her mind with fantasies of freedom. "She would have no one follow her" indicates that she had only her room to retreat to and it is from this place that she is able to look out at the world. The metaphor "delicious breath of rain", the "peddler", "a distant song" and the sparrows are all symbolical of spring which represents new hope for a better life for Mrs Mallard.

Lastly, not only was symbolism shown to express freedom but it was also used to show lack of identity. Both Chopin and Gilman used symbolize to show readers how the individuality of the married women were lost. In “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard doesn’t have her own identity. At the beginning of the story she is referred as Mrs. Mallard which symbolized how Mrs. Mallard lived under her husband’s identity. Then after revealing the death of her husband towards the middle of the story she was referred to as Louise, which show she is now her own person. “Louise, open the door! … What are you doing Louise?” (Chopin, 1894, 16). This quote shows how she was referred by her first name after her husband death. The author also showed the Mrs. Mallard

Throughout the short story, Mallard’s actions characterize her indirectly. When she is first informed of her husband’s supposed death, she seems to be distraught

A number of symbolic and ironic references can be made in Kate Chopin in “the story of an hour”.Shaoop.com states that “Hearts are a frequently used to symbolize love in the western and culture”. This could be taken as a offense to many people because love is not just in the west is also Part of the rest of the world. Several symbols in Kate Chopin “story of an hour”. 123helpme.com states that. “Create a feeling of comfort, wellness, and wonderfulness within the readers wind and also it makes the reader feel and get better sense of the story because of all the irony and symboliziem”.

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a short yet complex story, describing Mrs Mallard’s feelings. It focuses on the unfolding emotional state of Mrs Mallard after the news of her husbands death, and has overflowing symbolism and imagery. It is an impressive literary piece that touches the readers’ feelings and mind and allows the reader to have a connection to Mrs Mallard’s emotional process. Although the story is short, it is complete with each word carrying deep sense and meaning. It is written in the 19th century, a time that had highly restrictive gender roles that forbade women to live as they saw fit. Mrs Mallard experiences something not everyone during this time has the luck to have; the happiness of freedom that the reader only

As she begins to look out the window it says “she could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life.” (Chopin 476). Evidently, instead of seeing the dark clouds and rain that should have sulkily matched her emotions, she begins to see new life. She describes the “breath” (Chopin 476) of rain as “delicious” (Chopin 476) and can hear a song within the “twittering” (Chopin 476) of sparrows. All things which would have commonly be interpreted as depressing in the situation, suddenly attained a more elated

In “The story of an hour” by Kate Chopin, the author writes a significance story that is very powerful about a woman, Mrs. Mallard. First, the short story begins with a “death” of Mrs. Mallard’s husband in a train wreck. She was treat very carefully from people around her because of her heart condition. From the news, Mrs. Mallard cries her eyes out, rushes to her room and be alone by herself in there. In her room, she seem to have an attitude very differently.

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” there is excellent use of symbolism. Each of the three rooms that the settings are confined symbolize two themes. Throughout the story, the two manifested themes are suffering and hope. Each of the three settings have a different representation of the themes. First, the front door is when she heard about the news that her husband has past, and it represents the suffering she felt and how she felt stuck behind her anguish. Then, the staircase represents an emotional climb as she realizes that she was unhappy with him. Furthermore, the scene on the staircase is a representation of Mrs. Mallard’s movement towards hope. Finally, the room in which she gazed out a window represents her hope to be free and joy

Mrs. Mallard is an older lady that has heart trouble. She has just been told some bad news about her husband from her sister Josephine with her husbands friend Richard was there near her. The story was told that her husband has just passed away in an accident at work. “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to

Through the narrator, we get a glimpse of how Mrs. Mallard feels about her life. “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. “Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul. She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life,” (Chopin, 532). Mrs. Mallard, sitting in a nice cozy chair, is a representation of how she perceives her life. She does not look at it with warm regard as most will do when they think of something being comfortable, but instead she feels weighed down by her life.

Symbolism was very present in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” Chopin was able to symbolize the locked room to Mrs. Mallard’s trapped marriage, and also the open window to the freedom that she had gained after her husband’s death. Chopin was able to help the readers visualize the word “freedom” by comparing it to the window that had been opened before Mrs. Mallard came into the room. The locked room was a comparison to her marriage which helped the readers get a sense of what marriage felt like for Mrs. Mallard.