Story Of An Hour Analysis

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

The definition of freedom, according to Dictionary.com, is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. In the declaration of independence, American citizens are given freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to vote, right to a fair trial, and freedom of assembly to name a few. These rights that we have enable us to form communities and have our voices heard regarding issues that negatively impact us as a whole or prevent us from moving towards a brighter and hopeful future because that is what freedom is. It is about hope. It is about being your own person without hesitation, without judgement. “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin and “A&P” written by John Updike encounter two very

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.

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.

In "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, we are introduced to Mrs. Mallard. She is portrayed an unloving, heartless, woman who is overjoyed by the passing of her husband-— or at least that is the common misconception. Mrs. Mallard although perceived as inhuman, is actually more human than most would like to believe. While her actions may seem questionable or even to be condemned, they are hardly unthinkable in light of the issues involving marriage and the woman's role throughout history. The story itself presents a valid argument in favor of Louise as she is portrayed as the oppressed wife finally set free after her husband's death.

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.

Louise Mallard is seen by the reader as dependent and helpless because of how she is treated by others, even her own sister. When the news comes about her husband being killed, she tells her like one would tell a child that their dog just died. You can just sense how Louise has dealt with being hovered over her whole life by her sister. A good example of this is when her sister is pleading with her to come out of the room that she has locked herself into saying, " Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door – you will make yourself ill (16, paragraph 17.)" Being able to read Louise's thoughts, you discover that she is not weak in her mind and spirit, she is just highly confined.

“ The Story Of An Hour” portrayed woman as often weak, useless, and honestly does not have a say in the marriage. Louise Mallard took her husband’s “death” as a chance to be free, independent and her own woman, she would no longer have a man controlling her, and a man would not bring her down. She said over and over under her breathe “free, free, free”. There would be no one to put a burden on her. The thought of freedom, independence, and being her own woman, made Lousie Mallard happy

In the beginning, Louise Mallard is referred to as the wife of Brently Mallard instead of her own name. Showing us the she doesn't get to be her own person. Once she heard about his death she "went way to her room alone", and she began to think about the life she has waiting for her.

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

The beginning of the story sets the theme for the whole story. We are told about the heart condition that inflicts Louise. This is significant throughout the story. The heart condition is a symbolic way of describing her thoughts of oppression she felt about her marriage. She was trapped and isolated by the marriage. She felt the need to hide these feelings. Women of her era were supposed to be home and under their husbands command. The story has her going through this journey privately. That is significant in the fact that now in her husband’s passing, she will be alone. She will need to work through things by herself. She will be able to go through the whole process on her own, without being judged and persuaded to feel differently.

A woman could not make a simple decision without her husband’s approval. Louise like many women during the 19th century has led her life to her husband’s expectations. Her life has been restricted due to her marriage, but since Brently is deceased, she can finally live for herself. Chopin shows this as Louise is seated in her chair, “The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright.”

Mallard, prior to the news of the alleged death of her husband, has never truly considered a life guided by emotional impulse. Chopin was alive in the late nineteenth century, and during that time, a woman was expected to be submissive to the man in her life, primarily her husband (1). Because of this, the shock that accompanied the news of Brently Mallard’s death causes an extreme change in Louise that allows her to see herself in an entirely new way (Jamil 5). In the hour that she sits in her bedroom alone, she decides “there would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself”

The death of the main character Louise Mallard is a commonly debated topic when discussing “The Story of an Hour.” In Mark Cunningham’s article “The Autonomous Female Self and the Death of Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin’s ‘Story of an Hour’” he makes arguments for the common interpretations of Mrs. Mallards death. He states that “it is critical commonplace” to assume that the sight of her husband alive kills her (n.p.). Even though the story never directly states that Mrs. Mallard sees her husband, it is easier for ones brain to jump to the conclusion that her

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin describes an hour in the life of an oppressed woman bound by marriage in the nineteenth century. It is only when Mrs. Mallard’s husband dies in a sudden railroad accident that she realizes she is no longer tied together by the ropes of man. At first she is shocked and horrified by the tragedy, for she did say “she had loved him – sometimes” (Chopin). However, once the tears were wept, a new bountiful life of freedom was now in the eyes of Mrs. Mallard. Chopin uses imagery, third person omniscient point of view, and concepts of relief and joy in “The Story of an Hour” to convey the true feelings of Mrs. Mallard as she is freed from the strenuous and unjust oppression of women due to society’s expectation of gender roles.