The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin allows for an in-depth look at the feelings and lives behind the relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. This story also showcases the idea that freedom can come with an unexpected cost. This cost is outlined throughout Chopin’s use of imagery and characterization. When the news of Brently Mallard’s death is revealed to Mrs. Mallard it is done with extreme care. Due to Mrs. Mallard’s “heart trouble” (Chopin, 1) they fear what the news could do to her. The reaction that occurs however is not what anyone is expecting. With her husband’s death comes freedom. Mrs. Mallard has fallen out of love with her husband and this is shown through her response to the news. Upon reflection of her life she “knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death” (3) which shows that she still cares for him despite the lack of romantic love she felt. For Mrs. Mallard losing her husband means gaining her freedom, further building on the idea of the unexpected cost of freedom. It is through her husband’s death that Mrs. Mallard character is shown. After understanding her initial …show more content…
Mallard looks out of her bedroom window upon learning about her husband’s death. One might expect her surroundings to be equally as gloomy and ominous as the news that has just been broken to her however that is not the case. Looking out she could see “the tops of trees that were all quiver with new spring life” (2) which juxtaposes the strong presence of death in this story. With her husband’s death comes a chance for Mrs. Mallard. Most people associate death with gloominess and sadness but for Mrs. Mallard her husband’s death means life. This offers her a chance to be happy and free despite the cost of it. No longer loving her husband as much as perhaps she used too gives her the opportunity to find something or someone that brings her the joy that she has been missing all this
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.
(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.
When Mrs. Mallard was informed of her husband’s death she reacted in a way that any wife was expected to act after the passing of their loved one. “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms (pg.395)”. She grieved on for awhile but then realized that life goes on with or without the love of your life. However many expect one to come to terms with someone’s death some point in life, they don’t expect it to be sudden as Mrs. Mallard’s epiphany.
Upon hearing the news, Mrs. Mallard is overwhelmed with grief, which swiftly turned into hope. Mrs. Mallard’s reaction upon receiving the news of her husband 's death is considered to be unusually by society’s standards. In the beginning of the story it is revealed that Mrs, Mallard suffers heart problems; however, when it is revealed that her husband is dead her heart is relieved. She was thrilled that she was able to be her own person again. It was revealed through her reflection on her marriage that she “had loved him - sometimes” (16). Mrs. Mallard overcame is quick to overcome her grief after the realization that she has been set free of her horrible marriage. As a married woman, Mrs. Mallard is miserable, but as a widow she feels a sense of relief that she is free of her marital vows. At the end of the story Mrs. Mallard dies of a failing heart which it ironic because typically a woman would be filled with joy to find out
The irony of Mrs. Mallard’s response to the news of her husband’s death lies in the fact that her reaction did not constitute what a common reaction to death entails: extreme disbelief, prolonged heartache, and violent hysterics. When her sister Josephine breaks the news to Mrs.
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
When Mrs. Mallard hears the news of her husband’s death she weeps and feels abandoned while she falls
When she hears the news of her husband 's death, Mrs. Mallard 's obliviousness to the beauty of life breaks down under the powerful impact of emotion. Until this moment, Mrs. Mallard hardly thinks it worthwhile to continue her existence; as the narrator of the story says, "It was only yesterday [Mrs. Mallard] had thought with a shudder that life might be long" (194). Her life until this point seems devoid of emotion, as the lines in her face "besp[ea]k repression" (193). Upon hearing the news, her sorrow gushes out in a torrent: "She wept at once with sudden, wild abandonment" (193). The narrator points out, however, that Mrs. Mallard is not struck, as "many women" have been, by "a paralyzed inability" to accept the painful sense of loss (193). On
Mallard’s death—the narrator used the word “killed, which emphasized the symbolism of Mr. Mallard. As Mrs. Mallard’s “paralyzing inability” loosen its grip on her perception of bondage, the imagery projected starts to decrease (278). The narrator describe Mrs. Mallard’s “physical exhaustion” as she visualize through an open window, an open square where the freeing treetops, and currently feeling a sensation of this “new spring life” in a blossoming garden of her new being (278). The narrator goes on to validate Mrs. Mallard’s perception of freedom with this vivid imagery, which opens up a great illustration of her satisfaction.
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
Initially as Mrs. Mallard hears of the death, she is overshadowed with grief and sorrow. As she takes a seat in her room crying, her posture seems to be relaxed. Mrs. Mallard appears to be filled with relief, her tears happy. The oppression from her marriage
Upon hearing the death of her husband's, Mrs. Mallard went through many different emotions. The first emotion is grief, the author tried to compare Mrs. Mallard to other women that would've responded to the news of their husbands death with "paralyzed inability" ( "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.
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
The use of imagery is displayed heavily throughout the story to reflect the feelings of Mrs. Mallard following the news of her husband’s abrupt death. The setting outside her window is very descriptive and allows the audience to connect this imagery to the future that Mrs. Mallard is now seeing opening for her. As she is looking out of the window in her bedroom, she sees “trees that were all aquiver with new spring life” as well as sparrows “twittering in the eaves” (Chopin). This represents the joy and realization of a new life for Mrs. Mallard. She can now start over as a free woman instead of living as a man’s property trapped inside the house; this is where the woman’s place was during this period while only