Two Old Women

In The Story of an Hour, Chopin was simply referred to the character as Mrs. Mallard – an appendage of Brently Mallard – then when she was free, she was referred to as Louise, her first name. Chopin was trying to say that marriage makes women repressed

“The Story of an Hour,” written by Kate Chopin, is a short story featuring a woman with a feeble heart, and the story centers on Louise Mallard and her reactions to her husband’s “death.” Throughout “The Story of an Hour,” Louise Mallard experiences various emotions that leave her wondering how she truly feels about the news of her husband’s death. Before leaving her room and after hours of genuine depression, Louise Mallard realizes that her husband’s death may have granted her something extremely valuable: independence. Chopin created the story in an era where men predominantly controlled the lives of women. In “The Story of an Hour,” Louise Mallard is expelled from the chains of her husband’s control. Although they had a content, loving

The story of an Hour by Chopin is about Louise Mallard desire for freedom. Throughout her life Mrs. Mallard was incapable to leave her home due to a heart illness. The doctor explained how although a sudden shock could kill Louise she would be able to leave the house. Louise was beyond happy to finally be given the chance to leave her home. Brently Mallard did everything in his power to stop her from leaving by using the sickness as a justification. Mr. Mallard would only dedicate little time and affection to his wife. The newspaper had reported a railroad disaster in which Brently Mallard’s name appeared. Louise sister’s Josephine and Brently’s friend knowing of her heart condition gently broke the devastating news to her.

     Relationships seem to be the favorite subject of Kate Chopin’s stories. As Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin is concerned with exploring the “dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women” (Bauer 146). In “The Story of an Hour” Chopin deals with the subject of marriage. She illustrates the influence of family alliance on individual freedom. According to Wohlpart,“The Story of an Hour” describes the journey of Mrs. Mallard against the Cult of True Womanhood as she slowly becomes aware of her own desires and thus of a feminine self that has long been suppressed”(Wohlpart 2). The Cult of True Womanhood in the XIX century included “purity” and “domesticity”. The former suggested that women must maintain their virtue. The latter – denied them their intellectual and professional capabilities (Papke 12). Being the victim of this Cult, Louise Mallard was a good example of a wife without “her own desires and feminine self”.

Kate Chopin is known for being criticized for empowering the subject of female sexuality and independence. In Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, it is placed in a time where men were known as being the head of the household while women were only in charge of raising the children and caring for the home. In the 1890s, women didn’t have so much power to themselves compared to today’s society where female empowerment is frequently encouraged. Chopin’s story narrates a sequence of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions that goes within the motion of the story. As she overcomes the sudden death of her husband, her emotion of grief soon turns into the sudden feeling of freedom, later on emerging into a strong independent woman.

In The Story of an Hour, Chopin was simply referred to the character as Mrs. Mallard –an appendage of Brently Mallard – then when she was free, she was referred to as Louise, her first name. Chopin was trying to say that marriage makes women repressed

The “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a short story about a woman who struggles with the oppression she experiences at the hands of her husband and her secret desire for independence. Louise Mallard didn’t realize how upset she was in her marriage until she found out about her husband’s death. She grieves for only a short period of time before mentally creating a new life for herself. This new life she envisions help her to see the silver lining in a tragic event. Chopin uses symbolism throughout the story to portray the theme of a quest for identity.

“The Story of an Hour” is a short story in which the author, Kate Chopin, presents an interesting view on women 's feeling in marriages. Louise Mallard is the main character of the story and rather than mourn her husband’s death, she fills with a confuzed joy as she feels freedom from her boring life. Once she finds out that her husband, Mr Brently, is still living, Mrs. Mallard’s heart explodes and she dies from sadness.While the idea that women can feel oppressed in marriages is most definitely true, in the story it does seem a little exaggerated. This is most likely because of Mrs. Mallard’s unnatural depression-like symptoms, as well as her failure to realize woman can be more than just wifes, even at her time.

Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” focuses on a woman named Louise Mallard and her reaction to finding out about her husband’s death. The descriptions that the author uses in the story have significance in the plot because they foreshadow the ending.

The short-story “The Story of an Hour” is written by Kate Chopin. This story is about a married woman named, Louise Mallard, who learns about her husband’s death, and through the poem she discovers the positives of this incident. She gradually learns the restrictions that have been lifted and the new opportunities that arise due to her husband’s death, however, the story ends by her getting a heart attack when she sees her husband still alive, the story throughout is written in third-person point of view. Furthermore, Chopin believes that marriage can be very restrictive on woman because of the dominant role the male plays in the relationship and this is shown through the tone and literary features of the poem. First, the tone of the poem

Due to that the story is short there’s no room for background information, flashbacks or excessive description, Chopin’s succeeds in making each sentence very important by employing a poetic tone to the story. For example, she uses repetitions of words to highlight important points in the story. For example, she repeats the word OPEN to emphasize the importance of Louise freedom. Since the death of her husband Louise feels a great deal of freedom and could start to enjoy life ones again. Chopin has Louise repeat the word freedom as well to emphasize the importance or meaning of the short story.

In paragraph eight, Chopin begins to use personification as well as imagery. Mrs Mallard “young, with a fair, calm face” (158) is sitting in the armchair with a “dull stare in her eyes” (158) which “indicated of intelligent thought” (158). Reading this, the reader can form an idea of what Mrs Mallard looks like, and we understand that there’s something going on in Mrs Mallards head, something changing everything in her mind. Mrs Mallard is still struggling to figure it out but “she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching towards her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air”. From this we understand that she is beginning to realise it, and her soul is beginning to fill with happiness of freedom, which is in all the sounds, smells and things she sees. For one moment, however, she is somewhat afraid of feeling happy about her freedom and “she was striving to beat it back with her will” (159). This shows that Mrs Mallard is a “product” of her time, and is striving to feel what is socially accepted. She realizes that society would determine her thoughts of freedom inappropriate, but she can’t stop herself from feeling that way.

The theme of freedom and independence is also present when Josephine tries to coax Mrs. Mallard out of her room, fearful that she is hurting herself and making herself ill. Mrs. Mallard retires to her room to be alone and to think about everything her sister told her. She begins to daydream about her new life and what it could be like. Chopin says, “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free!’. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome” (237). While Mrs. Mallard sits in her room, she begins to feel something that she has never felt before in her life. She feels free, and she adores that feeling. She no longer has to rely on her husband or think about what he will say to her because he is no longer in her life. In an article by Tseng it says, “The most interesting part of the story depicts the heroine’s experience of ecstasy while contemplating her newfound life of freedom” (29). While she is in her room, she dreams of what her life will be like now that she has her own life and independence. It is when Mrs. Mallard begins to acquaint herself with this freedom that her dreams suddenly come to a halt.

“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.” Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is the story of a woman’s reaction to the news of her husband’s passing. Mrs. Louise Mallard is a young woman most would conclude to be saddened by the passing of her husband. Yet it is in that very moment we find her true feelings.

“When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin). During the late 1800’s women were obligated to give obedience to their husbands and basically be a housewife. In the “Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard was an intelligent women living in the 1800s with a very bad heart problem. So when the news struck about her husband’s death, Josephine, her sister had to inform her with great care about the tragic death. Instead of other women in her time who would be dreadful over the news was very understanding and decided to grieve in pain alone in her room where she felt a sense of freedom. Kate Chopin’s 1894 short story “The story of an Hour” displays a theme of freedom and the oppressiveness of marriage at the end of Victorian era with setting, symbols, and distinctive characters.