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What Is True Individual Freedom In The Story Of An Hour

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“True individual freedom cannot exist without independence,” was a quote Franklin D. Roosevelt once said. What is meant by this statement is you cannot have freedom without independence and vice versa. It’s like the peanut butter needed in a jelly sandwich. Mrs Mallard represents this quote in the short story The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin. One day, Mrs. Mallard, the protagonist received the news that her husband had died in a railroad accident. Once she had heard this, she went to her room and started to sob. She was sad that her husband died, yet she often had not loved him. But then, she realized that she can be free and independent since her husband is dead. Mrs. Mallard, also known as Louise, starts to pray that her life …show more content…

Mallard starts to feel free and independent since her husband isn’t around the house anymore. She came to her consensus that there are positive things that are coming from this. In the story, Mrs. Mallard says “‘Free Body and soul free!’ she kept whispering” (15). The reader learns that Mrs. Mallard is now feeling like waves of freedom have washed over her, instead of gloomy ones. She realized that she is now not held back by anyone, as she was seemingly restricted by her husband to do things she had always dreamed of doing, by herself. Her body and soul are free, looking forward to fun days later on in her life. She could finally have the freedom and independence she had always wanted. A little further into the story, Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts are “Spring and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long” (18). This is another example of the author showing Mrs. Mallard’s independence and freedom. She is looking forward to free and independent spring and summer days in the future. She also makes a quick prayer that life might be long because she now wants to experience fun days with her two new traits. Mrs. Mallard wants her freedom and independence to be the longest it possibly can, up until she dies. Mrs. Mallard wants to experience her freedom and independence now since her husband has

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