Who Is Mrs. Mallard In The Story Of An Hour

I n the Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin gives us the feeling that Mrs. Mallard is unhappy in the by telling us “she was presses down by physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul” (227). We learn right off that Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition and should be treated tenderly. When she heard the news of her husbands death, she was at first upset and distraught. She did not begin to feel better until she had time to sit and think, with “the delicious breath of rain was in the air” (227). Mrs. Mallard felt lonely and did not know what to do with herself anymore. She realized that there would no longer be someone there with her to be there when her life expired. She often had the feeling that life was too long and that the end would never come for her. That was a sign that Mrs. Mallard was a lonely and isolated woman. She was sitting there in the chair when it came to her in a sudden rush. That she is “Free! Body and soul free” (228). Mrs. Mallard knew then that life was not short after all. Life was short and she should live it to the fullest. She is now free to do as she pleases. Mrs. Mallard has a feeling of freedom, freedom form the loneliness and isolation that she has felt for a very long time. She is now free to be herself

Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour,” is a thought-provoking tale that enlightens the audience on the lifestyle most women lived in the late 1890’s. The setting in its entirety took place in the Mallard household. Chopin used this idea to reflect the reality that women of that era were mainly confined to their homes. In this time period, men were responsible for being the breadwinners and women stayed out of the work force and performed duties concerning the home. Keeping this in mind, it is important to question the description of the most important room in the story, Mrs. Mallard’s room. The simple line “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair,” is the only description of the room we are given. This room is claimed to be Mrs.

When an author uses characterization in a story, the reader gets a better understanding of the character. In “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin doesn't directly characterize Mrs. force the reader to infer Mallard, she uses more indirect characterization to force the reader to infer the traits of Mrs. Mallard.

“Knowing Ms. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break it to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.” Her sister and husband’s friend Richard had to be careful when telling Ms. Mallard about her husband’s because it may give her problems with her heart. Ms. Mallard had to lock herself in her room and look out the window to calm down after hearing the news. She even knew that death is inevitable.

In addition the intense desire for freedom is even more obvious in "The Story of an Hour." Mrs. Mallard's craving for freedom is so strong that when she is given the news of her husband's death, she is relieved that "there would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin 2). It seems as though she wants to live her own life without having her husband tell her what to do all the time.

1. What is the significance of Mrs. Mallard’s diagnosis of “heart trouble”? What symbolic significance might this phrase contain?

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

In “A Doll’s House”, Torvald and Nora each have a unique role in their marriage. Torvald treats Nora as his little doll, or plaything, while Nora treats him as the man of the house who has the authority to do anything he wants. These ideas form because the society within the play does not allow much freedom for women. According to this society and culture, a women’s role is depicted by the man she is with, the female character’s all exemplify Nora’s assertion that women have to sacrifice a lot more than men. In this play, Nora, Mrs. Linde, and the maid all hold sacrificial roles depicted by the society they

In “The Story of An Hour”, Mrs. Mallard began to mourn over her husband’s death, and when left alone, realized that she was actually happy he was gone. One of the most essential parts of the story was her realization that she could find herself and not worry about the roles she played as a wife. She thought, “ 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 the right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (Chopin). This is the most important part of the story because it shows her realization of how being a wife held her back in

At the end of the story, Mrs. Mallard’s husband walked through her front door in the flesh, but Mrs. Mallard’s heart could not handle the excitement. The

Every relationship is not the best relationship because sometimes it is like your trapped and isolated so that makes it harder to adjust and bond. In the story “ The Story Of An Hour” Mrs. Mallard was in an overbearing relationship to where she felt trapped. However, her luck would soon change when she gets terrible news about her husband’s death. Meanwhile, the freedom that she thinks she has at that moment will soon be no more because her husband will not be dead. Furthermore, she will soon lose it once the news is broken to her about Mr. Mallard’s status of health. However, just from that, she will begin losing her sanity and herself all at once. And in the end, will die of a joy that kills or sadness that kills. This relationship can be good or bad because it is not always what the spouse wants (Chopin 720) “The Story Of An Hour” relationships are not for everyone simply because it is a commitment until death and some people aren’t as committed.

In the play “A Doll’s House”, by Henrik Ibsen, the two main characters, Nora and Torvald are married. Being that the play is set in the Victorian Age, standards of life and treatment of one’s spouse was incredibly different in the era. While Torvald creates the inferred label as a “doll” for Nora, he treats her as if she is his child and demands her to act certain ways. Nora, being disobedient to his orders in many cases, goes behind his back to take actions to be mischievous, deceptively flirtatious, and two-faced in order to maintain their “charmed life.”

In the play A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen examines the roles of a woman during the nineteenth century in a male dominated Victorian society. The play is a well-played out journey of the main character, Nora, self-discovery and struggles against the oppression of her husband Torvald and the society he represents. Nora, who is the wife of Torvald Helmer, is the heroine of the play in the end. At the beginning of Act I, the scene is a clear picture of the lifestyle of the Helmer’s household. The Helmer’s are prominent members of the Victorian society. Nora purpose in life is to be happy for her husband and children. Torvald appears to be a loving, devoted, and generous husband. (3). Nora has taken drastic measures to save her husband’s

A Doll’s House took place in the 19th century, surrounding a suburban family. The theme of this play is a marriage and to show the marital expectations that come with this era. Society stands for marriage included that the woman is submissive to the man, something that Nora dreamed of defying, "How painful and humiliating it would be for Torvald …to know that he owed me anything! It would upset our mutual relations altogether" (Ibsen). The relationship between Nora and her husband Torvald is set up as a means of maintaining the male dominance. In addition to marriage, the play also discusses women and femininity. The way, husbands treated their spouse was as if they were a meaningless doll or other names to dehumanize her, "Is it my little squirrel bustling about?" (Ibsen). Torvald, by constantly giving his wife, pet names, dehumanizes his wife to something insignificant and less than human.

The Play A Doll House is acted out in three different acts which all provide insight on the feministic world in the early 1900s. From the beginning of the play the readers can see how Torvald is strong successful banker who has just received large promotion, while he treats his wife like a child like doll. He calls her names such “sulky squirrel,” “sweet little lark,” “song bird,” and “little scattered brain” (Ibsen 785). These names portray Nora a weak individual who is nothing but an unintelligent housewife and can suggest that Nora is