Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour tells the tale of Louise Mallard, a woman who is deeply unhappy in her marriage. Louise is initially devastated after hearing news that her husband has died in a train accident. However, as she begins to process her grief, she starts to feel a sense of freedom and liberation. The death of her husband has given her a new lease on life, and she feels reborn.
While some may see Louise as heartless for feeling this way, it’s important to remember that she was trapped in a loveless and miserable marriage. For her, the death of her husband was actually a blessing in disguise. It freed her from a life of unhappiness and gave her the chance to start anew.
While The Story of an Hour is brief, it contains a wealth of symbolism and meaning. Kate Chopin expertly uses Louise Mallard’s character to explore the complex emotions that can be elicited by tragedy. In the end, The Story of an Hour is a powerful study of grief, love, and freedom.
Josephine is sad in “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, when she tells her sister, Louise, the news, when Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death, and when Mrs. Mallard understands that she is bound to a marriage. These events build up the strange tale of Dr. Mariee’s relationship with her husband Brently Mallard. Josephine is seen as a concerned sibling who worries that hearing news of brother-in-law’s death might cause the demise of his wife, Dr. Mariee
The death of Mr. Mallard is, at first, a great shock to his wife that leads to Mrs. Mallard crying in her room. The news of the death of Mr. Mallard was broken to Louise by her sister Josephine and Richards. At first, when Louise is told about Brently’s death, she weeps in her room with Josephine by her side, but after an hour passes, she emerges from her room a changed woman.
When Mrs. Mallard hears the news, it is such a great shock that she has a heart attack and died. The doctors say that it was because of the joy that killed her, but it is really because she was finally free. In the end, Mrs. Mallard realizes that she is not truly free because she is tied down in a marriage. The story concludes with Mrs. Mallard’s death, which was brought about by the news of her husband’s death.
The narrator, Kate Chopin, says in the text “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard had a heart ailment, great care was taken to break the news to her as gently as possible…” She depicts Josephine’s anxiety. The news is delivered by Josephine in broken phrases… When her sister, Mrs. Mallard, is grieving in a unique way in her room, Louise is overjoyed and relieved.
The way the author writes this story, it is as if Louise Mallard kill her husband. In fact, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease–of joy that kills.” The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a short story about an hour in the life of Mrs. Louise Mallard after she is told of her husband’s death. The story first appeared in Vogue magazine in 1894 and is today considered to be one of Chopin’s best works.
The story centers around Louise’s reaction to her husband’s death and subsequent freedom. Though she initially weeps upon hearing the news, she soon realizes that his death could free her from the oppressive marriage that she has been living in. The story ends with Louise’s death, which is attributed to either joy or shock at her newfound freedom.
While it is possible that Louise dies of joy at her newfound freedom, it is just as likely that she dies of shock at the sudden turn of events. In either case, her death can be seen as a symbol of the liberation that she has achieved in her short life. The story is Chopin’s commentary on the institution of marriage and the role of women in society.
She challenges the notion that marriage is a happy and fulfilling institution by showing the reader the dark side of such a relationship. Her use of irony and symbols highlights the theme of liberty versus oppression, making The Story of an Hour one of her most powerful works.
The death of a coworker was met with shock by Mallard, who discovered an unexpected delight upon discovering her sister Josephine. She had only just before been delighted at the passing of someone and even went so far as to pray for a long and happy existence. ” …She breathed a quick prayer that life may be long…” Her spouse came home as she descended the stairs with her sister.
The first thing that Mrs. Mallard noticed was the joy that was on his face and The news of her husband’s death had been incorrectly reported to Mrs. she could not help but feel a sense of joy at the thought of finally being able to live life for herself. “When Louise Mallard learns of her husband’s death, she is initially stricken with grief.
However, upon reflection, she realizes that his death will free her from the unhappy marriage…”(Korte). This change in emotion is what caused The doctors said that it was due to the joy that killed her. The pressure that had been building up inside finally released itself in one final burst when she saw her husband alive and well. “…It was the joy that killed her…”(Chopin155).
Mrs. Mallard was not a young woman, and she had been married for many years. The story does not give her age, but it is evident that she is no longer in the first bloom of youth. She has “heart trouble” which is probably why her sister is so concerned about her hearing the news of her husband’s death. It is also possible that Mrs. Mallard is not physically attractive, since there is no mention of her looks, except to say that she had “pale blue eyes” (Chopin 153) which could be a sign of illness.
Whatever her physical appearance, it is clear that Mrs. Mallard is not a happy woman. She is oppressed by her marriage and she feels that she has “lost herself” (Chopin 154) in the role of wife and mother. The fact that she goes to her room alone after hearing the news of her husband’s death shows that she does not want to share her feelings with anyone, not even her sister.
When Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death, she is initially stricken with grief. However, upon reflection, she realizes that his death will free her from the unhappy marriage. She begins to see the potential for happiness in her future: “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There was no one to in the world was hers” (Chopin 154).
The prospect of being free from her marriage is so appealing to Mrs. Mallard that she is willing to ignore the fact that her husband’s death will also mean the death of her son. It is only when she sees her husband alive and well that she realizes the true cost of her freedom. The joy that she felt at the thought of being free turns to sorrow as she realizes that she will never see her son again.