Mrs Mallard example essay topic

In the short story "Story of an Hour", Kate Chopin takes us on a journey of discovery along with the Protagonist - Louise Mallard. Upon hearing about the sudden death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard is finally at liberty to experience long suppressed emotions - emotions that do not mirror the grief of a happy wife - as one would expect, especially her family and friends. In reality, she is a very troubled woman. In the end she never gets to walk in this newly-found freedom as her own life is, ironically and unexpectedly, cut short. Her family and friends never become privy to her feelings and are left to conclude she went to her grave in complete happiness. After first absorbing the information of her husbands passing Mrs. Mallard retreats to be alone with her thoughts, "and would have no one follow her" (182).

It was in there, away from everyone, when she began to illustrate why she never reacted to this poignant news with utter grief as expected. At first it was difficult for Mrs. Mallard to realize that even after years of marriage to a man who "never looked save with love upon her" (182), that she felt more relief at his passing then sorrow. She had tolerated a union where she had become the submissive to her willful husband, and realized how much she had come to regret and resent it. As she sits in silence and allows these subtle, unknown, yet welcome feelings to creep in, she begins to relax. Through the years of her marriage Mrs. Mallard had become "haunted by physical exhaustion that seemed to reach her soul" (182). This exhaustion shows in the lines on her face - lines that clearly "bespoke repression and strength" (182).

It is from this strength that she begins to draw from as she "lost her look of terror" (182), and felt joy for the first time in a very long while. In the story it mentions "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds"; giving a parallel to the fact that Mrs. Mallard's joy was just starting to peek around the dark times in her life, as the sun around the clouds. Mrs. Mallard is a perceivable selfish person, wanting to live for herself alone. (182) When her husband was alive she had dreaded the thought of continuing into a long life (183) but now in the dawn of her awakening, she not only looked forward to a long, happy life, but welcomed one with open arms. (182) Whispering, "Free!

Body and soul free!" , (183) over and over to herself, she brings worried impl orations from her sister Josephine who was waiting out in the hall. Josephine stays just outside the door wanting to help her sister; yet unable to know what was going on in her mind. She could only conclude her sibling must be delirious with grief. Fretting over her sister and her weak heart, she pleads Louise to "come out before she made herself ill" (183), but to no avail.

After a short period of time she pulls herself together, says a quick prayer, and finally arises - a new woman. Getting up, she "held herself like a goddess of Victory, with feverish triumph in her eyes". (183) Mrs. Mallard's head is swirling with joyful thoughts of the warm summer days ahead as she descends down the stairs with her sister. In oblivion, she soon comes face-to-face with her husband as he walks through their front door - alive, well, and unaware of all the previous commotion. What happens next is nonetheless shocking! Upon seeing her husband, Louise Mallard's died!

Just as abruptly as she had got it back, her life was gone. No doubt the last thing she hears is the cry of her sister as she collapses. Her family and friends are left to think of her as they always had; in blissful ignorance they perceived her a loving, devoted wife. They are left to conclude her heart had given out purely from the joy of seeing her beloved B rently once again. Mrs. Mallard had lived a saddening secret, and died, taking it with her.

Chopin, Kate "The Story of an Hour". Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 2002.181-183.