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Critical Theory Essay the Story of an Hour

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Critical Theory Essay the Story of an Hour
Psychological Criticism
In today’s society people seek freedom. Everybody has certain needs but one of the most important is the feeling of liberty. People need this feeling because it makes them feel independent and they have total control of their own lives. Furthermore it leads them to become more courageous and lets them live for themselves and nobody else.
At first when Ms. Mallard hears the news about her husband’s death she is shocked and in great pain because of the loss. But after giving it another thought, she realized that a lot of pressure has just been taken off of her shoulders. “Free, Body and soul free” (page 1). For the first time in her life she feels free. This was a rare event at that time, because women did not have a lot of rights and were brought to a lower state within society.
At the time when her husband had still been alive she did not really do a lot nor speak. All of a sudden she actually starts thinking by herself and this might be an indicator of her winning back her individuality. “She recognized that this thing was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will” (page 1). Instead of waiting and just letting this thing approach her, Mrs. Mallard finally take the initiative and finds the courage to fight back with her own will.
It definitely was a huge loss for Mrs. Mallard when her husband died in this horrific accident. She had troubles dealing with the loss and her sister was scared to tell her the news at first because she knew about Mrs. Mallard’s heart problem. “But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to that would belong to her absolutely” (page 1-2). This shows that she finally managed to overcome the loss and look into the future and what it holds for her. It seems to be a very prosperous and positive future according to her. She now has the liberty she has been seeking for during her marriage and is free to do anything she desires now that her husband has passed.

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