How Is Mrs. Mallard Presented In The Story Of An Hour

Everyone is susceptible to expectations especially when it comes to love. Expectations can be good, but can also bring negative outcomes, as evident in many literary works. For instance, authors such as Kate Chopin and Anton Chekhov delve into this theme of stubborn expectations. In “The Story of an Hour” by Chopin and “The Bear” by Chekhov, both short stories underscore the idea that impractical beliefs created by love can blind an individual’s perception. However, they consider two different routes the authors took in conveying the same theme. Mrs. Mallard from “The Story of an Hour” and Mrs. Popov from “The Bear” both exhibited extreme unhappiness upon knowing that their oppressive husbands had died. They both believed they were
in love with their cruel husbands, and so they subconsciously believed the ideal reaction of a good wife was to be sad. Mrs. Mallard was a young widow “with a fair face, whose lines bespoke repression.” Her husband “never looked (upon her) with love” and his “powerful will” often bended “hers in that blind persistence with which men … believe they have a right to impose.” Even under unfavorable domestic circumstances, Mrs. Mallard mourned and “wept at once” when she found out her husband died. Similarly, Mrs. Popov was “small and pretty with dimples” and was “a widow of seven months.” Her husband “deceived (her) shamelessly at every step of the way,” left her “alone for weeks at a time,” and “flirted with other women” in front of her. Despite these ugly characteristics, Mrs. Popov still moped and mourned over his death, believing her “life has already ended” all because her husband died. In the beginning, their expectations of how a woman should feel over the loss of her husband overshadowed their true feelings. Although both Mrs.
Mallard and Mrs. Popov eventually realized their honest feelings about their husbands’ death, Mrs. Mallard was far more accepting of these feelings than Mrs. Popov. Mrs. Mallard went through a great change in personality after much contemplation of her husband’s death. It seemed as if her whole world suddenly lit up: She began seeing the beauty in every little thing such as the “new spring life” and “delicious breath of rain … in the air.” “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long” when “it was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.” She was ready to welcome a new life free from oppression. On the other hand, Mrs. Popov tried her best to prevent her feelings from surfacing. She wanted to remain the ideal wife, vowing to “remain true to the grave and show (her husband she) knows how to love.” She kept insisting that her sorrow and misery were normal because of her love for her husband. Only later did she finally give in to her true feelings – she never loved him as much as she wanted herself to believe. If she really did love him, she would not have fallen in love so easily with a stranger. The time it took for these two characters to fully comprehend their feelings vary from one another. Perhaps the difference in their realization times is what provided one in a tragic end and the other with a happy ever
after. The fates of Mrs.
Mallard and Mrs. Popov reflected the stances of Chopin and Chekhov respectively. Mrs. Mallard unfortunately died from disappointment, which is a great pity considering how she was eager to live freely. Chopin possibly killed Mrs. Mallard as a punishment for her “inappropriate” way of thinking, since back in the day the society imposed heavy standards on women. Louise seemed to have moved on quickly from the news of her dead husband the save day she received the news. She was very open to living “for no one (in the) coming years.” She completely forgot her feelings for her husband: When she thought about seeing him on his deathbed, she only saw “a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely.” In contrast, Mrs. Popov received a surprising happy ending. This might not only because the play is a comedy, but also because her reaction towards her dead husband was deemed “appropriate.” For the most part, Mrs. Popov resisted the temptations of rejoicing after her loss, even when the death of her husband was clearly a great relief. She had spent the past “seven months” “deeply mourning” over his death. She had mourned and resisted long enough for her action – finding a new man – to be considered unacceptable by the society of that
time. Furthermore, “The Story of an Hour” and “The Bear” both embodied the idea that the unrealistic assumptions about love can mask one’s reality. Each story takes a different approach in delivering this idea by focusing on two characters under the same circumstances but different reactions. Mrs. Mallard and Mrs. Popov both experienced the loss of their tyrannical husbands and were both very mournful at first because they thought it was the right emotional state to be in. Then as they began to realize how much better their lives could be without the presence of these men, Mrs. Mallard gladly accepted her husband’s death, while Mrs. Popov defiantly refused to give in to her true feelings. In the end, Mrs. Mallard died after her sudden metamorphosis and Mrs. Popov found a new love interest. Thus, although contrasting in endings, both short stories still illustrate the detrimental power of unyielding expectations of love or anything in general.