Louise Mallard Oppressed
In “The Story of An Hour”, the author, Kate Chopin, portrays Louise Mallard as an oppressed woman. The narrative starts by insinuating that Mrs. Mallard is weak. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.”(1) A normal reaction to death would be to grieve and be upset, but Louise was said to need help and was not stable enough to take the news without “great care”. The contrast of Mrs. Mallard and Richards objects the feminist theory. Brently Mallard’s friend, Richards, needed no extra care to accept the news. In fact, Richards was the first to discover the death. Richards, being a male, is portrayed as being stronger than his female counter part, less emotional
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than a woman is, and masculine with wanting to shield a woman from a “less tender friend’s” account of the death. Moreover, Mrs. Mallard is depicted as being physically weak. “When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone…roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.”(3, 4) Her “storm” of emotions physically drained her. In addition to being emotionally unstable, she is now physically unstable. Shortly after, Mrs.
Mallard opens the window and looks at the sky. The narrator says, “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes.”(8) Before Mrs. Mallard married Brently, her eyes were lively and her skin was young. After years of marriage, her eyes have become dull and her oppression has destroyed the “lines that bespoke repression.” The patriarchy broke down Mrs. Mallard, while oppressing her and destroying her lively eyes and calm, fair face. The narrator then states, “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 a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” This insinuates that oppression affected the women of her time. Marriage, throughout the story, is a symbol for men having power over women. The marriage warped Mrs. Mallard’s “young, calm face” and her lively eyes. Mrs. Mallard was more of a house-slave and less of a significant equal, furthermore she can now “live for herself”, while not fearing the “blind persistence” and will bending of
marriage.
than a woman is, and masculine with wanting to shield a woman from a “less tender friend’s” account of the death. Moreover, Mrs. Mallard is depicted as being physically weak. “When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone…roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.”(3, 4) Her “storm” of emotions physically drained her. In addition to being emotionally unstable, she is now physically unstable. Shortly after, Mrs.
Mallard opens the window and looks at the sky. The narrator says, “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes.”(8) Before Mrs. Mallard married Brently, her eyes were lively and her skin was young. After years of marriage, her eyes have become dull and her oppression has destroyed the “lines that bespoke repression.” The patriarchy broke down Mrs. Mallard, while oppressing her and destroying her lively eyes and calm, fair face. The narrator then states, “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 a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” This insinuates that oppression affected the women of her time. Marriage, throughout the story, is a symbol for men having power over women. The marriage warped Mrs. Mallard’s “young, calm face” and her lively eyes. Mrs. Mallard was more of a house-slave and less of a significant equal, furthermore she can now “live for herself”, while not fearing the “blind persistence” and will bending of
marriage.