Story Of An Hour Marriage And Freedom Essay

Marriage and freedom are complex when connecting the two when considering how one can be tied down by the other. In the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, it argues about the ties that marriage has on freedom. In the short story, the protagonist goes through series of emotions when she hears that her husband has died in an hour. As the story progresses, the protagonist goes from sad to happy, although she ends up dying in the end when she sees her husband alive at the front door. By dying at the sight of her husband, it can be inferred that women weren’t allowed to have much freedom in deciding what their lives should be. Throughout the story, it can be seen that Kate Chopin uses various literary devices to promote the theme
In her story, Chopin writes, “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of the tree that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (647). The open window is supposed to represent her new life since it shows how Louise is now available to new possibilities and opportunities that weren’t open to her before. In addition to representing her new freedom, it can also represent Louise’s future. For instance, the unobstructed view is showing her unobstructed future since nothing is stopping her now, such being bound to someone in the marital sense. From the quote, it says that it is now spring time, which can be seen as a symbol of a new life and future for Louise since it’s a new start in time itself. After this, Louise goes downstairs with her sister after being prodded by her a little since she seemed to be filled with excitement (648). Louise turning away from the window is meant to show that her freedom wasn’t meant to last since the view offered to her was lost when she turned her back to it. With that, Louise then dies in the end since her husband was alive and she had lost what she most wanted, her