The Story of an Hour
The Story of an Hour is a piece of literature that can be interpreted in to many different ways. Kate Chopin tells the reader in the beginning that Louis Mallard was afflicted with a heart problem. The attitude of the author towards the character of Mrs. Mallard varies with differing views on love and marriage. To me, the story depicts marriage as a loss of freedom. It also shows the kind of domination men had over their women in that period of time.
This story is set in a time (late 1800’s) of which marriage is a sacred vow taken by two people which joins them in union. Their vows were taken very seriously and were not broken. To do so, would cause shame on the woman in most cases as she was always the submissive party – the one to “obey” the husband. However, to this day most people carry the belief that marriage should occur only when two people are in love; although this belief is common it is not always the case and people marry for a variety of reasons, some good and some are bad. Some people even marry for money or even a more lame reason than that.
Kate Chopin uses the setting to help the character, Mrs. Mallard, cope with the news of the loss. Chopin makes it clear that Mrs. Mallard is at home when the news is told to Mrs. Mallard by her sister and her husband’s friend Richard. Her initial reaction was complete devastation. Chopin says, “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. This could mean that Mrs. Mallard wept due to her realization of the fact that she will now be all alone, or that she had some type of attachment to Mr. Mallard. It also, could be a mere “show of mourning” for other’s benefit.
Later, The settings along with the symbolism giving by Chopin, gives the understanding that maybe Mrs. Mallard is happy that her husband, Brently Mallard has passed away, but Mrs. Mallard can also be upset, realizing that she is now alone. This continues to be the type of
This story is set in a time (late 1800’s) of which marriage is a sacred vow taken by two people which joins them in union. Their vows were taken very seriously and were not broken. To do so, would cause shame on the woman in most cases as she was always the submissive party – the one to “obey” the husband. However, to this day most people carry the belief that marriage should occur only when two people are in love; although this belief is common it is not always the case and people marry for a variety of reasons, some good and some are bad. Some people even marry for money or even a more lame reason than that.
Kate Chopin uses the setting to help the character, Mrs. Mallard, cope with the news of the loss. Chopin makes it clear that Mrs. Mallard is at home when the news is told to Mrs. Mallard by her sister and her husband’s friend Richard. Her initial reaction was complete devastation. Chopin says, “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. This could mean that Mrs. Mallard wept due to her realization of the fact that she will now be all alone, or that she had some type of attachment to Mr. Mallard. It also, could be a mere “show of mourning” for other’s benefit.
Later, The settings along with the symbolism giving by Chopin, gives the understanding that maybe Mrs. Mallard is happy that her husband, Brently Mallard has passed away, but Mrs. Mallard can also be upset, realizing that she is now alone. This continues to be the type of