Who Is Louise Mallard Selfish
Zenia Efimoff
PRF1- English 102
Character Analysis Assignment
January, 25, 2011
In “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard the main character received the news of her husband’s death. At first the news shocked her. When alone in her room she realizes that she is free. Filled with excitement and the feeling of being reborn she journeys downstairs to find her husband alive and well. Mrs. Mallard then dies; the doctors claimed it was joy. Through the “Story of an Hour” it is discovered that Louise Mallard is a selfish yet strong character.
When first hearing of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard “wept at once, with sudden wild abandonment.” (13) However her selfish side comes out when alone in her room. She overcomes
this great feeling of freedom. Which is quite selfish at the news of your partner’s death and it is unexpected to react in such a manor. She crosses all these thoughts of having “all sorts of days that would be her own.” (14) The tragic death of her husband left her to think of herself and all the time she would get to spend doing whatever she pleased. Louise did not have one thought of her dead husband just herself. Lastly when discovering her husband is alive after all, she dies. The realization of her freedom being taken away and was about to be trapped yet again, was too much for her to live with. With that being said, she did not having any concerns about the feelings of her sister, let alone her husband. She thought of herself and could care less what kind of mess she left them in. Although she did not love her husband, he loved her and that was an extremely selfish action.
Louise Mallard was a strong woman. When receiving the news of her husband’s death, she accepted it, what more could she do. Mrs. Mallard did not need people to comfort her for her mourning of the death. It is admirable that none of her thoughts consisted of how could she ever survive without a man or how could she possibly survive on her own, especially considering the time the story took place in, where there were not many career opportunities for women, Quite to the contrary she feels content and is looking forward to being on her own. Louise took the news better than most people would have; when her sister came to take her downstairs “she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.” (14) In the end of the story she stayed true to her newly discovered self, not wanting to go back to repressed life she was living, died. This shows her strength of being true to herself even if it was fatal.
Louise Mallard went through a lot in one hour. In this hour it is proved that she was a complex woman. From the outside she may have seemed simple, but she was much more than that. Mrs. Mallard was indeed selfish, but she was also strong. Her selfishness shone through when she was thinking about her future life without her husband and how great that was going to be. Yet she came across as strong with everything, how she handled the news, carried herself and stuck to herself right through the end. Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and actions showed her as being selfish, but also proved that she was a strong person.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Meyer, Michael. Literature to Go. Bedford Books, 2010.
PRF1- English 102
Character Analysis Assignment
January, 25, 2011
In “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard the main character received the news of her husband’s death. At first the news shocked her. When alone in her room she realizes that she is free. Filled with excitement and the feeling of being reborn she journeys downstairs to find her husband alive and well. Mrs. Mallard then dies; the doctors claimed it was joy. Through the “Story of an Hour” it is discovered that Louise Mallard is a selfish yet strong character.
When first hearing of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard “wept at once, with sudden wild abandonment.” (13) However her selfish side comes out when alone in her room. She overcomes
this great feeling of freedom. Which is quite selfish at the news of your partner’s death and it is unexpected to react in such a manor. She crosses all these thoughts of having “all sorts of days that would be her own.” (14) The tragic death of her husband left her to think of herself and all the time she would get to spend doing whatever she pleased. Louise did not have one thought of her dead husband just herself. Lastly when discovering her husband is alive after all, she dies. The realization of her freedom being taken away and was about to be trapped yet again, was too much for her to live with. With that being said, she did not having any concerns about the feelings of her sister, let alone her husband. She thought of herself and could care less what kind of mess she left them in. Although she did not love her husband, he loved her and that was an extremely selfish action.
Louise Mallard was a strong woman. When receiving the news of her husband’s death, she accepted it, what more could she do. Mrs. Mallard did not need people to comfort her for her mourning of the death. It is admirable that none of her thoughts consisted of how could she ever survive without a man or how could she possibly survive on her own, especially considering the time the story took place in, where there were not many career opportunities for women, Quite to the contrary she feels content and is looking forward to being on her own. Louise took the news better than most people would have; when her sister came to take her downstairs “she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.” (14) In the end of the story she stayed true to her newly discovered self, not wanting to go back to repressed life she was living, died. This shows her strength of being true to herself even if it was fatal.
Louise Mallard went through a lot in one hour. In this hour it is proved that she was a complex woman. From the outside she may have seemed simple, but she was much more than that. Mrs. Mallard was indeed selfish, but she was also strong. Her selfishness shone through when she was thinking about her future life without her husband and how great that was going to be. Yet she came across as strong with everything, how she handled the news, carried herself and stuck to herself right through the end. Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and actions showed her as being selfish, but also proved that she was a strong person.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Meyer, Michael. Literature to Go. Bedford Books, 2010.