Freedom In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

Words: 478
Pages: 2
Open Document
Freedom is one of the most cherished aspirations of a human being. In the nineteenth century women lost all freedom when they got married. Women gave up their belongings and their lives. In “The Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard gains the freedom women yearn for, but it is soon taken away. Mrs. Mallard’s home consists of three objects that play separate roles in her hope of being free.
The closed bedroom door, in the beginning of the story, symbolizes Louise Mallard’s freedom from everyone downstairs. After her “storm of grief” (Chopin 425) was over she wanted to be left alone. The closed door allows Mrs. Mallard to express her true feelings about her husband passing away and to realize she is free from her marriage. When Chopin states “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully,” (426) Louise is frightened by her own grief. Then …show more content…
Mallard must live in. Before Mr. Mallard died, Louise was expected to do everything for him. Mr. Mallard practically controlled the front door because he has possession of the “latchkey” (426). Now that he was dead, the front door allowed Louise to go out in the town and explore all her new freedoms. When she comes out of her room with her sister the front door opens and there stands Mr. Mallard. This symbolizes her freedom being taken away. Ultimately the front door killed Louise Mallard. She died from the shock of realizing she was no longer free from her marriage. In conclusion, the door to Mrs. Mallard’s room, the open window, and the front door played a role in her hopes of being free. Each of these aspects let her be free from different things. The door to her bedroom allows her to be secluded from everyone downstairs. The open window reveals the freedoms of the outside world. Lastly, the front door allows Mrs. Mallard to explore her new freedom but results in losing it when she sees Mr. Mallard behind the door. This ultimately leads to her
Show More

Related Documents: Freedom In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

Texting: Fiction and Kate Chopin Essay

Christina Oltmann Analyze the use of imagery in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” During the nineteenth century independence was a forbidden pleasure for women. “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin explores the captivity felt by a woman that belonges to a man through marriage. Chopin uses special forms of imagery, which imply the psychological strains of someone who is underrated by social expectations. She shows the gradual transformation from a grieving wife to a woman…

Words 779 - Pages 4

Sexual Intercourse and Women Essay

2014 America’s Earliest Suffragette Kate Chopin was born in a time of struggle for all women. In the nineteenth century, a woman was considered property of whatever man was head of their family. However, Kate was lucky in that she had a very unorthodox childhood, considering the social conventions of her time. She was raised by three generations of independent and strong women: her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. All three ladies were widows, leaving Kate without any patriarchal influence…

Words 1983 - Pages 8

Story Of An Hour Setting

The Setting in “The Story of an Hour” Sometimes the setting of a story is unimportant; sometimes a story could take place anywhere and nothing would really change. However, in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” the setting is a vital part of the theme. The house, Louise Mallard’s armchair, and the open window symbolize the oppression of her marriage and relationship with her sister along with the freedom that her husband’s death promises Mrs. Mallard. The house in the story represents the entrapment…

Words 516 - Pages 3

Mrs: Marriage and Mrs. Mallard Essay

Emotions Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a short story that brings self-assertion, love, guilt, and death all during the span of a life-altering ironic hour. Although happily married to Mr. Brently Mallard, Mrs. Louise Mallard was living in the patriarchal struggles of the nineteenth century. For an independent woman, this may bring slight unhappiness. Throughout this symbolic story, Mrs. Mallard feels a range of emotions firstly grief and ending in joy. In the beginning of this story, Mrs.…

Words 1152 - Pages 5

Analysis and Summary: Story of an Hour Essay

Audience Analysis The target audience for my summary and response to Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of the Hour,” would be primarily college students, my professor, and any individual both male and female interested in the works of Chopin and/or the interpretation there of. I hope my summary and response reaches an audience with an appreciation or longing for a better understanding of the pre feminist movement struggle: the inner clash of a woman, torn between being an independent woman with hopes…

Words 1206 - Pages 5

Story of and Hour Essay examples

ENGWR 301/ TuTh Reading Response In Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard is awakened with thoughts of freedom following the news of her husband’s death. Louise battles her feelings of love for Brently and love for herself. Mrs. Mallard never doubted the love her husband has for her, but her love was not as strong. She indicates something is missing in their marriage; maybe a lack of passion, independence and enthusiasm. They are married to cope with society’s norm. “And yet…

Words 354 - Pages 2

Story Of An Hour Rhetorical Analysis

One of the most excellent pieces of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is the fact that the author creates doubt, surprise, and disbelief in a tale that is astonishingly complex. “The Story of an Hour" explains how a woman, after her husband's sudden death, finds herself liberated, achieves independence, and begins to acquire self-determination - at least for the interlude of one hour, as the title declares. Viewed as a kind of an instant that ruins social contentment and gives formation to a woman's…

Words 1839 - Pages 8

Essay On Mrs. Mallard In Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour

In Kate Chopin’s short story The Story of an Hour, the metaphor Mrs. Mallard is a square peg in a round hole, refers to the idea that she is not the type of woman who automatically no longer knows what to do after her husband is dead (or believed to be). In the beginning she is overwhelmed with grief, but after some time thinking on her own she decides to make her life her own, making her stand out from the average widow (or supposed widow) of the time. Mrs. Mallard has had an extremely repressed…

Words 507 - Pages 3

Free Will In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

superiority gave women no voice, no control and most importantly, a lack of free will. In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour”, the main character Mrs. Mallard has supposedly lost her husband in a horrible accident and ends up becoming happy for her potential freedom. This gets quashed when it turns out her husband was not involved in the fatal accident. In Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the main character is forced into bedrest and lacks any kind of free…

Words 381 - Pages 2

Time To Break Free Essay

Spirits are high for freedom and low for love nowadays don’t you think? Have you read “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, or maybe even “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber? Throughout these stories you hear about two very different people with the same goal: freedom. James Thurber and Kate Chopin express the passionate want for freedom in their literary works, though these characters are different, they still express the same spirit for freedom. It’s time to break free!…

Words 485 - Pages 2