In today’s society, women see themselves as the victim; all they want to have is a voice handed to them on a silver platter. They get to a point where they have been quiet for so long that they need something drastic to happen to get unstuck. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” the main character, Louise Mallard, becomes extremely cornered behind her husband that she does not feel released until his unexpected death. Therefore, when he appeared alive in the end, Mrs. Mallard returned to her old ways, which led to death. The main conflict in the story does not emerge from gender issues, but it derives from the internal struggle that a woman has to speak for herself; this is supported by Chopin’s use of irony, symbolism, and repetition.
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For instance, the story states, “There would be no one to live for [Mrs. Mallard] during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin). Chopin uses dramatic irony to convey Louise’s internal conflict. In the past years, she has placed herself behind her husband; therefore, the audience knows that she is ecstatic about being on her own now that her husband is dead. Once she is given the opportunity to reveal how she truly feels, she takes those reactions and runs. Her way out switches from being within her fingertips to slowly slipping away. Mrs. Mallard turns to the cliché woman approach, so she hides her excitement to save her own reputation of being a nice, sophisticated …show more content…
For example, women tend to place themselves behind someone who has more power or authority, so once they are behind them for so long, it becomes easier to let someone else speak for them. The story states, “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin). Chopin uses similar lines expressing the word “free” several times throughout her story; therefore, it is used to show that Mrs. Mallard has found her way out. However, she only realizes this freedom when she is upstairs alone. She thinks that her husband’s death is the perfect time to have her own voice, but she waits too long. When her husband appears through the door, she recognizes that she has waited too long to voice her freedom. Instead of doing the right thing and becoming her own person, she takes the easy way out, death. Mrs. Mallard would rather be out of the picture completely than have to reveal to her husband that she finally wants to live for herself; she does not even give her husband a chance to help her with a new life. It is either her doing it on her own or
For instance, the story states, “There would be no one to live for [Mrs. Mallard] during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin). Chopin uses dramatic irony to convey Louise’s internal conflict. In the past years, she has placed herself behind her husband; therefore, the audience knows that she is ecstatic about being on her own now that her husband is dead. Once she is given the opportunity to reveal how she truly feels, she takes those reactions and runs. Her way out switches from being within her fingertips to slowly slipping away. Mrs. Mallard turns to the cliché woman approach, so she hides her excitement to save her own reputation of being a nice, sophisticated …show more content…
For example, women tend to place themselves behind someone who has more power or authority, so once they are behind them for so long, it becomes easier to let someone else speak for them. The story states, “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin). Chopin uses similar lines expressing the word “free” several times throughout her story; therefore, it is used to show that Mrs. Mallard has found her way out. However, she only realizes this freedom when she is upstairs alone. She thinks that her husband’s death is the perfect time to have her own voice, but she waits too long. When her husband appears through the door, she recognizes that she has waited too long to voice her freedom. Instead of doing the right thing and becoming her own person, she takes the easy way out, death. Mrs. Mallard would rather be out of the picture completely than have to reveal to her husband that she finally wants to live for herself; she does not even give her husband a chance to help her with a new life. It is either her doing it on her own or