Nora of Henry Ibsen's "A Doll's Life" and Mrs. Millard of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" are two women that put their aspirations for personal happiness aside to be the perfectly obedient wives. Mrs. Millard forfeited her happiness to be a supporting and loving wife regardless of what makes her happy. This is also evident with Nora, who married a man that has never truly appreciated her happiness or contribution to the life they have built together. Deep down these women want to figure out what personal happiness is, and the possibilities still obtainable to them. Despite their commonalities, Nora and Mrs. Millard’s choices lead them in different directions in life. At the time these stories took place, women’s rights were virtually
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It appears Mrs. Millard feels she has no other recourse but to conform to her husband's wishes and live a doomed life. In her mind she recalls, "It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long" (41). To have such a negative outlook on your future with your spouse is disheartening to say the least. The unexpected breath of freedom she experiences happens only after she learns of her husband's death and would probably never have occurred had it not been for this life changing message. Mrs. Millard does not seem to have the strength or will to leave him on her own. Therefore, she suddenly has a heart attack at the end of the story. She cannot envision herself leaving this man willfully to obtain freedom for herself. Therefore, it must be the face of death that is responsible for their separation. Her will is simply not strong enough to make such a drastic change. The irony of her apparent heart attack “it was not joy but disappointment, if anything, that brought on the heart attack that killed her. But the (presumably male) doctors who attended her death would not have assumed any such thing: they would have analyzed her death as a result of her love for her husband, and the sheer joy she felt at having him back.” (A Summary and Analysis of Kate Chopin). On the other side, Nora has a much stronger self-will and much more determination. Although she lives a life of submission and repression, she is somehow able to reach within herself and finally make the decision she has always contemplated making. Mrs. Millard no longer feels a strong commitment when she suddenly realizes that her husband really does not love and cherish her. She comments to Torvald, "You don't understand me, and I have never understood you either - before
It appears Mrs. Millard feels she has no other recourse but to conform to her husband's wishes and live a doomed life. In her mind she recalls, "It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long" (41). To have such a negative outlook on your future with your spouse is disheartening to say the least. The unexpected breath of freedom she experiences happens only after she learns of her husband's death and would probably never have occurred had it not been for this life changing message. Mrs. Millard does not seem to have the strength or will to leave him on her own. Therefore, she suddenly has a heart attack at the end of the story. She cannot envision herself leaving this man willfully to obtain freedom for herself. Therefore, it must be the face of death that is responsible for their separation. Her will is simply not strong enough to make such a drastic change. The irony of her apparent heart attack “it was not joy but disappointment, if anything, that brought on the heart attack that killed her. But the (presumably male) doctors who attended her death would not have assumed any such thing: they would have analyzed her death as a result of her love for her husband, and the sheer joy she felt at having him back.” (A Summary and Analysis of Kate Chopin). On the other side, Nora has a much stronger self-will and much more determination. Although she lives a life of submission and repression, she is somehow able to reach within herself and finally make the decision she has always contemplated making. Mrs. Millard no longer feels a strong commitment when she suddenly realizes that her husband really does not love and cherish her. She comments to Torvald, "You don't understand me, and I have never understood you either - before