A Joy That Kills Mrs Mallard Character Analysis

Broadcast in 1985 by Tina Rathborne, “A Joy that Kills” is the movie adaptation of “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. Both book and film are set in the 19th century and center on the protagonist Louis Mallard. The heart troubles experienced by Mrs. Mallard play an important role in both the film and literary version. There’s a strong semblance of repression from both the film and book, however, the restrictions experienced by Mrs. Mallard in the film seems to be more particular to her character than the universal feelings of subjugation through marriage for women in the 19th century that the book conveys. Minor characters such as Josephine and Richard are present in the film as well, carrying out similar roles to their literary counterparts. While the film plays out the same as the book, and ultimately the outcomes are the same, there’s an obvious contrasts to the characters and the reasoning behind their behavior.

A majority of the focus of the film is about Mrs. Mallard’s longing to travel. Frequently, she is shown fantasying about visiting the Sphinx and the gardens of France, these qualities are entirely absent from the book. In the film, Mrs. Mallard’s prohibitions are felt more through her inability to leave her home rather than the actual marriage, her confinement …show more content…
Mallard is informed of Mr. Mallard’s death she takes the news similarly in both versions, yet her film counterpart is embellished with more childish hysterics. Both in the film and book, Mrs. Mallard is overjoyed at the idea of freedom, although in a contrasting way. In the film, she symbolically breaks the stereoscope and professes that she no longer needs the photographs, she will visit the gardens of France and the Sphinx for herself; additionally, she is free from her home. The literary version is overjoyed at the idea of being her own person again and she is free from the will of her husband, she experiences a more immaterial