Selfishness In The Story Of An Hour

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is one of selfishness and freedom. In the story, Louise Mallard, who has a heart condition, is informed of the tragic death of her husband Brently who worked for the railroad. Louise’s sister Josephine broke the news to her carefully with the presence of Richards, who was one of Brently’s good friends. Mrs. Mallard does not take the news very well and she shuts herself in her room to cry alone. However, once she has mourned the loss of her husband, a great feeling floods over her. She had not felt this sensation for some time. It was the feeling of being free. Louise had married young in life and had not really ever known this freedom. Josephine tried to come into her room when she hadn’t heard from Louise in a while, but Louise was not crying, rather she was dreaming of the freedom she now had in her grasp. Finally, Mrs. Mallard came down from her room with an air of triumph about her. However, upon her reaching the bottom of the stair Brently entered from the front door. He had not been in the accident and didn’t even know there was one. Mrs. Mallard died at that moment from a joyful heart. Louise Mallard’s original reaction of mourning the loss of her husband is a normal reaction for many people when they …show more content…
The news of the apparent death of Brently Mallard rocked Louise Mallard’s world; for several minutes anyways. After the initial shock of the news of her husband’s death was over she immediately felt a surge of freedom and selfishness for herself. She had never experienced the freedom of being free from a husband or family since she had married very early in life. I believe that the death of Mrs. Mallard upon the sight of her husband in the door alive and well is symbolic of her resolve to remain free at all costs. She wanted to retain the memory of being free no matter how long it lasted or the cost of the