Ellen Scarborough
Ms. Henderson
ENG102
1 February 2015
Death: A Sometimes Sad Situation In the short story, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, rumors flew that Mrs. Louise Mallard’s husband, Brently, had been in a train collision. Her sister Josephine had been taking care of her because she was having heart problems at the time, which was called heart disease. After Richards, their family friend, delivered the news of her husband’s death, she went in to a state of shock. She then retreated to another room to be alone. In the story she felt an odd sense of elation and found herself murmuring and whispering, “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin 15). Louise’s reaction was not the typical response one would expect from a now widowed female who had just received devastating news. …show more content…
Men had the right to vote while women did not. Women were relegated to being housewives, keepers of the home and the designated bearers of children, while the husband’s main priority was being that of bread winner for the family. It is very clear in the story that Mrs. Mallard wanted to be free, to live her life for herself, though the reader is not given the reasons why. She obviously was not happy with her marriage or may be even her life. As the family is in the process of dealing with the pain and loss of Louise’s husband they receive a shock when he comes through the door that evening. Mr. Brently was evidently not dead. It appears that all of the commotion and bad news given that day took a toll on Mrs. Mallard, who succumbed to her heart problems. Towards the end the writer states, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease of joy that kills.” (Chopin 20). In the end, Louise’s death appears to be her only path to
Ms. Henderson
ENG102
1 February 2015
Death: A Sometimes Sad Situation In the short story, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, rumors flew that Mrs. Louise Mallard’s husband, Brently, had been in a train collision. Her sister Josephine had been taking care of her because she was having heart problems at the time, which was called heart disease. After Richards, their family friend, delivered the news of her husband’s death, she went in to a state of shock. She then retreated to another room to be alone. In the story she felt an odd sense of elation and found herself murmuring and whispering, “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin 15). Louise’s reaction was not the typical response one would expect from a now widowed female who had just received devastating news. …show more content…
Men had the right to vote while women did not. Women were relegated to being housewives, keepers of the home and the designated bearers of children, while the husband’s main priority was being that of bread winner for the family. It is very clear in the story that Mrs. Mallard wanted to be free, to live her life for herself, though the reader is not given the reasons why. She obviously was not happy with her marriage or may be even her life. As the family is in the process of dealing with the pain and loss of Louise’s husband they receive a shock when he comes through the door that evening. Mr. Brently was evidently not dead. It appears that all of the commotion and bad news given that day took a toll on Mrs. Mallard, who succumbed to her heart problems. Towards the end the writer states, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease of joy that kills.” (Chopin 20). In the end, Louise’s death appears to be her only path to