“Free! Body and soul free!” she[Louise] kept whispering (Chopin 235). This young woman’s
prominent declaration was made after receiving the news of her husband’s death. The life she once
knew fell into a thousand pieces. Shortly after obtaining her true joy of freedom, Louise suddenly loses
her newfound freedom when her husband, Brently, returns home alive. Because of this shock of truth,
she dies from, “the joy that kills” (Chopin 236). In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, a
reoccurring theme that the author conveys throughout the short story is the desire to be free.
Mrs. Louise Mallard is a symbol of women of her time which displays the theme of desiring
freedom. The approximate time period for this short story …show more content…
Many women were married for advantage.
Not only that, but women, such as Louise, were often trapped into a loveless marriage. As she says in
the short story, “And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not” (Chopin 235). Society
believed it was ridiculous to be romantically inclined in a marriage. In these forced marriages,
typically, the wife was quite restricted. The main role of a wife back then was to produce an heir for the
estate. In Louise’s case, she was restricted to the point where she was locked inside her own home
(Chopin 235). The life of a wife was not always the most freeing life, as Louise illustrates in the short
story.
The chair in the short story is a symbol is a symbol or rest, yet another picture of longing for
freedom. After learning of her husband’s death, Brently, Louise escapes to her room and finds herself
drawn to an armchair. The change occurs in the chair, which releases Louise, “Into this she sank,
pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul”
(Chopin 234). It releases her from the social world and her husband. No longer does she have to face
Youngblood
prominent declaration was made after receiving the news of her husband’s death. The life she once
knew fell into a thousand pieces. Shortly after obtaining her true joy of freedom, Louise suddenly loses
her newfound freedom when her husband, Brently, returns home alive. Because of this shock of truth,
she dies from, “the joy that kills” (Chopin 236). In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, a
reoccurring theme that the author conveys throughout the short story is the desire to be free.
Mrs. Louise Mallard is a symbol of women of her time which displays the theme of desiring
freedom. The approximate time period for this short story …show more content…
Many women were married for advantage.
Not only that, but women, such as Louise, were often trapped into a loveless marriage. As she says in
the short story, “And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not” (Chopin 235). Society
believed it was ridiculous to be romantically inclined in a marriage. In these forced marriages,
typically, the wife was quite restricted. The main role of a wife back then was to produce an heir for the
estate. In Louise’s case, she was restricted to the point where she was locked inside her own home
(Chopin 235). The life of a wife was not always the most freeing life, as Louise illustrates in the short
story.
The chair in the short story is a symbol is a symbol or rest, yet another picture of longing for
freedom. After learning of her husband’s death, Brently, Louise escapes to her room and finds herself
drawn to an armchair. The change occurs in the chair, which releases Louise, “Into this she sank,
pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul”
(Chopin 234). It releases her from the social world and her husband. No longer does she have to face
Youngblood