Essay on the Selfish Mrs. Mallard in Kate Chopins The...

Selfish Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin’s story, The Story of an Hour, may seem to be about Mrs. Mallard’s unexpected and ironic reactions to the news of her husband’s untimely death due to a railroad disaster. At least that’s what I thought when I read the story. It seemed to me that she led a normal life with a normal marriage. She had a stable home life with a kind, loving husband who cared for her. She seemed to love him, sometimes. She had some kind of heart trouble (Chopin 25) that didn’t really affect her physically, until the very end. I thought Mrs. Mallard would have been saddened and filled with grief for an adequate period of time after her spouse died, but her grief passed quickly, and she†¦show more content†¦One of my observations that I want to point out is that the author says she went away to her room alone. Why couldn’t it be to their room? This may be an example of Mrs. Mallard being a selfish person, a bit possessive that is. I think Mrs. Mallard had always wanted a life of her own. It was like a secret she kept to herself. However, she couldn’t have that life to herself with her husband around. A section of the story describes the scene and events that take place when Mrs. Mallard is in her room alone. She sobs occasionally and allows the grief to pass as she embraces the new beginning of her life. I believe her husband loved her but I think that her husband’s death opened a door to a new life for her that she had hoped for. She sees a view from the window that maybe symbolizes what she wanted in this new life of hers. The following passage describes it: There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully . . . But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through he sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air. . . She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her . . . When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her lightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: Free, free, free! (Chopin 26) How could she be so selfish and already be thinking about what her life was going to be like now that her husband was dead? But to herShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1421 Words   |  6 Pages Essay One â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is arguably known as Kate Chopin’s best short story. Those who have read the story, can agree that Louise Mallard, receives tragic information of her husband, Brently Mallard’s death. Mrs. Mallard then accelerates through a sequence of emotional reactions of â€Å"new spring life† and â€Å"elixir of life† (476-477), but she receives another shock that her husband is actually alive. This shock is so devastating that it is fatal. Chopin’s depiction of open windows and spring