After she hears of her husband’s death she morns for what feels like only a moment. Mrs. Mallard goes to her room, and looks out into the patchy blue sky. Chopin uses the patchy blue sky to create an image of darkness clearing out of Mrs. Mallard’s life. When reading the story, a sense of relief comes to mind as Mrs. Mallard thinks of her life ahead without Mr. Mallard. This is when Mrs. Mallard’s character finally starts thinking for herself.
John also forbids Jane from writing in her journal, so she had to hide it from him. As time goes on Jane’s mental state declines even further. Since Jane wasn’t being treated properly, she went from a being in a depressed state to a form of psychosis. She became obsessed with the wallpaper; Jane believed she was seeing a woman behind the wallpaper. The symbolism is clear: the woman behind the wallpaper is Jane who is trying to escape her reality of being secluded in her own home.
Every person has the right to be and feel free. They have the right to be independent and live happily. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour,” focuses on sixty minutes in the life of a young Mrs. Mallard. Upon learning of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard experiences a revelation about her future without a husband. Her life, due to heart problems, suddenly ends after she unexpectedly finds out her husband is actually alive.
This shows a balance between gender roles, as well as the embracing progressive changes within culture and society. In the story “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, a third-person omniscient narrator, relates how Mrs. Louise Mallard, the protagonist, experiences the euphoria of freedom rather than the grief of loneliness after hearing about her husband’s death. Later, when Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband, Mr. Brently Mallard, still lives, she realizes that all her aspiration for freedom has gone. The shock and disappointment kills Mrs. Mallard. Kate Chopin reveals how language, institutions, and expected behavior restrain the natural desires and aspirations of women in patriarchal societies.
In Story of an Hour, there is a constant theme about Springtime. Not only does Springtime have warm weather and animals, it also portrays happiness and freedom. In this short story, Chopin discusses springtime as a relief that Mrs. Mallard’s husband has died. Springtime shows Mrs. Mallard being “set free” in a time of despair. Dark and gloomy weather usually represents death and pain while springtime portrays the new life that Mrs. Mallard will soon encounter after her husband 's death.
The woman in the wallpaper is trapped just like she is. The narrator creates a figure that she could relate to and then spends all her time focused on the figure and trying to figure out how to help the woman in the wallpaper escape her cell. As the story continues and she remains isolated, it is obvious Jane views herself as the woman inside the wallpaper. As a result of being trapped in her room, she begins to lose her sanity. She believes she is trapped in the wallpaper and must escape its holds.
Mallard is described as having wrinkles that “bespoke repression” to show that her voice and free will has been repressed in marriage. When Chopin wrote The Story of an Hour females had few career opportunities, and lacked the ability to vote, so Mrs. Mallard is used as an archetype of the voiceless women in marriage and society. The argument put forward shows that it is wrong that females must be without the “possession of self assertion” in marriage and life instead they should be on equal footing with males. Chopin uses the setting in the Story of an Hour to further display the power dynamics because the housewife is merely a guest in her husband’s
However, literary critic Katherine Thompson in an essay describes the Victorian era as the “essential beginnings of gender equity changes” (Thompson). Despite Victorian society’s rejection of any sort of feminist progressive mindset, the decades preceding allowed for these ideas to take root in the women’s suffrage movement. Kate Chopin in her novel The Awakening, explores the concept of feminist individualism and fulfillment through the characterization of the protagonist Edna. Edna throughout the novel defies gender roles and develops into a strong independent woman. Yet at the conclusion of the novel, she commits suicide.
I thought I could not help them in any way. However, when I finally went up to John to control the situation, I realised that his dementia was making him confused. He was trying hard to remain calm; however, he was eager to meet his son and that alone made him annoyed. For John, meeting his son was extremely important because he believed that once his son arrives, everything will become better. After controlling the situation, I looked at Susan.
Ann feels that it is wrong for John to “slave away fifteen hours a day” to afford pretty clothes for her. The clothing symbolizes the contradictory ideals of a happy marriage between John and Ann. Both John and Ann want to achieve a joyful life together, but it is impossible due to their actions denying the other. To provide Ann with someone to talk to, John decides to invite their close friend, Steven to their home. John trusts Steven to help Ann with chores and to provide her with companionship.