Freedom and Kate Chopins Story of an Hour Essay - 1668 Words

Freedom and The Story Of An Hour When I first read Kate Chopins The Story Of An Hour, my instinctual response was to sympathize with the character of Mrs. Mallard. This seemed to me to have been intended by the author because the story follows her emotional path from the original shock upon hearing of her husbands supposed death to her gradual acceptance of the joy she feels in anticipating her new freedom to the irony of her own sudden death. However, one fact cannot be overlooked when judging my personal reaction to this piece. Because this storys theme is basically an issue of what a woman has the right to expect from her life, the fact that I am a woman living in a society where freedom and independence are†¦show more content†¦Mallard when I thought she was reacting with violent sorrow to the death of her husband just the same as I was when it became clear that she was looking upon her future without him in a kind of cheerful anticipation. Perhaps this is due to the fact that in both ins tances her feelings were set apart from what those of the average woman of her day would have been. Living, as I do, in a time and place where the image of a strong and independent woman is accepted as the culmination of a long journey of struggle (which continues to be waged) against a history of male domination, it almost goes without saying that a female who stood unabashedly apart from the condescending machismo of her day is to be respected as living before her time. During my first reading of the story it was almost as if my emotive response as a reader was following exactly the course of response of Mrs. Mallard herself. Firstly, there was sorrow. Sorrow for Mrs. Mallard, who is not only afflicted with a heart trouble(pg 275, P1) but now has also lost her husband. Notice that I say sorrow but not pity. I had too much admiration for her character to feel the condescending emotion of pity. The first sentence I came to which may have had the power to evoke a sense of pity is this: She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength (pg 275, P8). However, Chopin immediately counteracted the word repression (whichShow MoreRelatedEssay on Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of An Hour1087 Words   |  5 PagesFreedom in Kate Chopins The Story of An Hour In Kate Chopins The Story of An Hour the theme is found within the concept of how someone can be trapped in a repressive, unsatisfying reality because of anothers thoughtless oppression and manipulation. When combined with the contemporary societys beliefs --- presumably the later half of the 19th century for this story -- a further understanding of Chopins thoughts and feelings can be realized. 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