Critical Analysis Of The Story Of An Hour

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Critical Analysis of “The Story of an Hour”
Because of Mrs. Mallard's heart condition, everyone basically takes care of her very carefully. When her sister and family friend find out that Mr. Mallard got killed in an accident, they take time to tell Mrs. Mallard that her husband died. She cries, then goes to her room to be by herself and locks the door. Inside, she seems terrified of some realization that comes to her and she finally realizes that it's her freedom. Even though they loved each other, and she's saddened by his death, she feels free for the first time. While Mrs. Mallard is having this realization, her sister keeps trying to check on her. Finally, Mrs. Mallard comes out of her room, and they start to go downstairs. Suddenly, Mr. Mallard, who isnt really dead, comes in. When Mrs. Mallard sees him, she has a massive shock and dies.
“The Story of an Hour” has Mrs. Mallard show thoughts and emotions that can support and go against the feminist perspective. At the beginning, Mrs. Mallard is overcome with grief with the loss of her husband. This shows that the female is an emotional person compared to men. It was normal for her to be upset with the death of her husband, but the story had both her sister and her husband’s friend be there to break the news to her. Mrs. Mallard has heart problems which can make the reader see her as a weaker person right at the beginning of the story.
Another way to make Mrs. Mallard appear as a weaker person was when she went to her room alone to cry. After she goes in her room she goes to the chair and the story says, “Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.” This shows us that her emotions caused her physic...

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...was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.” The death of her husband gave her a new look of life in her future. Now that she could live for herself, she wanted nothing more. When she was forced into the role of a fearful and obedient wife, she didn’t see a point in living. She would have rather died young then to have to obey her husband for the rest of her life. After she says this, her husband walks into their home and she realizes that he wasn’t really dead all along. She finally allowed herself to think of her life as living for herself. I think that the shock and disappointment in not being allowed the new life is what killed her. She got her wish in the end and lived a short life, which is what she wanted all along if she was forced to live her life for her husband. It seems like her body gave her what her mind wanted.

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