Independence In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

In “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin creates a theme of heartbreak and shows this through independence that is a forbidden pleasure. When Louise hears from Josephine and Richards about Brently’s, her husband's, death, she reacts with obvious agony. Louise then starts to realize that she is now an independent woman, and at this realization she becomes excited to her new found independence. Even though these are her private thoughts, she at first tries the joy she feels, to “beat it back with her will—as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been.” ( 1 ). With this, it shows that if you hold something back for so long, with how the forbidden this pleasure can be so appealing.

Louise, who readily admits that her husband

Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.”(1), danced through her mind reveals the inherent oppressiveness of all marriages, which by their nature rob people of their independence. While there were other ways for females to have independence, they were often frowned upon. Louise’s weeping about Brently’s death highlight the chasm between sorrow and happiness. Louise cries or thinks about crying for about three-quarters of story, stopping only when she thinks of her new found freedom. Crying is assumingly a part of her life with Brently, but it can be assumed that crying will be absent from her life as an independent woman. At the beginning of the story, Louise sobs dramatically when she learns that Brently is dead, enduring “ the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone...”(1). She continues weeping when she is alone in her room, although the crying now is unconscious, more a physical

For much of the story the open window represents the freedom and opportunities that are out there for her after her husband has died from the train accident. From the window, Louise sees the blue sky, fluffy clouds, and treetops. She hears people outside along with the birds singing and the smells a coming rainstorm. Everything that she experiences through her senses suggests joy and spring, meaning new life. When she ponders the sky, she feels the first hints of happiness. Once she fully indulges in this excitement, she feels that the open window is providing her with life itself. The open window provides a clear, bright view into the distance and Louise’s own bright future, which is now unobstructed by the demands of another person. It’s therefore no coincidence that when Louise turns from the window and the view, she quickly loses her freedom as