Louise Mallard Isolation

Isolation: Yay! My Husband Died!

Life versus death. When someone who is loved dies, pain prevails. In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin demonstrates the exact opposite to what one would expect after the passing of a loved one. Chopin’s main character, Louise Mallard, faces an unexpected emotional response to death in which she is undergoing isolation. In addition, it could be noted that she is facing denial as she consciously decides to ignore the despondency of her situation.

For the majority of people who have lost a loved one, they would express feelings such as sorrow and grief. It is clear to the reader that Mrs. Mallard is not having a healthy reaction to the news of her husband’s death. As she sits in her room, it only takes an hour for her to recover from the tragic news, hence, “The Story of an Hour.” Psychologically we can see how she isolates herself just by the way she acts within minutes of being informed of his death. “She said it over and over under her breath: ‘Free, free, free!” (128).

Looking more in depth into Mrs.

Mallard’s behavior the reader can also observe that she is facing denial, in which she tries to convince herself that everything is fine even if it is not. “And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!” (128). In this passage the reader can see how both isolation and denial come into play. In response to the loss of her husband, her feelings of relief are an example of isolation. Mrs. Mallard is also expressing symptoms of denial as she tries to convince herself she had not always loved him and now can finally go about her own

desires.
To gain a better understanding of this story, looking into Chopin’s life experiences can give the reader a new perspective as to why Mrs. Mallard is behaving the way she is. In Chopin’s early life she was raised by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. This encouraged her to be less dependent on men and rely primarily on herself. Mrs. Mallard’s actions would make sense when connecting her circumstances to Chopin’s values.
In “The Story of an Hour,” the strong presence of isolation is evident throughout this piece of literature. One could further take in account the sense of denial that is accounted for. The characteristics of Mrs. Mallard could be a representation of the author's feelings, answering the question of: “Why is this character behaving this way?” Chopin’s message of women’s independence would not have come across to the reader if Mrs. Mallard had not behaved with such mannerisms.