Marriage In Louise Mallard: The Story Of An Hour

Throughout history, marriage has been a sacred, unbreakable and until death commitment. Many people throughout history have been forced into marriage. When a woman was married, all of her inheritance would belong to her husband. The husband had rights to everything a woman had, including her body. This was supported by both the law as well as the marriage vows. The marriage ceremony was a vow to obey her husband. Many of those marriages we often full of unhappiness, and psychological imprisonment. People often died in their unhappy marriage, divorce wasn’t even considered, and most religions deemed divorce a sin. That often followed ridicule, shame brought on the family name, and often being thrown out of town. Until 1891, if a woman ran away from an unhappy marriage and she was caught, she would be imprisoned. In modern day America, people have a right to choose their partner regardless of sexual orientation, economic standard, and nationality. Sadly this freedom is taken advantage of. Linda Wolfe holds record for being the most married woman in the world. She was married 23 times, her husband was Glynn Wolfe. He was the world's most married man, at 29 times. (Grandmother is…). In the story of an hour, the reader meets a character named Louise Mallard, who faced common troubles of marriages during the 1800’s. Stuck in an unhappy marriage, the news of her husband’s death brought her a new sense of freedom, both physical and psychological. The reader has a unique point of view. Her family members believe she is grieved because or Mr. Mallards death. In reality she is happy that he is dead because now she “Free! Body and soul free! (Story of an Hour)”

In the beginning of “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopins, it is stated that ...

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...view into the distance and to Mrs. Mallard’s own bright future. Her home is an imprisonment, and outside is the freedom she lacks. On her way to the outside, her husband comes through the door, and she dies before she reaches that freedom she so desperately seeks.

In retrospect, Mrs. Mallard wanted a forbidden fruit she was unable to attain at the time. Her freedom was denied, and she was bound to a man she no longer loved. Although Mr. Mallard was not a bad person, Mrs. Mallard felt oppressed by him. She sometimes felt that she also suppressed him as well. In the end, the irony was the death of Ms. Mallard. She so desperately wanted the death of her husband. In the end she was the one that passed away. She was so close to obtaining that freedom. Her freedom was just across her doorway arc. In her death, she gave Mr. Mallard the freedom that she wanted for herself.