Mrs. Mallard In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

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“The Story of an Hour” Essay In “The Story of an Hour”, following the supposed death of her husband, Mrs. Mallard deals with the conflict between her true self, including her feelings and ideas, and the expectations of society placed upon women during the time period. Even before hearing the news of Mr. Mallard’s death, societal norms are being pushed upon Mrs. Mallard with expectations as to how she will react. Both Josephine and Richard are afraid of her reaction to the news; they break it to her gently as to avoid a sudden shock, for Chopin states that “Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble”. Mrs. Mallard’s companions believe her to be a fragile woman, incapable of handling such terrible news. Much to Josephine and Richard’s surprise, Mrs. Mallard reacts …show more content…

Mallard’s death, Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room alone, despite protests from her companions. They believe she is “making herself sick” all by herself; after all, fragile women are not expected to be strong enough to handle such a shock alone. Despite this expectation, Mrs. Mallard demands to be left alone. As she sits at the window, she feels a strange feeling creeping into her. Chopin states “she was waiting for it, fearfully.” The feeling Mrs. Mallard is experiencing is freedom. The passage states that Mallard is afraid of the feeling; this is the socially acceptable part of her. She has been raised in the patriarchal world of her time, where women are meant to serve as lifelong submissives to their husbands. Inside Mrs. Mallard’s true mind, however, she welcomes the freedom with open arms. She describes the feeling as “a monstrous joy”. She is overjoyed with her newfound freedom, yet part of her feels monstrous for not being inconsolable with grief. Quickly, Mrs. Mallard begins to hope for the future, something that many widows cannot bear to imagine. She is once more conflicted between her ideas and feelings and what society tells her to

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