Mrs Mallard's Syndrome In The Story Of The Hour

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The American Heart Association says that women are more than likely to die from Broken Heart Syndrome than men, and Mrs.Mallard dies from Broken Heart Syndrome, a syndrome caused by an emotionally stressful event that can kill. Broken Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as heart attack, however, doctors signify that there are no blockage in the arteries versus a regular heart attack. In the novel, “The Story of the Hour” by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard realizes that death of her husband symbolizes the death of her marriage. She is no longer freed by the confinements of her marriage and she is heartbroken. The revelation shocks her and when she is met with the news of her husband arriving, she is overwhelmed and dies of a broken heart. Mrs.Mallard passed away because she saw her husband's arrival as a representation that she has lived a lie.
Mrs. Mallard hears the news of her husband’s death, however, her reaction are not what is expected. Her emotions go from overwhelming sadness at the thought of her dead husband. Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room where she goes through a flurry of conflicting emotions ranging from shock to elation. Her …show more content…

Mallard’s chooses freedom and self-assertion over the concept of love and marriage. She feels that choosing marriage has tossed away her independence. For a marriage to survive, there must be a compromise consisting of two parties results in a loss of freedom for both parties involved. Given the decade, Mrs.Mallard’s marriage holds greater stakes for women versus marriages of today. Her marriage represents status and her identity as a woman. Although, Mrs.Mallard does not acknowledge that her husband’s death has removed her freedom due to gender roles, she dreams of her future that will one day be written by her and not her husband. Mrs. Mallard throws away the façade of love for a taste of her very own autonomy. She has a lust for power. Her husband’s death represents freedom and she can no longer fight the

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