The Story Of An Hour Mrs Mallard's Death
The Story of an Hour is a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894. It tells the story of Mrs. Mallard, a woman who has just received the news that her husband has died in a railroad accident. At first, Mrs. Mallard is devastated by the news, but as she begins to process her feelings, she experiences a shocking twist that changes everything. In this article, we will analyze the events leading up to Mrs. Mallard’s death and the themes that are explored in the story.
The Initial Reaction to the News of Mr. Mallard’s Death
When Mrs. Mallard first receives the news of her husband’s death, she is understandably upset. The narrator describes her as “pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.” She weeps in her sister’s arms and retreats to her room to grieve in private.
Despite her sadness, Mrs. Mallard is also aware of the ways in which her life will change now that her husband is gone. She realizes that she will no longer have to live for anyone else and can now live her life on her own terms. This realization fills her with a “monstrous joy” that she cannot quite explain.
The Shocking Twist
As Mrs. Mallard sits alone in her room, she begins to feel a sense of freedom and joy that she has never experienced before. She is startled by her own feelings and tries to resist them, but they continue to grow stronger. She looks out the window and sees the world outside as if for the first time, noticing the beauty of the trees and the sky.
As she begins to revel in her newfound freedom, Mrs. Mallard suddenly realizes that her husband is not, in fact, dead. He walks through the door, completely unharmed by the accident that was reported to have killed him. Mrs. Mallard is shocked to see him and, in her excitement, she collapses and dies of a heart attack.
The Themes of The Story of an Hour
The Story of an Hour explores a number of important themes, including freedom, confinement, and the limitations of marriage. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard is confined by the expectations of her marriage and her gender. She is expected to grieve for her husband and to put his needs ahead of her own. However, when she learns of his death, she experiences a moment of freedom and joy that she has never felt before.
However, this moment of freedom is short-lived, as Mrs. Mallard’s husband is not actually dead. When he returns, she is forced back into the confines of her marriage, and the realization that she will never be truly free again sends her over the edge.
The story also touches on the theme of mortality and the fragility of life. Mrs. Mallard’s death is sudden and unexpected, reminding us that life is unpredictable and that we should cherish every moment that we have.
Conclusion
The Story of an Hour is a powerful and thought-provoking story that explores the themes of freedom, confinement, and mortality. The shocking twist in Mrs. Mallard’s death forces us to confront our own mortality and the limitations that we place on ourselves in our own lives. It is a reminder that life is short and that we should take every opportunity to live it to the fullest.