Response to Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

Mrs. Mallard, the main heroine of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is an example of why the feminists’ movement was necessary and eventually took off. The obvious point - the fact that Mrs. Mallard is miserable in her marriage - becomes painfully clear when she whispers the words “free, free, free.” An intense feeling of relief comes over her and she begins to muse about the future, picturing herself enjoying life for herself. One subtle aspect of the story is the way Mrs. Mallard must fight shame and guilt in order to enjoy this feeling of relief. When Chopin writes that “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully,” she wants to convey how hard it is for this woman to be honest with herself about her feelings. True, her husband was not an evil man - there is no evidence of that in the story. But it is a huge burden to live with a person you don’t love. The heroine must fight her guilt and shame to finally arrive at the exalting “free, free, free!”

Another subtle aspect of this event is the way Mrs. Mallard is treated by the others in the house. Everyone seems totally clueless as to her possible true feelings. People seem to be completely oblivious to the emotional realities of marriage without love. Otherwise why would they fear for her health: “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door - you will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door.” This frantic behavior points to an obvious fact that these people are so clueless as to Louise’s daily reality that they fear she might kill herself. Such were the times, and such was the position of woman in society - she cannot possibly not love her husband or be sick when he is gone. The story is sad because Mrs. Mallard dies. But it seems it would have been sadder if she had survived.