Response To “The Story Of An Hour“

1 Pages 257 Words

In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the main character Louise Mallard goes through a mandala like cycle of death and rebirth. The story starts out with Louise receiving news from a family friend that her husband Brently has died in an accident. At first, she reacts as any wife would, inconsolable by anyone, but then while she is sitting alone in her room, a change begins to happen.
The change starts while she is looking out the window watching spring as it is born almost before her eyes. She begins to realize that she is no longer tied to the vows she made in marriage and can truly begin to live her life. She grows more and more excited at the endless opportunities her life now holds for her, instead of dreading a long life, she now embraces it. Louise, at this point, is reborn into a new life with endless possibilities, and she cannot wait to get started. She goes to her sister and together they triumphantly go downstairs to experience Louise’s new life together.
But, with every birth there is, of course, death and Louise succumbs to this when her husband returns home alive and well, having never been in the accident. She goes from feeling triumphant and free without the burden of marriage, to once again feeling trapped. Louise soon is overcome by the grief she feels over losing her second chance and dies.
The story clearly shows a mandala like cycle and all the motions and feelings we experience during that process....