Story Of An Hour

4 Pages 1017 Words

The Story of an Hour (Essay #3)
Is there an “appropriate” way society expects one to act when a loved one passes away? In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” Louise Mallard finds out that her husband passes away, but instead of showing remorse, she is overjoyed at the fact that she is finally free. “She said it over and over under her breath: ‘free, free, free!’” (Chopin 11). Now is that considered a “normal” reaction to first finding out that your husband is dead? Well, in today’s society it would be considered immoral to act in the respect Mrs. Mallard did and she would probably be suspected of having something to do with his murder. Back in the late 1800s, on the other hand, it might have been considered “normal” the way Louise acted because women were, so to say, “tied down” and their husbands dominated their lives. As time progresses, people’s views of the role of the women change respectively with it.
This aspect and way of thinking portrays the constant change of view society has on women. People who were brought up in the same time period as Mrs. Mallard may not have viewed her reaction as unsympathetic as someone who has been brought up in a later generation would. On a personal note, her reaction to her husband’s death is selfish, unnatural, insensitive, and heartless. It is apparent that she was not content with her marriage because if she were, she would not be overwhelmed with happiness over his death. In first finding out of Mr. Mallard’s death, she weeps and goes off into her room by herself to sob. Then she suddenly gets a feeling of freedom inside her and she felt guilty at first for feeling this way and tried to fight it, but then she just let it take her over.
She realized that there would be no one for her to live for beside herself and there was no reason for her to feel a sense of inferiority.
“And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not. ...