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The Story of an Hour - Mrs. Mallard

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Imagine being forced to live the life that society expects. Let alone, always conforming to what is seen as conventional or normal. Envision never having the freedom to choose one’s own path and being thrown into an unwanted role early in life. In “The Story of an Hour," Kate Chopin is writing about a young Mrs. Mallard who feels trapped in her all too familiar life. When the news of her husbands death slowly comes to light, she suddenly experiences a roller coaster of various emotions. Should she be heartbroken like what is expected of her? Or should she embrace the matter with anticipation for the future? Ultimately, she realizes she is no longer confined to the roll of a submitting wife. In fact, she becomes awakened with the idea of freedom and opportunity. In the end, when Mr. Mallard returns without notion of the events that occurred while he was gone, Louise’s short lived dream of freedom is stripped away. After this, the doctors conclude that she dies of “a heart disease - of a joy that kills” (280). However, the unexpected death of Mrs. Mallard suggests that rather than dying from the joy of her husband’s return, she dies of the joy being pulled away. There are many indications as to why Mrs. Louise Mallard would die due to distress rather than joy of her husband’s return. To start, at a young age Mrs. Mallard is expected to live her life for her husband. During this time, young girls went straight from their parent’s household into an arranged marriage. Conceivably, she never has an opportunity to grow up, be creative, or to create a life for herself. Because of this, the announcement of her husbands death opened new doors for her future. She did not hear the report in disbelief as many wives would. Alone in her room, her thoughts run rapid of her newly found freedom. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (279). Similarly, for once in her life she even ho

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