Mixed Emotions In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, many mixed emotions are sent off following the death of Louise Mallard’s husband, Brently, in a railroad accident. It is very difficult to get a sense of what Mrs. Mallard is feeling when she learns the saddening news of the death, while also battling her own heart troubles. Due to Chopin’s use of irony radiating throughout the story, it is very deceiving to the reader whether she is mourning, or having the feeling of freedom. After reading the story once, trying to determine whether she was heart broken over the death of her husband was a challenge. Louise Mallard weeps at once and retreats to her room alone to collect her thoughts after hearing the news, this is where we are able to have a peek
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She now has the feeling of “freedom” and is mindful that she has her whole life to spend alone in front of her and spreads her arms out to welcome it . While aware that she will weep again when she sees the “kind, tender hands folded in death”, Louise claims that she loved him “sometimes. Often she had not” but that he often held her back like men and women can often do to each other unknowingly.
Josephine, Louise’s friend, begs her to open the door in fear that she is going to make herself ill from all the emotions, little does she know that Louise had already come to terms with the event. After a quick prayer for a long life, Louise makes her way down the steps only to find her husband at the door, unaware of his “death” or the accident altogether. A bad heart could not handle “joy that kills” and Mrs. Mallard died of heart disease right there. Ironically Louise had died from the happiness of seeing Brently at the door, just after having the feelings of being finally “free”.
The use of irony that is expressed throughout “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is very misleading to the reader on Louise’s true feelings. Whether she is engulfed in sadness or feeling like a weight had been lifted from her, perhaps her husband's death being unavoidable would allow her to enjoy the rest of what she’d hoped would be a long
She now has the feeling of “freedom” and is mindful that she has her whole life to spend alone in front of her and spreads her arms out to welcome it . While aware that she will weep again when she sees the “kind, tender hands folded in death”, Louise claims that she loved him “sometimes. Often she had not” but that he often held her back like men and women can often do to each other unknowingly.
Josephine, Louise’s friend, begs her to open the door in fear that she is going to make herself ill from all the emotions, little does she know that Louise had already come to terms with the event. After a quick prayer for a long life, Louise makes her way down the steps only to find her husband at the door, unaware of his “death” or the accident altogether. A bad heart could not handle “joy that kills” and Mrs. Mallard died of heart disease right there. Ironically Louise had died from the happiness of seeing Brently at the door, just after having the feelings of being finally “free”.
The use of irony that is expressed throughout “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is very misleading to the reader on Louise’s true feelings. Whether she is engulfed in sadness or feeling like a weight had been lifted from her, perhaps her husband's death being unavoidable would allow her to enjoy the rest of what she’d hoped would be a long