The story of an hour reflection
“The Story of an Hour” reflection, I find myself lumped together with the group of women that can feel compassion and sympathy for Mrs. Mallard’s situation. I do not think that she was cold or cruel in her reaction to the news of her husband’s death. In my opinion, Mrs. Mallard’s reactions were primal, completely genuine and justifiable. There are many pressures that people experience due to societal expectations and our own expectations of life and romance. There is no way to know that a commitment is a mistake or success until one takes the leap. The Mallard’s marriage clearly had some problems. The description of her appearance showing “repression and even a certain strength” in Paragraph eight tells us a bit more about the power difference between them and her ability to cope with challenges and disappointment. In Paragraph nineteen the author suggests that just the day before “she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” whereas after her moment of understanding in her room she prayed for a long life. Unfortunately for Mrs. Mallard she did not have the option in her life to live for herself. It’s possible that she never even knew how unhappy she was until another lifestyle became available to her. I saw symbolism between the “storm of grief” undergone by Mrs. Mallard and the description of the weather clearing as she went through her moment of clarity. At first it was dark and depressing, but when the worst had passed the descriptions of rain and freshness suggests a storm and recovery that reflect her emotions. The tone of the end of the story is intentionally neutral so that each reader reaches emotional conclusions based on their own views and life experiences. Chopin uses the transformation of Mrs. Mallard’s grief into joy to show us our own individual biases, and tactfully challenge readers’ opinions about marriage, relationships, and the way we view “happily ever after”.