“The story of an hour”
The short story ”The story of an hour” written by Kate Chopin, is a story about a woman called Mrs. Mallard, she is told by her sister Josephine, that her husband died in a train accident. The way she reacted in front of her sister was very dramatic, but when she was by herself in her room she was not being sad, miserable or devastated, but in a way very relived. In the text we follow Mrs. Mallard’s feelings, about herself and her husband.

Kate Chopin wrote “ The story of an hour “ in 1894, which was in a time period, were the women had no rights. In 1894 the gender roles were deadlocked; the women was suppressed by their husband, in family relationship, and in the political and legal sense. The husband had the final say, in all decisions. It was him who ruled over the family’s finances, and decided where the family should live. The woman took care of the house, the children, and was responsible for the housekeeping. The man’s role was to support his family. The woman’s role was to give birth, take care of the home, and assist the husband. At the time the male gender role was portrayed as the strong, powerful, deciding and intelligent gender. Where as the woman, was portrayed as weak, without influence, insensible and the husband’s subordinate (placed under the man).

Louise Mallard is a strong, powerful, intelligent and independent woman. She knows how she should behave in front of her husband, family and society. But how she feels and think, is anything but correct at that time. She is not a cruel person, and she knows that she will morn her husband`s death, when the time comes, but when she is by herself her private thoughts are her own life.

The main theme in this short story is freedom. “The story of an hour” begins with Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine, tells her the terrible and horrible, news about her husband’s death. In the beginning we are told, that Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with heart trouble. We expect that this kind of tragic news, would make Mrs. Mallard upset and devastated, and it would make her condition worse than it is and, even kill her. But Mrs. Mallard does not react as most other women would. She goes to her bedroom, and locked the door to be alone. At first when Mrs. Mallard found out about her husband’s death, she was sad, but after a brief moment of sadness she was filled with happiness. She felt liberated. “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.” While she is in her bedroom, we see a different Mrs. Mallard, with a new attitude. Mrs. Mallard is born as a new woman; she is joyfully, delighted, happy and free. She enjoys the freedom she, never had before. She is free as a bird. Mrs. Mallard is all alone behind walls, no one can tell her how she should behave. She can now express all her kinds of feelings, which she could not do in front of her husband, when he was alive. Louise Mallard is overwhelmed by everything, that is happening, and she is relieved. Citat: “Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering. She spreads her arms, and welcoming her new independent life. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under hate breath: "free, free, free!" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.”
The open window: The open window symbolizes freedom, hopes and opportunities. Mrs. Mallard is standing in front of the window. From the bedroom window Mrs. Mallard sees blue sky, fluffy clouds, tops of trees and color that filled the air. Sparrows were twittering in the eves. She is able to see the beautiful world outside her window. The winter passed by, and the spring has arrived. Mr. Mallard passed by, and Mrs. Mallard’s freedom has arrived. There is a new perfect life waiting for Louise, with a lot of choices. She feels like seizing the day, and creating her own future.
Mrs. Mallard can now take her own decisions, and she can determine what is best for her. Her husband does not suppress her anymore, and she does not have to please him. She can finally be herself, and live her free life, the way she wants to. She arose at length and opened the door, where Josephine had been waiting. It was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of victory. As Louise and Josephine walks down the stairs Mr. Mallard shows up. “Some one was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.” In that moment Mrs. Mallard realized, that her new perfect future life had collapsed, and she did too. She fall down to the floor, and died of a heart disease.
The heart trouble: The heart trouble symbolizes happiness and grief. Our heart is a symbol of our emotions. In the beginning Kate Chopin wrote, that Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with heart trouble. This fact about Louise Mallard is the first thing, we learn about her. Mrs. Mallard physical heart problems symbolize her emotional heart problems, which relates to her marriage with Mr. Brently Mallard. When Josephine told Louise about the accident, she did it in broken sentences, just not to make her condition worse. The irony of the ending is, that Mrs. Mallard dis not die of joy as the doctor says, but from the loss of joy and freedom. Her husband`s death gave her a glimpse of a new life, and when that life is taken away, the shock and disappointment kills her with she having a heart attack.

The armchair: The armchair symbolizes peace, rest and relief from her oppressive life. The chair also symbolizes, her duties and place in a man’s world. When she was told that her husband had died, she rushed up to her bedroom. Then she saw a comfortable and roomy chair. “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.“

Josephine’s relationship to her sister Louise is strong and powerful. When we read the short story, we get an impression of Josephine’s love for Louise. Josephine love Louise very deeply, she would do anything for her. When Richard delivers the horrible news about Mr. Mallard, Louise rushes up to her bedroom, and lock herself in. Josephine runs up stairs with her, but stay outside the bedroom door, and begs Louise to come out. She is afraid of that she will get a heart attack. But Louise tells her to go away. "Go away. I am not making myself ill." Another example is when Josephine starts to cry, when she sees Mr. Mallard come home. “He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.”
“The story of an hour“ is an amazing short story. This story is about how women, were suppressed by their husbands, and how they were treated around that time. Mrs. Mallard knew her place, and knew how she should behave. But the way she thought, and the way she felt was wrong, at that time. The deal is that she was born in the wrong period. She had a very modern way, of thinking for that time.
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