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The Story of an Hour

 

            In "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin leads us on a journey to discover Louise Mallards last hour of life. Mrs. Mallard, as she is referred to in the beginning, is carefully told of her husband's demise in a train wreck. She is overcome with the mental anguish of losing her love. She then flees upstairs to her room where she contemplates her future. As she thinks about her life as a widow her inner strength grows stronger every second, until we reach the climax of her story. Louise, as she is now called, walks downstairs with her sister. At the bottom of the steps she sees Brently, her husband, who is very much alive. The report of his death was an error. Louise collapses at once, and soon passes away. Louise's major battle was, in my opinion, regaining her identity.
             Brently and Louise Mallard had a good marriage. They loved each other very much, even though sometimes she did not. He was a kind and loving man. Louise had a young calm face with lines that "bespoke repression and even a certain strength." Even though Louise loved her husband, she was filled with joy that she was free, yet we are not told what she is free from. Was she free from the repression of being a lonely housewife, or maybe the repression from being herself? The fact that we are not told her first name until the end of the story shows loss of identity. .
             We are told at the beginning that Mrs. Mallard has "a heart trouble," but we are never told what it is. My opinion is that her heart trouble was nothing more than being sensitive to bad news. I believe that the "joy that kills" is actually shock and disbelief. Louise struggled with the storm of grief, and overpowered it. She quickly came to terms with her new life as Louise the widow. She leaves her room and holds her head high, and walks like the goddess of victory after conquering her grief. Then Louise notices her husband and the shock and disbelief, I believe, gives her a heart attack.


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