The Story of an Hour
The story of an hour is that of Mrs. Mallard. A woman who is told the news that her husband has been killed at a railroad accident. Mrs. Mallard it seems is heartbroken by the sad news, or is she? Some of her actions contradict this statement. At the end it is discovered that her husband is alive. When Mrs. Mallard hears about this and sees him she dies of a heart attack. Buy why?
In the beginning of the story it is mention that Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition. This may have lead to her sudden death or it may have been something else.
“Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart problem great care was taken to break to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.”
Another conclusion may have been the reaction to her husband’s death and then to the reaction that he was alive. When she found out that he was dead she reacted like any typical wife will do.
“She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.”
By the author using such words as sudden, once, and wild she is emphasizing her grief. The character’s actions also support this statement.
“When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her alone. She would have no one follow her.”
Sometimes when someone is extremely sad they want to be alone, so they can deal with the mourning by themselves and settle their thought on such an unexpected event.
This may have been the reason for her death. But the most convicting one is the disappointment of finding out that her husband was actually alive. During Mrs. Mallard’s era, women didn’t have any authority positions or right to vote. They didn’t even have the right to govern themselves or any aspect of their lives. Their lives either belong to their fathers or their husbands. This was the case for Mrs. Mallard.
“There were patches of blue sky showing here and here through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.”
Why will the author go into such detail describing the sky? Well for one thing it is because of what it symbolizes. The sky often symbolizes freedom since it is open and vast with no end whatsoever. Then also the way the she describes it. She mentions that blue patches can be seen between the clouds. This symbolizes that Mrs. Mallard is seeing the advantages of her husband’s death. It also symbolizes her freedom. Even though she may now have some freedom she doesn’t have the absolute freedom that a white male has at that era.
This statement is also represented in this next line.
She said it over and over under her under her breath: “free, free, free!”
The reason she said it under her breath because it will be dangerous to say such at statement aloud.
She also repeats the word free over and over again. The author does this to emphasize her freedom.
The author also uses syntax by adding an exclamation point by doing this she is again emphasizing her point of the sudden freedom. It is also revealed that the character didn’t her husband. With all of this evidence it is proven that that Mrs. Mallard’s death was the disappointment of finding out that she he husband was alive. Why? It is because what Mrs. Mallard really wanted was the power to govern her own and life and not let anybody else do it for her.