The Story of an Hour Essay

ESSAY The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is a powerful story from the late nineteenth century focusing on a young woman, Mrs.. "The Story of an Hour" is a short story written by Kate C

Reflective Essay Writing: Write a short essay to this question: In your

opinion, why id Kate Chopin end Mrs Mallard’s destiny at the end of the story?

ESSAY

The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is a powerful story from the late nineteenth century focusing on a young woman, Mrs Mallard whose husband is thought to be dead I have a great impression about this story because its the end After seeing her husband alive, she was died immediately So why did Kate Chopin end Mrs Mallard’s destiny after she has just seen her husband coming into the house at the end of the story? What message do the author brings to you?

"The Story of an Hour" is a short story written by Kate Chopin on April 19, 1894, and was originally published in Vogue on December 6, 1894, as "The Dream of an Hour" It was then reprinted in St Louis Life on January 5, 1895, as "The Story of

an Hour" The short story describes the series of emotions Louise Mallard endures after hearing of the death of her husband, Brently, who was believed to have died

in a railroad disaster Mrs Mallard suffers from heart problems; therefore, her sister and friend attempt to inform her of the horrific news in a gentle way Mrs Mallard locks herself in her room to immediately mourn the loss of her husband However, she begins to feel an unexpected sense of exhilaration "Free! Body and soul free!" is what she believes is a benefit of his death When she hears her husband enter the house, she suffers a heart attack upon receiving the shock that he has not died after all He hears a scream and runs up to see the body of his dead wife lying on the ground So, why did Kate Chopin end Mrs Mallard's destiny at the end of the story? Are there any meanings for this conclusion?

Once can say that Kate Chopin gave a very happy ending First of all, I am of the opinion that it is a happy ending for society at that time Based on the story, all people thought that Mrs Mallard died because she was extremely hilarious and happy, is due to her husband's returning Her death illustrated that she is a very faithful wife, a submissive woman It is totally suitable for social preconception

“Be free, be yourself” is the basic right for women in Western modern society but

in the late 1800s, this requirement was out of control of society That was the reason why Kate Chopin created her daring pieces, not only “The Story of An Hour” but also “The Awakening” and so on… In late stories, she explored women’s issues considered controversial in her time Reading “The Story of An Hour”, we could see easily that she was a woman who had a dream of freedom Kate Chopin showed the desire to be free, thoughts, choices, and decisions of Louise, which was a tremendous dream This was expressed through her life, too She had chosen a lonely life to live and feed her children by own her ability after her husband passed away She wanted to prove everyone in her time that women totally could do anything without needing someone’s help

Beside the meaning of this ending is a happy ending for society in that time, we can see that this ending is also a happy ending for Mrs Mallard We see Louise as she found happiness out of her husband’s death and yet, by the narration, we see her struggle with guilt and overcome it Evolution character's mood changed from time to time When she found out her husband has died in a train wreck She reacted with sadness at first, but then realized in a rush of emotion and relief that she is “Free! Body and soul free!” She viewed the world with a fresh outlook - one where she will be her own person, answering only to herself She was ready to begin this new life when her husband who evidently wasn’t on the train after all -comes home She died from heart failure on the spot Louise is obviously the

character of interest - through her we see the social repression that women felt at the time Louise represents all women of the time They were locked into marriages that were probably loving - at least Louise says her husband “never looked at her save with love”, but were oppressive in their treatment of women She was ready for a long and happy life by herself And when her husband was alive, these feelings of hers were dead Louise Mallard had enjoyed her freedom for only one hour And we all know that is the truly cause of her death Chopin regarded contemporary society as degrading to women, who were allotted limited roles in a male-dominated world Just as the death of her husband sets Louise’s body free, so, too, does it free her spirit to find happiness in any way that she wishes Her husband’s return shattered her hopes She was again a mere wife, subservient This sudden reversal, the destruction of her dreams, killed her Still, she was spared the living death of a stifling relationship, and before she thought her husband was dead she had dreaded a long life The story’s ending is therefore ironic but not tragic because Louise does escape marriage in the only way now open to her that is death From the female perspective, it could be argued that her death was really an ultimate freedom from her unhappy marriage But there was some argument about this ending, they assumed that the reader is male, it could be that her death was a punishment for her happiness at the death of her husband But after all, we can admit that this ending is a happy ending for both for society of this time and for Mrs Mallard..

To sum up, I think this is a perfect solution for Louise, she is free, rescue from cramped marriage that don’t be criticize by the society at that time Beside that Kate Chopin wanted to tell us let "Live life to the fullest while you can"