Story Of An Hour :: essays research papers

The Story of an Hour depicts a single hour in Mrs. Mallard life, in which the lady who has a weak stub experiences the momentary joy of large-mindeddom after hearing that her husband has been killed in a railroad accident.Mrs. Mallard initial reaction, upon hearing of her husband death, is not utmost from what readers expect she is deeply grieved, weeps and wants to be left alone. However, during the hour she spends alone in her room, her state of mind changes dramatically. Sitting in the armch blood motionlessly, she sees spring trees from the open window, smells pure air after the gentle rain, hears a faint and pleasant song, even the patched clouds outside seem to be dispersing decently in the warm and justly sunshine eventually. All these features imply that an unconscious proclivity in her heart is quietly but quickly expanding. At first, she feels something is approaching her, something almost tangible, which she is not real about t was too subtle and elusive to name. 71) However, from that moment on, her weeping ith sudden, wild abandonment disappears, he storm of grief goes away, she is turning to the situation where she has longed for. ree, free, free 71) The first voice of protest breaks out after those tedious, miserable years. Now she realizes the feeling approaching her and possessing her occupies her entire soul and body his possession of self-assertion which she unawares recognized as the strongest impulse of her being. Free Body and soul free 72) These unbelievably radical words show her enormous hunger for freedom, her strong wish to be herself again. Her husband sudden death has made her lifetime emotional torment come to an end, and she can be as free as a man now.On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard may cry again for the loss of her oving husband not only because of her gender role in the society, but for he still loves her and she herself had loved him as well. Moreover, the story does not tell us whether Mr. Mallard is an abusive or i rresponsible husband, but this couple surely strives for maintaining their unsatisfactory marriage. Besides, no love or security can compensate for a lack of control over her own existence (Skaggs, 53), let alone the fact that there is hardly any love in that fragile relationship.