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  • Essay / Analysis of the theme of rebellion in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

    “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin tells the story of Louise Mallard, a woman who suffers from an illness heart which makes sudden and shocking news. his life is in danger and his desires for freedom hidden. When it is suspected that her husband has died in an accident, Mrs. Mallard's sister and a friend of her husband's must break the news gently while remaining aware of his condition. After receiving the news of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room where the initial grief and distress over her husband's death and her previously stifled marriage immediately begin to give way to a new passion for freedom and independence. After deciding to leave the room and display her new attitude, she descends the stairs triumphant and delighted by the idea of ​​freedom. Shortly after Mrs. Mallard leaves her room, her husband, Brently Mallard, returns home unharmed and unaware of the accident. After her husband enters unharmed, Mrs. Mallard dies suddenly of a heart attack due to her critical heart disease. Mrs. Mallard's death is both literal and symbolic: in one hour, her dying thirst for freedom was fulfilled and abolished. Of the many themes exhibited throughout "The Story of an Hour," rebellion is the most important. Chopin's story demonstrates the theme of rebellion as it indirectly confronts the lack of freedom of women, especially those who are married, through the rebellious actions of Louise Mallard. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayLouise Mallard continually demonstrates rebellion throughout “The Story of an Hour” and reflects Chopin's personal rejections postures of femininity. In the 19th century, women were often seen as inferior, incapable and dependent on men. Regardless of how emotionally frustrated and betrayed she feels within her marriage, Mrs. Mallard conforms to the 19th century norms typical of that period in which the story was written by providing natural servitude to her husband and by tolerating the marital restrictions imposed on him. her. After learning of her husband's tragic death, Mrs. Mallard reacts in a manner opposite to what might be considered plausible. Mrs. Mallard experiences a rush of excited emotions almost immediately after learning of her husband's death, as she realizes the important freedom she would have coming. She seems extremely elated about her husband's death because she constantly feels held back and barred from life because of her marriage. She cries tears of relief rather than tears of sorrow because she is finally able to let go of forced femininity. Mrs. Mallard rebels indirectly through her reactions in the story because they reveal an important dynamic emotional shift that indirectly conveys an overwhelming desire for more freedom and fewer marital restrictions for women: "There would be no one for whom to live during these years to come; she would live for herself. No powerful will would bend its own in this blind persistence with which men and women believe they have the right to impose a private will on a fellow man... What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this reality ? possession of self-affirmation which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being… She uttered a quick prayer for life to be long. It was only yesterday that she had thought with a shudder that life might be long... There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she involuntarily behaved like a ».