The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is the example of the human understanding of several hidden desires and the hidden character during one hour. It should be mentioned that the story is the discussion of the reaction to the event and the characteristics of one hour in the life of Louise Mallard.
The story is too short to point at several serous problems, however, it depicts the main idea of human essence, desires and the loss of those desires.
Louise Mallard is a person who being informed about the death of her husband was in grief but several minutes later she understood that the death of this person raised the feelings of joy and freedom in her, while several hours later she died of a heart attack because she has already created a reality in her mind without a husband, she understood how great she felt free and all her dreams were ruined when it appeared that she was mistaken.
The news that Louise Mallard’s husband was dead frustrated her. She could not think about anything but the death of a person who she loved, “When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone” (Chopin n.p.). It characterizes Louise Mallard as a person who understands her place in the society.
Moreover, it shows Louise Mallard as a woman who praises and honors the rules and traditions and who is ready to follow the basic laws of life. However, this feeling lasted for several minutes until she understood that she appeared to be “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin n.p.). It seems that having got the greatest joy a person was put before the reality, the reality which she could not overcome.
Some people may say that the expression of the joy because of the death of the husband characterizes Louise Mallard as a cruel and heartless, still this is not true. The unexpected change of the moos shows that this woman was too devoted to the person who restricted her in everything, who made her to be afraid of him. This shows the woman as aweak personality.
That is why she was too frustrated at first and only then when she understood that there is nothing to be afraid of, that he can freely express her feeling she became brave and expressed her real feelings.
However, she still was weak, that is why she failed to accept the news that her husband was alive. This good news for everyone made her suffer as she understood in a send that she would never live in the world she had already created in her mind.
Therefore, it should be concluded that people are able to feel something just because they are to feel it, because the society has intruded them to feel it. Louise Mallard could not accept the death of her husband as the society is sure that people are to be sorry for the death of their couples. However, when Louise Mallard understood what relief the death of this person brought to her she felt nothing but joy.
This is exactly the reason why she died, her dreams were ruined. Being a weak person, Louise Mallard suffered greatly and could not show it. She was not brave enough to accept the fact that she had either lead a life she had done before or to find the power and leave. Louise Mallard preferred to do nothing as her heart could not accept the fact that all her dreams were ruined.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. 1894. Web.