Story of an Hour Written by Kate Chopin

The short story entitled Story of An Hour written by Kate Chopin is a powerful story about a woman, Mrs. Mallard who is given the horrible news that her husband has just passed away in a train wreck. She has taken on a different angle of life now, she is upset about her husband’s sudden death, however; she has something to be happy about it. Now that her husband has passed away Mrs. Mallard is happy because she is now her own person. The theme of freedom, the importance of being free to do as you please, and the previous knowledge of how women did not have much power in the time period all show how Kate Chopin emphasizes and emboldens how the joy of Louise Mallard’s situation ultimately cause her sudden passing.

Story of An Hour was written in 1894, which was in a time period where women did not really have much power or say in anything that went on. Women were really the ones that stayed home and took care of the family and tended to the house, while the husbands went out and worked. They were bonded together as husband and wife however, now that Mrs. Mallard was free "there would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature" (Chopin 1) and Louise Mallard could finally do everything a women in the late 19th century wasn't able to do because they really stayed out of the lime light and their opinions were never heard or considered. Without her husband, Mrs. Mallard was on her own to live life and venture on her own. Even though these were are private thoughts, she at first tries to squelch the joy she feels, to beat it back to her will. Such resistance reveals how forbidden this opportunity is. Even though women had desires and feelings, those feelings were never heard of since women did not dare speak out about their feelings or their rights, it was just not heard of in that time period. Women really lived a life of silence then because they had no voice and they dared not once speak out. Women could not have hopes or dreams, so her situation is extremely ironic: a women being able to have responsibilities other than tending as a housewife and ends up dead from too much happiness.

A major theme in Kate Chopin’s story is freedom. In the beginning of Story of an Hour the scene opens up and we are introduced to Mrs. Mallard who has been told that her husband has dead in a horrible train wreck. Mrs. Mallard reacts to this news like any other wife would. She was devastated. Yes, she is upset so she excuses herself and rushes off to her bedroom to be away from everyone who has come to see her. While in her room we as the reader see a completely different side of Mrs. Mallard. She in some sense is happy; yes she is upset that her husband has suddenly perished however she now has this new found freedom that she did not have before and as joyous as she was repeating over and over again " under the breath: “free, free, free!" (Chopin 1) Mrs. Mallard still in some sense knows her place; she knows that she dared not express these types of feelings