To get us started on our blogging assignment for the semester, we have six volunteers who will post by 6:00pm on Tuesday–everyone else will comment by 10:00am on Wednesday. They will consider one of the following three questions–but if you want to suggest another, please do so quickly!
How does setting work in “Young Goodman Brown”?
Does Mrs. Mallard have freedom at the end of “The Story of an Hour”?
How do the men and women read details differently in “A Jury of Her Peers”?
“The story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (1984)
Freedom is relative and I strongly believe everyone understands that. From the readings one can say she was free at last. Her understanding of freedom is living and having total control of her life. This evident when she said “there is no one to live for those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women they believe they have a right to impose a private will on a fellow-creature”.
Even though she was somehow sick death was not something she wished for herself. She wanted to live and enjoy the absence of the only person who had some control over her.
But one might argue that her death will give her a perfect resting place where she will not have to be bothered by the response of people at every action she takes. As the saying goes “there is more sleep after death”. Literally, she is free to sleep all she wants and bother about nothing. This argument is meant for those who believe we live, die and life ends. On a religious line, I will argue based on what the scripture says about life and death. It is in the scripture that, “whatever man sow he shall reap”. It is unto every man to answer to God when his soul departs. Looking at things from this line, her death will pose other challenges for her as she has the obligation of reaping the fruits of her actions in this life. If she lived a righteous life she has freedom but if not it is left for you to judge for yourselves.
Personally, I will say Mrs Mallard was free at last and will forever be but, the freedom she was looking for was not the kind she got.
Thanks for writing this–but can you add it as a post, rather than a comment? Posts allow you to include categories and tags, which we want to use extensively this semester.
I’m excited to see what other students have to say in response!