âWhen she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: âfree, free, free!â The vacant stare and the look of terror had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, the coursing blood warned and relaxed every inch of her body.â
1. Story of an Hour
2. Kate Chopin
3. In this passage Louise alone in her room begins to realize that she is now an independent woman after her husbandâs death. Â This realization excites her. Â By the excitement of this joy her heart starts beating fast and she feels relaxed and relieved to be free and ready to welcome a new beginning.
4. Chopin suggests that all marriages, even the kindest ones, are inherently oppressive. Louise, who readily admits that her husband was kind and loving, nonetheless feels joy when she believes that he has died. In some marriages independence is a forbidden pleasure that can be imagined only privately. Chopin shows us the oppressiveness of all marriages, which by their nature rob people of their independence.
Sibel,
I really like the quote you chose for the Story of an Hour. I believe it has a lot to with the main theme of the story. I also agree that Louiseâs fast pulses and coursing blood after her husbandâs death was a sign of her excitement of finally being free. This indeed was her realization of finally being independent and ready to begin a new chapter in her life. I believe Chopin was trying to show that all marriages will have their ups and downs no matter what. But, mainly that some arenât as healthy as others. My assumption is that Mr. Mallard did love and care for Mrs. Mallard but happened to be a little overwhelming and controlling at times, which ate Louise up inside.
Emily, what in the text gives you the sense that Mr. Mallard was for Mrs. Mallard overwhelming or controlling at times? Can you pinpoint it in the text?
“Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will-as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been”
And also when she said “Free! Body and soul free!”
I believe the entire story showed how Mr. Mallard was possessive over Mrs. Mallard, but mainly those two quotes. Not sure if i’m right. But, those are my opinions. I feel like those quotes show that he took away her will and power and left her helpless because he was controlling. As she said, she was finally “free, body and soul free” because he’s always had power over it.
From the quote you mentioned, I believe what possessed her was the feeling that surrounded her… The feeling of joy. The feeling of finally being free.