English

The important of freedom in marriage life in Kate Chopin's

"The Story of an Hour"

In “The Story of an Hour” portrays the hidden feeling of the wife; Mrs. Mallard, who realized her real own though of bright future after knowing about the death of her husband. Unfortunately, she got a heart disease so she died when her husband appeared at the house in the end of the story. In the fact that the marriage life would not always perfect, every couple has to face and solve many problems before they live happily ever after. It seems that Mrs. Mallard wants her freedom back from what marriage life has stolen from her, she lost her own identity which everyone addresses her as Mrs. Mallard instead of Josephine. The freedom in our life is very valuable more than anything else. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is shown the important of freedom in marriage life through the self-realization of Mrs. Mallard.

From the story, the fact of an unhappy marriage life and the death of Mr. Mallard makes her realizes of her own desire and identity. Firstly, when she went to her room upstairs, it symbolizes her mind that she was alone with herself and understands that her life has more freedom and value more than she is in that time. By looking out of the window is the metaphor of Mrs. Mallard’s eyes through the world outside, she found out that her world would not be under control anymore. So she keeps thinking about her own future after she is free from her husband. Secondly, the writer tries to tell the reader to think that why the writer addresses Mrs. Mallard as Josephine at the nearly end of the story. I think that Chopin wants us to know how woman lost her identity since she got married. Nowadays, the society provides the choices for women more than in the past. But here, Mrs. Mallard seems to have less choice to choose for her marriage life.

From the discovery of Mrs. Mallard’s identity, we can see that the freedom is the very important thing in marriage life. She said “free free free” and feel relaxed every