Independence In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

“The Story of an Hour” is a short story told by Kate Chopin. The story begins by telling the readers about Mrs. Mallard’s also known as Louise, has heart trouble and was told about the tragic accident of her beloved husband. Hearing the news Mrs. Mallard sits in her chair motionless for a few days and occasionally will grieve about the loss of her husband, Brently. But, after a while she realizes that she is now set free. Although Mrs. Mallard loved her husband dearly, she now has the freedom and independence to do as she pleases. She states, "Free! Body and soul free!”(Mrs. Mallard). Even though, her freedom had not lasted long. She is sitting in the room when the door opens and there at the door appears her husband. Mrs. Mallard cries out and before the doctors had gotten to the house she had already died of a heart attack. This short story shows the interaction of the female independence, the forbidden joy of independence,
Mrs. Mallard obviously loved her husband dearly. He was a kind, loving and caring to her. But, the excitement of her husband’s death does not propose any cruelty, she knows that she will sob at Brently’s funeral. She never names a way in which Brently worried her. Their marriage was like any other marriage there was definite love between the two. Their love for each other never failed. The open window is an important symbol in the short story. The open window that Mrs. Mallard gazes out at represents the freedom and opportunities that she can have after the passing of her husband. “She felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (narrator).” When she gazes out the open window she looks at the sky, she feels the joy that awaits her in her life. Also, the open window shows a clear and bright view into her future. Once she turns away from the window and the view, her future and freedom is now