A death in the family would be heartbreaking to many people. When I think of a close

relative dying, I feel sad, just like many other people. Feeling a sense of joy or relief from death is unthinkable to me but in " The Story on an Hour" by Kate Chopin, the lead character feels this joy and relief towards her recently deceased husband. These feelings of joy and relief come from the hatred she has towards her marriage. In the late 1800's, feminism was on the rise. One of the pioneers of feminism was the author of this story. Chopin demonstrates this view of feminine independence by portraying Louise Mallard, the main character of the story, as being freed from an unwanted marriage by the death of her husband. This is displayed in her feelings revealed to us in the story of the way she views her husband and the desire for freedom.

Brently Mallard, Louise's husband, is portrayed to be somewhat pf a bad husband by how Louise thinks of her husband in the story. Apparently, Brenty doesn't treat his wife particularly well. Louise is unhappy with her marriage and feels trapped in a lifestyle she does not want. Everyone would expect Louise to weep with agony and pain, but instea

d she sits calmly down: " There stood, facing an open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair." When I first read that, I thought that something was terrible wrong, since a word like comfortable was used to describe something in her supposed time of heartbreak. A newly widowed woman, today, would probably not look at a chair as comfortable right after receiving news of her husband's death. The expected reaction

from a wife would to smash the chair into pieces. Also, sentences like: " The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her family and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves." All these descriptions are of beautiful images of life. Chopin is trying to show us that Louise is more obsessed with her dream of freedom than she is with a life with her husband. This brings me to my next point. Mrs. Mallard, like all feminists, wants an independent life.

To get her point across about women's rights was written quite harsh here by Chopin. Showing how a woman's desire for independence is greater than the life of her husband is shocking even today. Today we have laws and procedures to ending a mar

Some common words found in the essay are:
Apparently Brenty, Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard, Chopin's Story, Mallard Louise's, joy relief, death husband, chopin's story, louise freedom, sense joy, strongest impulse, independent life, life husband, life chopin,
Approximate Word count = 827
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)