Miss Brill Plot Analysis

             Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is the compelling short short story of the loss of love, but in return, the gain of freedom. The main character, Mrs. Mallard, "loses" her husband, but soon realizes that she has acquired a new life for herself. The plot of "The Story of an Hour" centers on Mrs. Mallard and her reaction to the news of her husband's death.
             The story itself opens to tell the reader of Mrs. Mallard's heart condition, thus the reason her husband's friend, Richards, and her sister tell her gently of the grave news of Mr. Mallard's passing away. The wife "wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment," which suggests that she does possess a bond, if not a love, for her husband. The fact that Chopin mentions how Mrs. Mallard skips past the first stage of loss, which is shock, and goes directly to the next stage, grief, prepares the reader for the woman's equally quick recovery to the news. The conflict of the story itself arises when the assumed widow realizes she has these feelings of happiness, even though she tries not to acknowledge the strange emotions.
             Despite Mrs. Mallard's initial reaction to fight the urge to rejoice, she finally does give in. The story goes on to explore the freedom that she experiences. The beautiful spring day that she describes, where the feeling of freedom seems to creep out and grab her, compares to the light feeling of no longer being trapped in the dreary walls of marriage. As the words "Free, free, free!" escapes her lips, the relaxation and warmth she feels just pushes her further into the happiness of what she has gained. Even when the thought occurs that sometimes she did love the man, and that she would weep at his funeral, she does not chide herself for her rejoicing and does not go back into sadness. The idea of freedom is now too far embedded in Mrs. Mallard for her to go back to grie...

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Miss Brill Plot Analysis. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:38, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/100461.html