I wrote my paper on “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. On the following pages, you will read about a character by the name of Louise. She was married at a time when marriage was not about mutual love. When she hears of her husbands’ death, she feels sorrow but is overcome with feelings of joy. Louise has found a freedom that she had forgotten she had. Louise is so excited to live her new life until tragedy happens again. I believe that Louise is a likeable character because she brings so much depth into the story. She takes us on a roller coaster of emotions. At first, you cannot help but pity her and then all of a sudden you wish you could feel like she does. I found Louise to be an example of a strong, honest, and open-minded women, I anticipate you will also.
The reader’s first impression is that Louise’s heart condition,” Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death”(Chopin 573), makes her a physically weak character. This made me feel sympathy for Louise. In addition, we know she is fragile when we are told, “great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death”(Chopin 573).
In my opinion, Louise’s marriage was bringing her down and making her character feel old. Again, I feel sympathy for Louise due to the struggles she had with herself and her marriage. Chopin portrays Louise as a prisoner of her husband. This was not strange at the time Chopin was writing the story. Marriages were not always about being devoted to your spouse. We see this when Louise thinks “There would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature”(Chopin 574).
The Essay on Water Motif as a Means to an End for Chopin’s Character
Edna Pontellier is Chopin’s main female protagonist in “The Awakening”. The use of water as a dominant symbol in the book will be dissected in this essay, as well as Edna’s independence throughout the novel which is a reflection of her failing marriage, and how her final act of independence and self identity is made through water which releases her from the bonds of a patriarch society and by ...
It was as if neither women, nor men had their own personal freedom.
At first Chopin has the readers thinking that Louise is an old character, but when we continue reading, Chopin tells us differently: ”She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength”(Chopin 574).
Now the widow sees all her possibilities at a new life and her youth is beaming through her. Chopin tells us in the quote that Louise’s awareness of new possibilities is giving her strength. I got the sense that Chopin writes from a feminist point of view and so she wants her readers to understand that the death of Louise’s husband was a burden off her shoulders. Who would really want to be in a marriage with someone they did not love?
Another thing that is positive is the fact that she is open to new things and gaining new freedom. When Louise goes upstairs after she has heard the news, she sees “the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair” (Chopin 574).
I found this being symbolic of how Louise was going to live her life now that her husband is gone. Her character is going to be open to new things, comfortable with herself and her life. She has the room to live and be herself instead of living under rule of a man.
I felt like the references to the “new spring life”(Chopin 574), “delicious breath of rain”(Chopin 574), “patches of blue sky”(Chopin 574), signify her freedom. Louise is being shown infinite opportunities to become a new person. She saw all these things as if for the first time. This tells me that her marriage kept her in the dark about life, and now she is becoming this open person with no limits. All this brings you to see Louise as a stronger character. She is showing no fear.
Louise’s character gets more optimistic as the story continues. Louise decides to be honest and live for herself. We hear Louise whispering “Free! Body and soul free!”(Chopin 575).
The Essay on There Ain’t No Such Thing as Free Lunch
“ There Ain’t No Such Thing as Free Lunch” is made famous by writer Robert A. Heinlein in 1966 in his novel “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. ” The novel discusses the problems as an outcome of an unbalanced economy (Heinlein, 1966). It is also used among economics literature demonstrating an opportunity cost, meaning, in order to get or do something, you need to give up something. This is ...
She feels a “monstrous joy”(Chopin 574), and after realizing she will weep again, “she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome”(Chopin 573).
This proves to me that Louise is an astonishing woman. She does not hide how she truly feels. She lets the experience take over her body and accepts them with gratitude. I am sure society did not view Louise’s character as I do, but things have changed dramatically in the years. Then society would have expected Louise to mourn her husband and cherish her marriage forever. Instead, she chooses to cherish her freedom. If Louise lived in the 21st century, society would accept her as an independent women where women and men are treated somewhat equal.
A different feature of positive ness is that Louise has a conscious. We see Louise questioning her feelings, “And yet she had loved him- sometimes. Often she had not”(Chopin 574).
The story is written at a time when love was not a crucial part of marriage. I say this because in the following quote Chopin makes it seem like love is a weak emotion compared to what Louise is feeling now. “What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being”(Chopin 574).
An additional aspect that makes Louise a likeable character is her sincerity and unselfishness. Unlike me, many think Louise is a selfish character for feeling such pleasure “Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own” (Chopin 575).
However, it is not as though she never feels guilt or sorrow. For instance, “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will-“(Chopin 574).
This shows that when Louise starts to be aware of her happiness, she knows its wrong and abruptly feels guilt for her feelings. Louise senses this guilt yet again when she first says, “Free, free, free!”(Chopin 574).
Chopin immediately tells us “the vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes”(Chopin 574).
The Essay on Poem I Dream Dreams Day Love
I dream of a life that me and you will forever share Where we eventually call home, I really dont care I dream of a time when I will again be the one that you trust For without that, this relationship will eventually rust I dream of kisses, and walks with your hand in mine the feelings you give me, will most certainly be divine I dream of the day when in person we actually greet I get chills of ...
Chopin lets us know that Louise does have a conscious. At first felt terror but could not resist feeling alive.
Chopin also depicts positive-ness towards the end of the story where Chopin tells us that Louise “carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory”(Chopin 575).
He way she describes herself here gave me the impression the she won something (her pride, dignity, self-worth).
It makes me think that she must have been unhappy to express such triumph. If anyone was feeling that low and now feels like a goddess, then her feelings are deserved.
