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Story of an Hour

Decent Essays

The Story of an Hour
1. There are many themes in The Story of An Hour; ‘heart trouble’ – which describes not only the physical affliction of Mrs Mallard but also the emotional suffering in her marriage. Three other themes that are prominent within this story are; death, freedom and oppression. Though, the themes of freedom and oppression can be seen as the main themes within this story, as we see the character of Mrs Mallard – a Mallard is a type of wild duck, which can be seen as being symbolic of her need to be free and to live for herself – struggle to cope with the apparent death of her husband. ‘She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment’, until she was alone in her room where she began to come to the realisation that she had …show more content…

(349 words)

3. The story begins by introducing Mrs Mallard as a woman afflicted with ‘heart trouble', 'and this meant that great care had to be taken while she was informed of her husband’s death'.
The writer choosing to use the words heart trouble in place of illness or disease, which would have been more precisely descriptive, alludes to the fact that the heart trouble is much more than a physical misfortune, but also the source of emotional turmoil in Mrs Mallard's life - specifically relating to her husband - as the heart is seen as a symbol for love and the epicentre of emotion in the human body.

After hearing of the news of her husband's apparent death, Mrs Mallard is stricken by grief and hastily retires to her bedroom. Here she finds a chair 'facing the window' and as she is in an extremely emotional state the chair becomes a symbol of consolation and safety for the newly found widow. The words 'comfortable' and 'roomy' are used to describe the chair, which is the first sign of any positive emotive language within this story and a complete contrast to phrases previously used, such as 'storm of grief' and 'disaster'. The writer shows us that Mrs Mallard is now battling with her emotions and as she sinks into the chair 'pushed down by physical exhaustion' the chair becomes not only a physical rest, but a symbol of the emotional support that she otherwise

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