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How Does Mrs. Mallard Change In The Story Of An Hour

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In the short story, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard, the main character, has been told about a tragic incident that has affected her husband, Richard Mallard. Mrs. Mallard, after hearing of her husband’s death, seems to change emotions rapidly as the story progresses. In the end her husband appears at her front door not knowing of the incident. Shortly she passes away. Many literary terms to represent her personality change include foreshadowing and imagery. These allow the reader to predict the stories ending and to also assume key parts of the story. In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard goes through depression to the extent that she begins to imagine emotions almost “grabbing or taking” her. However shortly she understands …show more content…

Mallard changes her emotions is through imagery. After hearing the news about her husband’s death she runs to her room and is full of repression of sadness. She is not able to except the fact that her husband has passed away. She does not let her sister in the room as she prefers to be alone. Much imagery is used, through descriptive words, in order to display her melancholy. Her emotions change afterwards to positivity and excitement. Her sadness is represented through descriptive words when the narrator says, “She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams. (pg. 1)” As one can perceive, she is devastated about the news. Mrs. Mallard cannot seem to move because she is still denying that her husband is gone and she feels like her throat is consumed with sadness and pressure. She continues to cry to herself like a child having a bad dream. After some time Mrs. Mallard feels a rush of energy that makes her feel like she is free from her husband. There are many descriptive words used in the story to represent the way she changes how she feels. This is shown when the narrator says, “Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body…And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome…There would be no one to live for during those

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