Almost a Mona Lisa smirk on her face, isn't it?
What do you think about "the joy that kills," as Chopin puts it? How does her development of these characters impact the ending of this story? Through a Feminist lens, what deeper truths can you detect? Are there any symbols or motifs that you find especially meaningful or insightful? Tell us about it! And remember to respond to two classmates (in a meaningful way) as well.
"The joy that kills" is not actually what killed her. She was so excited to finally be free from the oppression of her husband that when she saw that he was not actually dead, she died from disappointment. She was so excited to be be free that the horror of realizing that he was not dead killed her. The doctors think that she was so excited to see her husband alive that she died. However, because of what she says and does in the room by herself, we know the truth about how she really felt about his death, and we can assume that she was not dying of excitement, but fright. Her only escape from him was death, either his or her own.
ReplyDeleteWhile a do agree that the dissapointment of seeing her husband killed her, I believe that the joy also had influence in her death. One of the first things, and only things, Chopin reveals about the wife is that she has a weak heart. With this being said, I believe the mix of her overjoyment and her disappointment led to her heart becoming unstable, leading to her death.
Delete-Tyson
I completely agree with you Kat. Tyson, I wouldn't say it was joy that had to do with her death. She did have a weak heart, but that could be affected by any emotion, not just joy.
DeleteI agree 100%, the exuberant joy of being a free woman wasultimately what lead her to her death. She wasn’t necessarily happy he died, but she was happy to know that she could be the woman she couldn’t have been before.
DeleteIn Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour", we witness a woman who is "killed by joy". The woman is informed that her husband has died in a train crash, and has become overwhelmed with sudden joy. She is so overwhelmed with joyous emotions that when she sees her husband has returned, her heart can't handle the rising emotions and bodily sensations her body gives out. When looking at this story through a Feminist lense, it is quite obvious that marriage is symbolic of a trap, and Chopin is trying to express that women are ruled like subjects with their husbands being the monarchs. One symbol that I found quite meaningful is the chair that the wife sits in. It is described as comfortable and relaxing. I believe this is symbolic of a life without a husband looking over you and controlling your actions. I also don't think it is coincidental that the men of a family are often seen sitting in comfortable chairs in patriarchal times, and the first thing the wife does when her husband is "dead" is sit in this seat. I also believe the window is a symbol. The widow looks out it gazing at the distance, with "intelligent thought". I think the window and the sky beyond are symbolic of all the wide and various opportunities the woman will have in life without a controlling force, and she is pondering deeply about those.
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I find your analysis on the symbols very interesting. I didn't even notice the chair as a symbol. I think that fits perfectly with the idea of her oppressive marriage throughout the story. She wants to feel free and does for a very short period of time and the chair kind of symbolizes those feelings. Great analysis!
DeleteThrough a feminist lens, the symbolism of marriage as a trap, I completely agree with. It is an interesting idea that the chair symbolizes her new found freedom and dominance that she has never experienced. Great analysis!
DeleteI also like the symbolism of the chair. I hadn't thought of it quite like that, and I enjoy seeing things through the new ideas that not many other people, if any, comment on
Delete-Jocelyn
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Delete"The joy that kills" refers to the fact that she died when she saw her husband was actually alive. Obviously those around her thought it was from the joy of her husband being alive, but it was actually because she was shocked that he was alive. She wanted a life of freedom and her husband brought oppression. Her sister and even the doctors thought she was so saddened by the death of her husband and then later filled with joy to the point of her own death when she discovered he was alive. The reader sees that Mrs. Mallard was actually more joyous in the time she believed her husband to be dead. This impacts the ending because everyone else in the story thought she was only impacted by the feelings of her husband being dead, but it was actually the feelings of freedom she experienced while he was dead. She even literally repeats "free, free, free!" and acknowledges that she "would live for herself." She continues to repeat "free". She was so excited about finally being free that once her husband comes home and she realizes that freedom is being ripped away from her again, it physically kills her. The fact that no other characters could see this truth shows the typical gender roles of this time. Women were not open about their feelings of oppression in 1894. They just assumed she was consumed with her feelings of love for him. She should have been sad that he died and she should have been filled with joy that he was alive, because these would be normal feelings if she was in love with her husband. It makes sense the other characters made these assumptions, but the reader knows the truth and sees it is quite the opposite.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts. Delving into the minds of the characters around Mrs. Mallard did not come to my mind, but I like how you analyzed their assuming thoughts considering the time period. What society thought and what was the norm was emphasized through the ideas and assumptions of the characters. Good job :)
DeleteI agree very much with your statements and think Abigail is right. You completely thought into depth of the different views, to show the communication between people and how many did not really understand each other. It clearly says “What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!” This makes your comment about her wanting freedom from oppression but not being able to speak out about it, seem more true. Women definitely were being overpowered by men but had very little power in themselves to confront others about it, including their husbands, because it was how their culture perceived society at this time. Very cool!!
DeleteThe joy that kills in this story is the fact that Mrs. Mallard will have a chance to be free and independent from her husband. She will be able to make decisions on her own. This is taken away from her when she finds out that her husband is not actually dead. It's not the ¨joy¨ that kills, but rather the loss of ¨joy¨ that kills Mrs. Mallard. Throughout the story Mrs. Mallard becomes stronger with her new found sense of freedom. She realizes how independent she will be and how she will be able to make her own decisions. This all comes crashing down when she sees her husband alive. Through a feminist lens we see that Mrs. Mallard is freed from the inequality of marriage. She realizes that she will be able to make her own new identity and make decisions for herself. This story shows how unequal and man driven the world was in the late 1800's and early 1900´s.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the story, feminist symbols and thoughts are expressed. In the beginning, Mrs. Mallard's sister and husband's friend tried to cushion the news to her. This "babying" of a women may be taken as a hint of the social construct that women are weak or emotional. When Mrs. Mallard begins whispering she's free, the reader is led to believe that the patriarchy is playing a role, and that the man had dominance over her. "She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long." This quote reinforces the thoughts of her being free from her husband being gone. According to the quote, she previously did not want to have a long life when her husband was living, but once he dies she longs for a long life. One symbol in the story is the heart problem Mrs. Mallard apparently has. The heart can be symbolic of love, and when there's a heart problem, that indicates an unhealthy relationship/love. When the doctors say she died from "the joy that kills", we can see through the feminist lense that the male doctors believed Mrs. Mallard died from being happy her husband was still alive. Another symbol was Mrs. Mallard looking out the window at the scenery. The view of outside is pleasantly described, and the window is symbolic of the new look on life that she has. Now that her husband has passed, she can see life more clearly and more beautifully now that the rain and clouds are moving on.
ReplyDelete-Jocelyn
DeleteI agree with you that Mrs.Mallard felt oppressed by her husband and that she was clearly driven by her emotions. This can be seen by her weeping and physical exhaustion. I also thought it was interesting how you said Mrs.Mallard's heart problems symbolize her failing relationship with her husband, I hadn't thought about this before.
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DeleteI find your portrayal of Mrs. Mallard's heart problem as conflict with her husband who in turn represents the patriarchy as a whole a compelling explanation of this piece of the story. Also, you are keen to point out the section which portrays her life as of more value without her husband. Wishing to live versus wishing to die is a stark contrast representing the oppression of her husband's patriarchal grip on her life. With this in mind, it is flatly unbelievable that she is filled with joy at seeing her husband alive. Might the "joy that kills" be reexamined as shock or horror at returning to her old life?
DeleteOne strong truth in this piece is the fact that marriage has been a tradition that labels women. Whenever a woman is married, they’re given a new title such as Mrs. or Ms.. Women also traditionally take the male’s name when betrothed, which signifies male dominance over women. This has been a truth since marriage first came around, and this tradition has only recently changed. Marriage is a meaningful symbol of male power in this piece, has Mrs. Ballard is shown as helpless and miserable without her husband, as if her husband is her life. “The joy that kills” is the joy of feeling free, free to be the woman Mrs. Ballard couldn’t have been while being married due to the power her husband held over her. The overwhelming joy that is true freedom took over, and ultimately led to her death. Her coming from a state of misery to exuberant joy was too much for her fragile body, and this is significant because women are often portrayed as weak and emotional. This piece is definitely the work of a feminist author, with marriage and patriarchal symbols and almost a mockery of the “damsel in distress” archetype that Mrs. Ballard so accurately portrays.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe the taking of the man's last name is of great importance in this piece, but it does add to the case. There are more significant symbols. I also don't believe she was portrayed as helpless and miserable without her husband. But, I do like the connections made; they're different than most of the others
Delete- Jocelyn
While i do agree with your explanation of marriage I believe Mrs. Mallard did not die from joy. She was so excited to start a new identity as an independent free women and when she saw that her husband was actually alive the disappointment killed her.
DeleteI totally agree with your analysis of marriage. How come the woman changes her name from Ms. to Mrs, but the man just stays Mr.? Why are women labeled as "married" or "single" but the man in not labeled as either? Why does the woman have to take the man's name? I agree that these things are signs of male dominance over women. I also feel that society has a role to play here, because they thought that she was so happy to see him that she died. However, this was an assumption made by society that women live for their man. No one bothered to ask her if she was happy in her marriage. She never really had a voice.
DeleteI also found it interesting that she goes by her husband's last name at the beginning of the story but after he dies she is called Louise. The use of her last name is definitely a symbol for her freedom. The idea that taking a man's last name shows his dominance is something that no one really ever talks or thinks about but it definitely is a valid argument. -Maggie
DeleteThe “joy that kills” refers to the happiness that Mrs. Mallard felt after she hears about the death of her husband. She felt more free and independent. She is developed as a character because in the beginning, she seems weak, but then she becomes stronger when she realizes she is free, making the ending more impactful. As a young woman who has her whole life ahead of her, Mrs. Mallard feeling of joy reflects the idea that now she can live her life for herself, and not to please anybody else, specifically her husband. In this story, marriage is portrayed as a fake institution that mainly brings sorrow. The only time Mrs. Mallard was happy was when she mistakenly heard that her husband died, and this is not true love. An important symbol to consider in The Story of an Hour is the weather outside. It's described as "aquiver with new spring life" and "The delicious breath of rain was in the air"(1). Spring is associated with the regeneration of life and from a feminist lens, it's almost as if Mrs. Mallard has started a new life with the "death" of her husband. Furthermore, this gives the impression that men inhibit women from fully living their lives in a dominantly patriarchal society and females should do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that "the joy that kills" isn't the joy of her husband being dead, but actually the shock of finding out that she won't be able to live the fantasy she had imagined. I say this because it's not like she's happy that her husband is dead (ex. She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death;the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead)...she's just excited to be able to experience a new life.
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ReplyDeleteConsidering her heart troubles, the doctors assumed that she got too excited and shocked that she died of a heart disease. Yet, it is opposite of what she experienced. She was overjoyed with the new idea of her full and wonderful life ahead of her. A life of independence. When she saw the face of her husband, her future of no longer being oppressed, vanished. The development of Mrs. Mallard involved her original grief, disbelief, and pure sadness when she heard the news. As she was in touch with nature and alone with her thoughts, she realized what great indepence she could have. She was almost happy to be alone, without her husband. This impacted the end of the story in a way that revealed the harsh effects of such a sudden back and forth of emotions. In this case, through a feminist lens, the unspoken truth of independence is revealed. Independence, in this short story, is seen as a "forbidden pleasure" that can only be tangible privately, away from society. With the truth and belief of her husband's death, it was then and only then that she could recognize her own desires for independence and freedom. With her husband out of the picture, she was free from his dominance and and she could begin to be her own person. The truth of her marriage was revealed. She wasn't truly in love and she was experiencing an unhappy marriage. The symbol of the heart is especially meaningful because it is the center and core of our emotions. Her physical heart troubles symbolize the idea of her repressed emotional issues.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, Mrs. Mallard's freedom after her husband's death, concretized by the open window full of rebirth, could be examined as an exercise in American individualism. The fertility language alone is enough to support a characterization of Mrs. Mallard as bursting with republican motherhood. I would attest that her last hour is a tribute to American ideology.
DeleteThe idea of her heart being the core of her emotions is very interesting. It is almost as if she died of a "broken heart" because she realized her husband was alive. When reading about the scenery that was described to us outside, my first thought was that it sounded like her angel was watching over the story of what happened to her before she died. I think that the third person narrative and the fact that she talks her life in the past tense foreshadows her death at the very end. -Maggie
DeleteImmediately, the first sentence of “The Story of an Hour” instigates the widespread attempt to characterize Mrs. Mallard as a frail, emotional woman who is liable to collapse. The story refers to her “heart trouble”, “bosom”, and “slightly parted lips” in order to establish Louise as a maternal, weak individual who will be debilitated without an assertive husband to lead her. Thus, in line with the author’s emotional portrayal of Louise, raw emotion overcomes her at the sight of the husband who, presumed dead, appears alive before her. A “joy that kills” proves to be stronger than her emotional resolve. Louise, in her last hour on earth, is resolutely unenlightened and a simple, emotional character. Of course, there is the internal dialogue in which Mrs. Mallard utters faint feminist themes such as “‘free, free, free!’” and “‘Free! Body and soul free!’” which reveal assertions of the individual dignity and freedom ascribed to each woman. Louise takes the news at face value while other women are overcome “with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.” Then, the metaphor of her grief as a storm is preceded by the opening of her window. The world outside is lush with imagery of springtime rebirth and glimmers of hope in the clearing sky. This, too, advances feminist themes by representing fertility and an ability to continue life without her husband to guide her. This section of rebirth ends with a comment depicting her gaze at the sky as “a suspension of intelligent thought.” As a markedly anti feminist remark, this serves to show that her rebirth is insincere and Louise is still the same frail, incompetent woman as when she learned of her husband’s death. Overall, this story uses an emotional woman who is incapable of life without her husband to comment on the portrayal of women as irrational creatures who depend on emotion.
ReplyDeleteYou make some interesting remarks about how the story characterizes Mrs.Mallard's body, especially pointing out how her bosom and mouth were mentioned, two rather sexual parts of the body. Perhaps when she shouts that her bosy is free a subtheme of sexual freedom may be being implied by Chopin. This may be a stretch though.
Delete-Tyson
While feminism is the most prominent lens in this story, a historic lens is also necessary to help us understand what Louise was feeling. The Story of an Hour was written in 1894. During this time period I think it's safe to say that women choosing not to get married is very uncommon. Women were reliant on men because the idea of them even having a job was very new. After reading this story it makes me kind of sad to think about how many women were probably living lives that they were unhappy in. An interesting thing I noticed was that the title literally implies that this entire story happened within an hour. Within an hour Louise was able to find out about her husband's death and feel sadness but then immediately feel freedom from the life that she had been living for years, and I think that says a lot about her and her husband's relationship. While I do think she loved her husband, marriage was clearly not something she enjoyed. The ending of this story ends in very powerful words. “The joy that kills” is a sarcastic comment. I would say that it was more sadness than anything else that that caused her heart to fail. Louise said she was ready to “live for herself” which is a right that any women should have. -Maggie
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DeleteI believe that Mrs. Mallard did not truly love her husband. I believe she married him to fill a typical gender role at the time and she never truly loved him. This would explain her becoming joyous within an hour of finding out about her husband´s death.
Great analysis! In particular, I find that the historic lens helps us as readers to put into perspective how many women secretly felt the same way that Mrs. Mallard did. Perhaps the realization that women had a voice to say if they were happy or not is what pushed the womens' movement, eventually establishing women as equals to men by having the right to vote.I also agree that Mrs.Mallard was happier when she thought she could be free to live her own life, a very feminist idea.
DeleteI also agree with Aneri on this one, because the historical lens does provide us with a better glimpse of their society. Mallard is obviously rejecting this relationship because it does say “And yet she loved him--sometimes. Often she had not.”, which shows deeper meaning on the struggles between their on-and-off relationship. She definitely thought she would be happier without Mr. Mallard in her life, continuing to praise his death for her freedom, and could relate to the way of life for women during this particular period, like you mentioned. I think your analysis is great and believe that when she wanted to “live for herself”, it not only considered the reality for women, but demonstrates a way to prove that women needed more equality. They wanted to be accepted through having more freedom to allow them to accomplish this.
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ReplyDelete-The Joy that Kills-
ReplyDeleteThe “joy that kills” isn’t actually joy; it’s sadness and disappointment so deep that it Mrs. Mallard most likely went into shock and died. The first female to graduate medical school was in 1849 and that was only 44 years before this was written, so it’s fair to assume when this was written that the majority of doctors were male; and since male doctors were/are discriminatory towards women and often made assumptions about women, I believe that the doctors assumed that she died from joy. I think Chopin uses this to show the misogyny of the time.
-Character Development-
At first, as readers, we assume that Mrs.Mallard is deeply saddened by her husband’s death, but as we find out more about her character we realize that she is much stronger than we originally thought.
-Feminist Lens-
1.We can see that not all women want to be housewives and some can view it as a trap
A.When she’s looking out the window contemplating her future she says, “free, free, free,” showing that by the death of her husband and the subsequent ending of her marriage means that she is free.
2.Marriage oppresses women (and men but this is the feminist lens so shhh)
A.“There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination.”
-Symbols and Motifs-
Elixir of Life - the joy of freedom and being able to live a life just for yourself
Her Name (Louise) - I find it interesting that we don’t find out her first name until the story kind of shifts from her being sad about her husband’s death to her being ready to start a new chapter of her life. Also, her name means renowned warrior so that’s pretty interesting if you take into account how she’s so ready to take on her new life that will just be hers to decide what happens to it.
Spring Outside the Window - this symbolizes the new life that’s ahead of her full of new experiences
The “joy that kills” is an ironic expression to emphasize how much Mrs. Mallard was so excited to get away from her husband, that when she saw him alive, she had to make sure she could be free from him forever. She did this by dying to allow herself to retain some of her freedom. In the story, she wants to have independence and the open window could represent the open-world or a life with new beginning. It says that outside the window was “new spring life” and suggest that there is more opportunities for freedom. She can have a better future and be able to do things on her own, rather than being controlled by her husband. Through a feminist lens, many men and women, from her point of view, do not treat each other fairly and most men have central authority over the women. In this case, women need to be freed from their struggled relationships and do not have a fair advantage in within marriage. These are considered cultural standards that support male gender roles because of their dominance over women, by referring to Mrs. Mallard as being finally free from having to follow her husband through his death.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of her death being an permanent way to secure her freedom. Amazing! Further, I never thought of how that could be her joy. Also, I agree with that she wanted to be able to do things on her own. However, I wouldn't say that in this piece that Chopin meant to state that men have more power since when Louise contemplates the will bending she says that both "men and women believe they have a right" to do.
DeleteMrs. Mallard's death is somewhat ironic. Mrs. Mallard was excited that her husband was dead, because she was finally free from the oppression that she faced being married to him. She compared her new life to a beautiful spring, and a new beginning. Through a feminist lens, we can see that Mrs. Mallard wanted to be free from her husband, and the duties of being a housewife, and with his death, her wish is granted. However, when Mr. Mallard returns home, her wish is reversed, and she dies from shock. She didn't die from her overwhelming "joy", but rather her overwhelming disappointment. Her escape from her husband was through his death, which ended up being her own.
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