Louise Mallard is the protagonist of Kate Chopin's ‘The Story of an Hour' –
an emotionally repressed woman who must deal with the untimely yet promising death of
her husband, Brently Mallard, who is a traditional patriarchal figure of the 1890s.
Who are the main characters in the story The Story of an Hour?
- Louise Mallard.
- Josephine.
- Richards.
- Brently Mallard.
- The doctor(s)
Who are the main characters in the story of an hour?
The main characters in “The Story of an Hour” are
Louise Mallard, Brently Mallard, and Louise's sister Josephine
. Louise Mallard is a young woman who suffers from a heart condition.
Who is the antagonist in The Story of an Hour?
The first, the antagonist is
death
. The death of her husband threatens to overwhelm Mrs. Mallard until she realizes that his death releases her from her oppressive existence as a wife. Louise also realizes that death will come to her, but that she may enjoy her freedom for many years before death overtakes her.
Is Louise Mallard a protagonist?
Louise Mallard. Mrs. Mallard is
a classic late nineteenth-century protagonist
. Stuck in a domestic space, trapped in an unfulfilling marriage, full of longing for freedom, and even diagnosed with a weak heart…
What is the moral of The Story of an Hour?
One lesson that everybody can and should learn from Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour” is that
marriage is a very complicated relationship
. Many young couples start off thinking that they will stay in love forever. But it seldom, if ever, works out that way. In fact, there is nothing in life that is perfect.
Did Mrs Mallard died of a broken heart?
Mrs. Mallard dies of a broken heart because her husband is actually alive
. She should be happy that he is alive but instead she was saddened and shocked that her life would be hopeless once again. When Louise gets her freedom, she dies anyway.
Why is Mrs Mallard happy?
Mallard is
happy after hearing the news of her husband's death
: she thinks that she has finally found a way out of a lifestyle that does not fit her any longer. This reminds us of another famous Kate Chopin character, Edna Pontellier, in The Awakening.
Did Mr Mallard love his wife?
Mallard had “kind, tender hands” (13) and that throughout their married life he “
had never looked save with love upon
[his wife]” (13). … Mallard was nothing but nice to his wife, and never did anything to make her feel like his death would be a blessing.
What is the conflict of story of an hour?
The main conflict of “The Story of an Hour” is
internal within Louise Mallard. She is torn between her unhappiness as a married woman and her love for her husband
. This conflict is symbolized by her heart condition, which ultimately kills her.
Why is Mr Mallard the antagonist?
Mallard is totally an antagonist – how else would you describe someone who's killed the protagonist, or severely endangered her? What Mr. Mallard feels about his wife doesn't even matter in this context, and his actions don't matter either, because the very thought and sight of him is
deathly
to the heroine.
Why is Louise Mallard unhappy in her marriage?
Mrs. Mallard was unhappy in her marriage
because she felt frustrated and restricted by the confines marriage and her husband had placed upon her
. It is evident that she felt trapped in her marriage, since her principal feeling when reflecting on her husband's death is one of freedom.
Who breaks the news of Mr Mallard's death?
Josephine and Richards
try to break the news of Mr. Mallard's death as gently as possible to Mrs. Mallard. The very first sentence of the story tells readers this information.
Why does Kate Chopin portray Louise Mallard heart problem as both physical and emotional?
Louise suffers from a heart problem, which indicates the
extent to which she feels that marriage has oppressed her
. The vague label Chopin gives to Louise's problem—“heart trouble”—suggests that this trouble is both physical and emotional, a problem both within her body and with her relationship to Brently.
What really killed Mrs Mallard?
Mallard
died of a heart attack
, what they also referred to as “the joy that kills.” They must think that the heart attack was triggered by her joy at the sudden reappearance of her husband, whom she thought dead. At the beginning of the story, it is stated that Mrs. Mallard suffers from a heart condition.
Why was The Story of an Hour controversial?
The Story of an Hour was considered controversial during the 1890s
because it deals with a female protagonist who feels liberated by the news of her husband's death
. In Unveiling Kate Chopin, Emily Toth argues that Chopin “had to have her heroine die” in order to make the story publishable.
