Forbidden Happiness

Beginning at birth, people are dependent on someone other than themselves and as people grow up they become more dependent on others, sometimes by choice, other times involuntarily. When they are born and much throughout their childhood, they have no choice but to be dependent on such people as their parents, siblings, other relatives, and friends. Although as they grow up, they become a little more independent; choices come along whether they want to be dependent on others for certain aspects of life or not. Little children will fight to do the little things that make them independent, such as tying their shoes by themselves, picking out their own clothes, etc. Once people hit the point of adulthood and start living on their own, almost everyone becomes independent. Eventually, they meet the person they choose to be with for the rest of their life, and suddenly they’re back to being dependent. Its strange that after finally getting their independence, they choose to throw it away for one person. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” shows how people’s choices to be dependent or not has a huge affect on their lives. This story was first published in Vogue in 1895; this was a time when women just started to stand up for themselves and their rights. Women stayed at home, they were oppressed in the sense that they didn’t have the freedom to do and go as they please, the head of the house (a male) made the rules. The images of a the open window, with birds chirping and clouds breaking up, while Mrs. Mallard is in her bedroom reinforce the idea that she is gaining a new found freedom, when she felt a new start at life following her husband’s death. Louise Mallard's reaction to her husband’s death is a very normal reaction at first. The person she depends on for essentially everything is now gone. When the initial grief passes, she decides to go into her room. It says, “She would have no one to follow her.” (Chopin). This implies that if her husband was there she would not be going to her room alone, he would be following her. This statement shows the dependence between Mr. and Mrs. Mallard when he was alive. Louise’s thoughts go from grieving to being free. “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). Louise has this new found freedom that she never had with Bentley. She thinks that nothing can compare to this new feeling she has. As she continues, her newest thought comes up; “She breathed a quick prayer that life be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.”(Chopin). While her husband was alive, she was thinking about life, its length and dreading living out the rest of her years. Now that her husband is gone, she is hoping she lives a very long life, so she can enjoy all of her new found freedom. Louise probably should have been more careful with what she wished for. Throughout the story Louise Mallard finds this new freedom and she now feels that she is independent without her husband, she struggles with this idea of freedom at first, then she lets it take over. She has always been dependent on her husband and with him gone, she finally feels she can be free; although a person does not have to take away another person's freedom. Just as when people are younger, they have the choice to be dependent on others. It is the same with freedom, people can choose whether their significant other takes away their freedom. Freedom and independence go hand in hand. Many people are married and still have their personal freedom, just because one person is connected to another person