The Joy That Kills Essay Example

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. The writer suggests that all marriages, even the kindest ones, are inherently oppressive.

The room to which Mrs. Mallard retreats is a reflection of the newfound freedoms that accompany the loss of her husband. Also the window through which she looks is translated into the fresh opportunities that await her in the days and years to come. However, it is suggested that independence in this time period is a forbidden pleasure that can be imagined only privately. When Louise finally does acknowledge the joy of being a widow, she feels possessed by it. Overwhelmed, she even turns to prayer, hoping for a long ife in which to enjoy this feeling.

With the return of her husband, her independence taken away from her, putting it once again out of her reach. The forbidden joy disappears as quickly as it came, but the taste of it is enough to kill her. Kate Chopin in “The Story of an Hour” exemplifies the suppression that women had to endure in the late 19th century successfully through characterization, symbolisms and setting. She hints that all marriages are inherently oppressive and encourages the women to not live under a powerful will being imposed on them, but to find their own identity and rather live for themselves.