This term paper will analyze Chopin’s short story from a different perspective, than how many scholars have analyzed the protagonist’s death before, which is as a critique of the patriarchal society she is living in. It will focus on the approach Lawrence I. Berkove treats in his work "Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour"" where he proves that this story is neither about patriarchy nor about marriage, but about the protagonist, Louise Mallard, herself.
As she is an unreliable narrator who does not give clear evidence for suppression in her marriage, in fact who does not give much information about her husband at all, it can be suspected that Chopin’s story actually centers Louis Mallard’s personality. This is why I argue that Louise Mallard is a tragic character who could never be happy, as her understanding of freedom can never be achieved in real life, she loves nobody but herself, and she is physically too weak to face the difficulties of life.
Table of Contents
1. Illusions: The Protagonist’s Perception of Freedom
2. Egocentrism: self-love that leaves no room for others
3. Physical illness: the protagonist and her cardiac problem
Objectives and Topics
This term paper examines Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour" through a re-evaluative lens, arguing that Louise Mallard’s tragedy stems from her internal personality traits rather than external patriarchal oppression. By analyzing her egocentrism, unrealistic view of freedom, and physical vulnerability, the paper posits that she is a fundamentally isolated character incapable of traditional human relationships.
- The rejection of the patriarchal critique in favor of a psychological character study.
- The protagonist's egocentric definition of self-assertion and "freedom."
- The role of communication failures in Louise Mallard’s marital dissatisfaction.
- The symbolic and physical significance of the protagonist's cardiac condition.
- The interpretation of Louise Mallard as a tragic figure inherently unsuited for communal life.
Excerpt from the Book
Physical illness: the protagonist and her cardiac problem
Kate Chopin’s protagonist is physically too weak to face the difficulties of life. Steven Doloff points out that it is important to notice that Louise’s surname “Mrs. Mallard” is given in the story’s first line (580). She is immediately introduced to the reader in a formal manner. The beginning of the story is consistently written in a neutral and descriptive manner explaining what happened to whom, and who is affected by it. This generates the impression that Louise Mallard is an average married woman who is part of a normal higher middle-class society. The information about Mallard’s heart trouble appears directly after introducing her by her surname and indicates that her illness is the second important information about her, it identifies her even more than her first name. Doloff made another interesting observation. He explains that Mallard’s surname resembles the French adjective “malade” which means “sick” (581). This resemblance could allude to her heart trouble as well as to her mental delusion later in the story (Doloff 581). Also, when analyzing the story deeply, it becomes clear that Mallard’s heart attack begins right after receiving the message of her husband’s death. Right after receiving the message of her husband’s death she feels “pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul”, then her “bosom rose and fell tumultuously”, her “pulses beat fast”, she kept whispering the words “free” repetitively and finally when descending the stairs, she is so weak that she has to “clasp[s] her sister’s waist” (Chopin 250, 251).
Summary of Chapters
1. Illusions: The Protagonist’s Perception of Freedom: This section explores how Louise Mallard’s concept of freedom is rooted in natural imagery and an unrealistic desire for self-actualization, which paradoxically leads to her isolation.
2. Egocentrism: self-love that leaves no room for others: This chapter analyzes the protagonist’s inability to maintain healthy relationships, suggesting that her extreme focus on self-assertion prevents her from experiencing genuine love or empathy for those around her.
3. Physical illness: the protagonist and her cardiac problem: This section examines the symbolic significance of Louise Mallard's heart condition, linking it both to her literal fragility and her metaphorical state of mind throughout the narrative.
Keywords
Louise Mallard, The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin, literary analysis, egocentrism, self-assertion, freedom, cardiac health, patriarchal society, tragic character, communication, psychological study, literary symbolism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this term paper?
The paper focuses on reinterpreting the character of Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour," shifting the perspective from a critique of patriarchal society to an analysis of the protagonist's own personality and tragic nature.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The central themes include the protagonist's extreme egocentrism, her unrealistic perception of freedom, her inability to communicate within a relationship, and the interplay between her physical health and emotional state.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to demonstrate that Louise Mallard is a tragic character who is essentially incapable of happiness because her pursuit of self-assertion is fundamentally incompatible with the reality of human relationships.
Which critical approach is utilized in this paper?
The paper utilizes the critical framework provided by Lawrence I. Berkove, which suggests that the story is less about societal suppression and more about the internal world and self-absorption of the protagonist herself.
What aspects of the protagonist are covered in the main body?
The main body examines her skewed perception of freedom, her egocentric nature which excludes empathy for others (including her husband and sister), and her severe physical and possibly mental vulnerability.
What defines the character of Louise Mallard according to the author?
She is defined by her "emotional coldness," her obsession with self-assertion, and her physical weakness, which ultimately leaves her unprepared for the complexities of life.
How does the paper interpret the surname "Mallard"?
Drawing on the research of Steven Doloff, the paper notes that the name resembles the French word "malade" (sick), which serves as a lexical diagnostic alluding to her cardiac instability and potential mental delusions.
Why does the author argue that Louise Mallard's view of freedom is unrealistic?
The author argues that Mallard seeks an absolute, isolated form of freedom that ignores the necessity of human connection, meaning that even without her husband, she would have encountered the difficulties of loneliness and "unprotectedness."
Why does the author claim the protagonist is an unreliable narrator?
She is considered unreliable because she provides very little objective information about her marriage or her husband, instead focusing entirely on her own internal, subjective reactions to her environment.
What is the significance of the "peddler" and the sounds outside her window?
These external stimuli symbolize the world that she believes is calling for her once she is "free," illustrating how her perception of reality is fueled by her own projected desires rather than external circumstances.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Lilia Steinmetz (Autor:in), 2021, The Personality of Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour". A Tragic Life, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1248175
