Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

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Throughout the short stories Eveline by James Joyce and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin there was an underlying theme of unhappiness and lack of freedom shared amongst the two. The main character Mrs. Mallard in Chopin's story feels a sense of relief and freedom when she hears of her husbands passing. While the main character Eveline in Joyce's story has a longing to escape her fathers abusive manner, but when presented with the opportunity to leave she decides to stay at the last second. These two circumstances lead to a life changing question, do we have anyone other than ourselves to blame for our unhappiness or lack of freedom? If the two of them had the answer to that question, maybe they would have lived differently. When someone…show more content…
Mallard was all she knew. I found it extremely ironic that she is asking herself “what did it matter” (that most of the time she didn't love him) while excitedly planning out the rest of her life without him. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (122). It should not have taken her husband to die for her to be able to live for herself. She acts as though this was the only solution to her self assertion. At first glance the reader may think that Mr. Mallard was the reason for Mrs. Mallards unhappiness when in reality she has no one to blame but herself. Forcing yourself to stay with someone regardless of your own happiness is mind blowing. People only get one life, why cage yourself into one that you do not absolutely…show more content…
Mallard. Eveline was aware of the fact that she deserved better and actually made an attempt to get what she truly wanted regardless of her fathers demands. “Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness” (6). She knew exactly what she wanted and that leaving with Frank would be her first step towards getting those things, but yet she still chose to stay within the sad cage she had lived all her life, why? One might believe that it was her mothers dying wish for her to take care of the family but in reality, there was no family left for her to take care of. Eveline's brother had moved away, the other one had unfortunately died and the only one left in the house was her abusive father. Would her mother have wanted her to sacrifice her own happiness for the same man that had mistreated her when she was alive? That is extremely

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