Story of An Hour- Freedom Gained
...y be “free, free, free”(319)! When Mrs. Mallard looks out the window, she sees her freedom. She knows she is no longer being held captive by her marriage. She is now free to make her own decisions, and to do as she pleases without worrying about her husband‘s approval. “She would live for herself”(320). The open window represents the freedom granted to Mrs. Mallard. The new day brings new opportunities to Mrs. Mallard and allows her to seek a better life. She can find a life that has meaning, and even possibly a love, someone to help cure her delicate heart. Mrs. Mallard’s heart has more problems then she ever let on. Her heart is constantly in pain, both physically and emotionally, from the lack of love and proper medicines. Finally, Mrs. Mallard receives the best medicine anyone could offer, the “elixir of life”(320). Her life is now directly under her control, and she is able to choose her own path and where it ultimately leads to. In spite of this fact, Mrs. Mallard does feel badly about her husbands death. She knows she will weep when she sees his “kind, tender hands folded in death”(320) She is truly ashamed of her reaction. She knows her husband has never done anything to her that should cause her to be joyous over his death. He has never physically or mentally harmed her. He has only restricted her freedom in the sense that he controlled her actions, as was the normal behavior of a husband in the Nineteenth Century. In a male dominated society, women were forced to live by the rules of their husbands. It was a part of life that couldn’t be escaped, except in death. The name “Mallard” is symbolic of the mallard duck. “Mallard” has two simultaneous meanings in this story. A mallard duck is a domestic animal, just as Mrs. Mallard is a domestic woman. She fulfills her family duties and is a dedicated wife, even though she does not love her husband. This meaning of the word “mallard” represents Mrs. Mallard’s life prior to her husband’s death. The second meaning behind “mallard” is the reference to a duck migrating, starting over. Mrs. Mallard now has a chance to start a new life for herself. She can begin a life that she has always dreamed of; a life which is free of following orders and being a dutiful wife. “Spring days and summer days, and all sorts of days that would ...