Essay/Term paper: A story of an hour: feelings

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Kate Chopin

A Story of An Hour: Feelings


In the short story "A Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin, the whole range
of emotions are felt by the main charter Louise Mallard. Upon learning of her
husband's death she is immediately overcome by sadness. However, once she is
alone she allows herself to experience her feelings of joy at the prospect of
being free from "repression." She is no more able to staff off the feeling that
was approaching her than trying to stop the waves from hitting the shore.
Basically stated we are powerless over our feelings.
First, one can state that no matter how hard we try we can not keep a
feeling from coming over us. Louises' feelings come from deep within her soul.
Physical exhaustion followed her first storm of grief. At first she did not
know what was coming to her. She could not even give it a name. When she
started to recognize it, she was trying to beat it back with sheer will power.
Only to find that will power is no match for the total encompassing of feelings.
Once she had abandoned herself the word "free" had escaped from her lips. She
did not deliberately want it but it had come anyway. Unmistakably, a joy over
took her. Not that she would not be sad again, but for now she was like a bird
let out of the cage.
Mrs. Mallard was a good example of Shakespeare's line "To Thine own self
be true." She did not allow guilt to rear it's ugly head but instead just felt
her feelings. She allowed no one to witness her self assertion. But, it was
the strongest impulse of her being.
As she was projecting spring and summer days to come, a feeling that her
life would be her own again gave her a contentment that she had not felt in a
long time. No one actually knew what Mrs. Mallard had experienced behind her
closed door. Although, the human heart was meant to deal with that much pain,
joy and disappointment in one day never mind one hour. To her sister
(Josephine) it would appear that she died of joy when she saw her spouse was not
dead. The truth was buried with Louise. Tragically, what seemed to be great
joy was a grief felt for her freedom that had been so short lived.
Concluding, the roller coaster of emotions was to extreme for Louises'
fragile heart to bear, leaving her no choice but to die with her secret. It's a
fact that people are governed by their emotions. Trying to control them has
never been something that the human race has been able to accomplish. God gave
us a free-will. Therefore, we are not powerless over our actions, however,
feelings sneak in to our soul without being asked.