After reading Chopin's short story, I felt a little compassion for Mrs. Mallard. Although Chopin did not reveal a lot about the Mallards' relationship, I get the hint that Mrs. Mallard would rather not be with Mr. Mallard. Her longing for self freedom is obvious, and she seems to be held back by her heart illness, and Mr. Mallard.
I really enjoyed Chopin's writing style, and the way she expressed the window and chair part. I can understand Mrs. Mallard's excitement when she finally feels like she can be free.
I think Chopin showed how some people will sacrifice self happiness, self freedom, and perhaps self worth for illusions of their own wishes by revealing how joyous Mrs. Mallard was after daydreaming about long years ahead without Brently Mallard.
If Mr. Mallard was far away from and didn't even know about the train accident, where was he at? Why was Mrs. Mallard longing for freedom?
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Hi Travis, I agree there was not much information relating to their relationship , good or bad. Based on her reaction I am guessing it was on the bad side however it was. It sounded like the "storm of grief" didn't last very long. I think Chopin leaves the, type of relationship issues, up to the reader. I don't know why she was longing for freedom but it sounded as if she had a few family members she could of turned to for help.
ReplyDeleteHey Travis--nice to meet you. I kind of like the fact that there is a mystery about the health of their relationship. It definitely leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I agree that Chopin's description of the view outside of Mrs. Mallard's bedroom window was captivating: "The delicious breath of rain was in the air" (Chopin 15). I wonder if Mrs. Mallard had been clinically diagnosed with a heart illness or if that diagnosis had been derived from her reaction to tragic events. Chopin stated that she was a young woman. I suppose it’s not impossible, but was it fairly common for young women to have heart conditions during that time? I pose this question, because of the doctors' determined cause of death at the end of the story. I thought she was joyful at the thought of being free? Based upon her reaction to the news of her husband's death, I would think that the sight of her husband being alive would be a sad thing. Wow…are some people giving up those things to be married? I hope that’s not what marriage is all about. I’ve never been married, but I’m not fond of the idea of sacrificing my individuality and self-happiness in order to exchange vows. I actually look forward to enhancing my happiness with my future husband and family. That’s so funny—you posed the same question about Mr. Mallard as I. I think he had a secret life on the side. LOL
ReplyDeleteHello Travis,
ReplyDeleteIt does seem odd that there was no mention of Mr. Mallard, or how he got onto the list of people that had supposidly died in the accident. It was almost sad to see how happy Mrs. Mallard became towards the end of the story thinking that she would be able to live her life "free" of Mr. Mallard.
You mention that Mrs. Mallard was "held back" by Mr. Mallard. Do you think that it was deliberate on his part or just the nature of their lives? I would be interested in reading the story of Mr. Mallard's day. I wonder if he feels as disaffected as his wife.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a mystery as to why it was confirmed twice that he died on the train, but showed up and was no where near it. I believe it was just a marriage gone bad, but we never got Mr. Mallard's side. I wonder what his reaction was to his wife's death. Maybe that is another story.
ReplyDelete