Chopin’s Definition of Freedom

On #InternationalWomensDay, here’s to celebrating freedom, at all costs!

The Story of An Hour (1894) by Kate Chopin begins as a tragedy but finally ends in shock. First published in Vogue on 6th December 1894, this one-and-a-half-page short story evokes a wide variety of feelings, raises a pool of emotions and ultimately culminates into a conclusion that wasn’t foreshadowed.

The story starts with Mrs. Mallard, the ‘sophisticated’ and ‘presentable’ housewife of an affluent family, receiving the unfortunate news of her husband’s death due to a railroad disaster. Breaking down in the arms of her dear sister, Mrs. Mallard completes her weeping, all at once, until she retires to her room, alone.

With an open window and a comfortable armchair staring at her face, Mrs. Mallard welcomes the feeling of liberation with open arms. The delicious scent of the air, the dancing of the trees, the twittering of the sparrows, the tired calls of the street vendor — everything breathes life into her soul which had been nothing but a walking carcass throughout all these years, throughout all those years when her husband lived.

Yes, she is happy, maybe for the first time in her entire marital life. Her heart beats faster, blood gushing into even the tiniest of the veins — she feels alive as she mumbles the following words under her…