The commitment of marriage through The story of an hour

Kate Chopin, whom had written The story of an hour, was born in America in the nineteenth century. Back in those days women were less independent and had fewer rights. The marriage was a major subject of this reality; it is also one of the main themes of this short story. Mrs. Mallards, the main character, reflects a controversial opinion of marriage: isn’t marriage an end of a certain liberty? The evolution of Mrs. Mallard’ thoughts and the background of the authors help to develop this opinion.
The psychological evolvement of Louise Mallards after learning her husband’s death is unique. At first she reacts typically; she is sad and look forward the privacy of her room to mourn her companion. She sits in front of an open window, symbol of opportunity, first tip of her future emotional change. By looking outside, gazing at the sky, symbol of liberty, and enjoying the fresh air of spring, symbol of change, she slowly starts to feel release. She is liberated of a marriage that was blocking her of accomplishing herself. “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” She sees marriage as an obligation of which she has been discharged. Her feelings grow toward an unpredictable way: she pleases this opportunity of change and liberty. Though Mrs. Mallard is just one woman, if we compare the historical background of the story plus the marriage context of those days, it is easy to conclude that she might not have been the only one to have reacted like that.
The author, Kate Chopin, stand out for her generation. She wrote a lot about women, throughout her life. She had taken interest in reflecting the reality of women of her time. In this story, she talked about the marriage. Let’s remind that, back then, it was unusual for a woman to not be married and most of the engage ones had the