Louise Mallard's Heart Trouble

A literary analysis of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" seems to tell the tale of a woman who has a bizarre reaction to the death of her husband. However, looking beneath her reaction to the cause is where the depth of the story lies. Louise Mallard is a woman who has been confined by the social constructs of the time period in which this story takes place. Her reaction to her husband’s death, leads her to realize that she will finally be able to discover her own identity and live for herself. The story begins and ends with the heart trouble that Mrs. Mallard has been attributed with. From what is described in the story this heart trouble seems to be a physical malady that causes her to be sensitive to change. This is supposedly what causes her untimely death at the sight of her husband. This paper will explore the idea that Louise Mallard's heart trouble can be attributed to the emotional distress that is caused by being a married woman in the patriarchal society in which this story takes place. The root of her heart problem is her inability to assert her own identity.

In the very first sentence of the story we become aware of the fact that Louise Mallard has some sort of heart trouble. It is never explicitly stated what exactly her heart trouble entails, but I believe it to be more emotional than a physical heart ailment. Louise Mallard is a married woman who is struggling to find herself in a time when a woman's identity is strictly associated with her husband. This seems to be an almost impossible task. We learn that "It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long." (Chopin 16) This proves that Louise Mallard was unhappy with the current state of her life. She was realizing that she was stuck being Mrs. Mallard for the rest of her life and what an unfortunate thing that is. To never be able to be 'Louise', simply 'Mrs. Mallard' forever. Her life is dragging on and she is sinking away from nature and the world outside of the confinement of her home. We learn that Louise Mallard is a young woman, but already her face has "lines that bespoke repression" (Chopin 15) This shows that she is suppressing emotion in order to maintain her role as her husband's wife. With that role leaves no room for personal emotions or feelings. It is a basic human need to be able to express feelings, especially in order to discover who you really are. When Louise Mallard hears the news of her husband's death she does not react "...as many women [who] have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance." (Chopin 15) This is because right away Louise Mallard sees a glimmer of change that she has been needing. She doesn't understand it at first, but her husband's passing gives her the room she has needed to be able to explore her own identity. Her reaction suggests that she is feeling emotion for the first time in a long time. She is able to return from that passive emotional state when she realizes that she may have a chance at being able to assert her own identity. Once Mrs. Mallard has realized that she is free to be herself she is able to notice and appreciate "new spring life" and "countless sparrows ...twittering in the eaves." (Chopin 15) This shows that once Louise is allowed to connect with her inner self and find her identity she can become one with the natural world.

Looking at Louise Mallard's heart trouble as more of an emotional trouble, than physical, allows for a deeper investigation to be necessary. What is the cause of Mrs. Mallard's heart trouble? An article written by Selina Jamil explores the idea that Mrs. Mallard's emotions have been "stifled and suppressed to fit into the mold of hollow social conventions." If this is the case, then Louise Mallard's heart trouble could be connected very easily to her search to find her own identity. The fact that the reader doesn't hear Mrs. Mallard called by her first name until the last third of the story helps support this idea. This is "...a sign of a woman who has unconsciously surrendered her heart to paternalism." (Jamil) Society has forced Louise Mallard to succumb to her husband’s "powerful will" (Chopin 16). She is not allowed to assert herself as Louise, she is always Mrs. Mallard. I believe that this is a major contributor to her heart trouble. She doesn't allow herself to acknowledge her emotions, she is submissive to her husband, and she has conformed to society's will that men have "a right to impose a private will" upon their wives (Chopin 16). This is why her emotions feel like such an imposition, and she is only allowed to express them after her husband is gone. Thus the connection back to nature and the sudden rush of emotion. She is "Free! Body and soul free!" (Chopin 16) In the moments after Louise Mallard has heard the news of her husband's death and has retired to her room, she becomes aware of the emotions that she has been suppressing. She knew "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully." (Chopin 15) This thing could be interpreted at the emotion that she has been suppressing ever since she married her husband. She is afraid because she hasn't had the opportunity to explore her own emotions in a very long time. This could be the cure to her heart trouble and it is also the very thing that her sister assumes will contribute to her heart trouble. She tells Louise "...you will make yourself ill." (Chopin 16) When Louise is locked in her room having her self-revelation, the time at which she is feeling most herself, the outside world is trying to convince her of the exact opposite.

Kate Chopin has used linguistics in a very telling way in this story. A deeper investigation into the meaning of the Louise's surname reveals quite a bit about her situation without having to have a full understanding of it. According to an article written by Steven Doloff, the name 'Mallard', "in French literally translates to 'knife-grinder's stone'". This definition lends itself to revealing the emotional struggles that Louise Mallard is suffering. And the fact that it is linked directly to her surname suggests that the emotional struggles began when she married her husband. She lost her own identity and after that the emotional trouble set in. If you break apart 'Mallard' "The first syllable translates as the familiar French noun for 'illness', while the second syllable, 'ard', easily suggests the French noun ardeur, denoting 'fervour' or 'strenuousness'." Therefore being married to her husband put strain on her heart. I believe that this strain is purely emotional. Having to sign your identity away when you say your vows would strain any person's heart. A crucial part of being a human is having an understanding of yourself and Louise Mallard was forced to give hers up. Upon reading the article that described the meaning of 'Mallard", I looked up the meaning of Louise. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the name meant 'renowned warrior'. This could very much describe Louise Mallard. She struggles to conform to societies rules. Even when the lines of her face "bespoke repression" there was still "a certain strength"(Chopin 15). She possesses the strength to be a 'warrior' she has just never been given the chance to explore those strengths. When her husband dies, she can. At the end of the story when she has realized that she can begin her life anew "There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory." (Chopin 16) These seem to very warrior-like qualities. And if Kate Chopin was aware of the names that she gave her characters, then this was no mistake.

It seems to be quite clear that Louise Mallard's heart trouble is attributed to her emotional pain inflicted by societal constructs and a lack of personal identity. However, an article written by Lawrence Berkove suggests something quite the opposite. He believes that "Louise's "self-assertion,"... [is]...a manifestation of extreme self-love." and "Physically, her heart was weak, and emotionally, it had no room for anyone else." These suggestions come from the idea that Louise becomes "Free! Body and soul free!" (Chopin 16) when her husband dies. Berkove believes that only the divine can be free and anyone else who claims to be is an egotist. That seems to be a very brash and insensitive. Considering the times and the social constructs at play, Louise Mallard would have no idea what it means to feel as a human without a ties to another. She has been living the identity and the role that was given to her by her husband. Would a man who wants to assert his identity be called an egotist? Certainly not. He would be praised for his self-exploration. But the idea that Louise Mallard is pleased with her husband’s absence in her life because she is finally able to form her own opinions, feelings, and ideas seems to be outlandish. This, to me, seems like a misogynistic perspective taken to a story that describes the liberation and self-discovery of a woman. In an article written by Janet Beer that explores the scholarly work of Kate Chopin, Beer claims that “…Chopin urges readers to ‘think beyond the ending’.” This would suggest that it is entirely necessary to go beyond the textual evidence to gain a full understanding of the story and the characters. Neglecting to realize the time period and the aspects of the patriarchal society, also neglecting to recognize male privilege it could appear that Louise Mallard is selfish and egotistical. However, overlooking those very prominent ideas seems very dismissive. Up unto this point Louise Mallard had lived her life for her husband. It seems to be practical knowledge that before you can dedicate yourself to supporting another, you must first have an understanding of yourself. Louise Mallard never got the opportunity to find herself before marriage. Thus the surprise when she realizes that "...she would live for herself." and that "there would be no powerful will bending hers." (Chopin 16)

Louise Mallard's heart trouble can be attributed to the emotional distress that is caused by being a married woman in the patriarchal society in which this story takes place. The root of her heart problem is her inability to assert her own identity. Exploring the idea that Louise Mallard had expressed that life itself is to be too long, it can be connected to the emotional trouble she was suffering by being lacking her own identity. The article from Jamil further explains the societal effects that are controlling the life of Mrs. Mallard. How she is emotionally bland because she obeys the social constructs. Therefore her heart trouble is easily attributed to the desire to live up to the societal pressures. Doloff's article takes a more linguistic approach, yet still expresses the same idea. That once Louise Mallard adopted the last name of 'Mallard' or just married in general, her fate was sealed. The name literally translates to an 'illness' caused by 'strenuousness'. That strenuousness being interpreted as societal pressures. Seeing Louise Mallard as a victim to the flaws in the social system seems to be quite obvious, however Berkove's article suggests that Louise Mallard should receive no sympathy because she is purely egotistical. Believing in this idea would be putting aside what is known about the treatment of women in the past. Also completely disregarding Louise Mallard's struggles to find her own identity. Saying she is an egotist would be pulling a curtain over everything that this story is trying to reveal. That women have been forced to lose their identities when they marry.