Death of freedom in “The Story of an Hour” is the ending theme in that story. It was said that Mrs. Mallard, the main character, has a heart condition. Then Mrs. Mallard’s sister, Josephine, tells her Mr. Mallard died in a railroad disaster. At the end of the story, Mrs. Mallard dies when her husband suddenly walks through the door. The doctor says that Mrs. Mallard died "of heart disease—of joy that kills" (Chopin 27). Some people may agree with the doctor’s diagnosis, but I think he was wrong. I believe that Mrs. Mallard’s death was not because she was happy to see her husband, but because she was sad about the loss of her newly found freedom. I also think Mrs. Mallard realized that love is not a substitute for the freedom to live your own life. Throughout this short story there are examples showing how Mrs. Mallard’s actions and ideas are focused on her freedom. There are also thoughts and ideas that show Mrs. Mallard realizing that love is by no means a substitute for independence.
"The Story of an Hour" also carefully conveyed the problem in women's unequal role in marital relationships. She had loved her husband, sometimes(15), but that didn't matter: What could love ....count for in the face of theis possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!(15). The theme of the story unfolds at this point. Mrs. Mallard, through the death of her husband, is able to experience the joy of the realization that she is in control of her own destiny. She is now free, free, free!(15. Mrs. Mallard's newfound freedom is not to be, however, as the story takes an ironic, fatal, twist. On the surface, this story appears to be about how Mrs. Mallard accepts the news of the death of her husband. As she looked out of her window, she was looking at life as she had never seen it before, as she had never before looked to the future with any optimism, but only dread. She could hardly live with this newfound joy that she had discovered within herself, and ironically, she would not live with new discovery for long. As the story takes an ironic twist, Mr. Mallard turns the latchkey and walks into the room: he had been nowhere near the scene of the accident. The realization that her new-found joy was not to be was too much for Mrs. Mallard's weak heart to take, but she had at least lived for a few, brief, shinning moments in the realization of her new-found freedom This also reflects the true feelings of a woman who feels trapped inside her marriage. In the period in which she lived, there were only two alternatives for her to achieve the desired personal freedom as either she or her husband must be sacrificed.
Mrs. Sommers in “A Pair of Silk Stockings” indulged herself in the materialistic world. She had no time to devote to the past. She felt that now she after having the money, she can fulfill her desires, wants and needs which she could not before. For example, “she took the elevator, which carried her to an upper floor into the region of the ladies' waiting rooms. Here, in a retired corner, she exchanged her cotton stockings for the new silk ones which she had just bought”. She was not going through any rationality or reasoning with herself. She was not thinking at all. She seemed for the time to be taking a rest from her life and to have abandoned herself to some instant impulse that directed her actions and freed her of responsibility. She felt that with money, she can gain power and status.
In both stories the protagonists seem largely unaware of the conflict and resulting oppression, until events occur that force them to see it. In both stories the protagonists are ultimately "defeated" by the social conflicts; but the really important point of these stories is not winning or losing the struggle but the change that comes about as a result of the struggle. In “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard, as one would expect, is very grieved at her husband's death. But as she attempts to adjust to her new status she begins to change. The author conveys this in a couple of ways. She uses references to what is happening outside the window, "new spring life," "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds" to show nature paralleling Mrs. Mallard's opening up. The author also describes the realization of freedom as if it were a miracle. While in “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, Mrs. Sommers only realize what she was striving for in her life when she obtained the money. She was supposed to make good use of the money by buying the needs for her family, but she ended up spending on materials she could not posses before. She felt a sense of satisfaction after that journey.
In these pieces, the female mind and thought show how these women discover their desires and somewhat discriminated social positions. Both protagonists are finally able to comprehend the weight of their expected roles as wives and as women in their societies. Through their newfound understanding, they are forced to see the kind of lives they have been living to attain the other’s acceptance. Everyone has their rights in voicing out their opinions and have their own individuality. Men are perceived by the society to be the dominant ones, but that does not mean they should be dominating women as if they own their lives. In a relationship, men and women should give and take to create a balance of both worlds.
