While Freestyle reading, I came upon "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. This is a story of tragedy, heartbreak, surprise, and more tragedy.
The story starts with Louises' sister, and her husbands long time friend. They both know that her husband has just died in a railroad disaster. They took time to assure it was him with a second coming of information before they relayed the news to his widowed wife Louise. She has a heart condition so they need to handle things as "softly" as possible.
After hearing the news and getting out the initial crys and shock, she retreats to her room alone, and locks the door. She sits in a chair facing her window go goes through a large scale of feelings from panic to laughter.She was feeling many different things. "There was something coming for her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and exclusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air. Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously." (pg 317, Chopin) It goes on to say,"Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body." (pg 317, Chopin) At this point I am wondering if she is dying.
Her sister beckons to her through the keyhole to come out. Louise and her sister start to head downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs is where Richards, the friend of the late husband, is standing. Just then they all hear a key insert into the front door ahead of them. The door opens and in walks Louises' husband. Turns out he was not involved in the railroad disaster and has no idea of it. It didn't matter. Louise was dead. Her heart gave out.
Was it her overwhelming joy, or the pain of her loss?...
While reading this, "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. I understood it as a nervous breakdown, the feeling of loss. I underwent this many years ago with my father who had many issues mentally. He eventually killed himself, but eben before the loss, I could not control my on feelings on the sitution. It is a horrible feeling, to me even worser than death, because you have to deal with the effects of anxiety, and loss of yourself and what happened, always a feeling of guilt.
ReplyDeleteI took the story as she was glad that her hisband was dead, supported bvy the quote of " And yet she loved him- sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter!" ( Chopin pg. 317) and it goes on to say " Free! Body and soul Free" (Chopin og. 317) i believe she was happy that he was gone, was going to start living for herself and when she seen her husband, realized he wasn't dead...thats what killed her.
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