COLLEGE LIT QUICK COMMENTS (due 9/17/14)
Please comment on the following question based on your interpretation of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."
How would you describe Mrs. Mallard? Is she a sympathetic character, OR a non-sympathetic character? Explain in the comment section below.
I feel Mrs. Mallard can be characterized as a non-sympathetic person because in the story, her initial reaction to her husband's death wasn't a feeling of sorrow, she felt content with the fact of her being a widow. Not only does she not show her sympathy for her husband but her sister as well. She was begging Mrs. Mallard to come out of her room, but Mrs. Mallard didn't even care about how worried her sister was.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Mallard showed to be a non - sympathetic person. She was very heartless towards her husband and had seemingly enjoyed his death. She could be crazy, viewing Mr. Mallard's death as the death of a large suppressor of her life, even thought he "had never looked save with love upon her". There were some opposing details that had given the hints of her being "abused" but as the author had a feminist background, something as small as an accident could be taken as abuse.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Mrs. Mallard is a sympathetic character. Throughout the story Mrs. Mallard grieves and thinks about her husband death. In the story as soon as Mrs. Mallard heard about her husbands death she wept at once. This shows how much Mrs. Mallard cared for her husband.
ReplyDeleteI would charcterize Mrs. Mallard as a non-sympathetic character due to her actions throughtout the story. When she first found out that her husband died she didnt break down and fall to the ground and cry like she just lost the love of her life. Instead she locked her self in the room and stared out the window saying free free instead of cry about her husband. At the end of the story when her husband came home she didnt run to him and greet him when he came this shows that she is a non-sympathetic character. Nor does the the author state any feelings that a non-sympathetic would feel after someone dies like "chills down her spine" or "my heart stopped after hearing the news about my husband" this shows that Mrs. Mallard isn't a sympathetic character.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Mrs Mallard is an unsympathetic character because even if she did feel unfree nd even if her husband did make her feel like she hsd no say in the relationship, she should not be happy upon the news of his death. Not only is that unsympathetic, but its evil. She said he loved her so much, and if she said this that means that he didnt treat her badly and wasnt evil towards her. This shoes that she didnt care much for her husband.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Mallard is a tricky character to label. On one hand you can feel bad for her seemingly unhappy marriage, however since Mr. Mallard is not actually proven to be abusive she can also be an extremely selfish character as well. It is the fact that she jumps from grief to relief so easily that can lead anyone to identify her either way. Ultimately I have to say I feel bad for her due to the way these conflicting emotions nearly gave her a heart attack. (I still wish there was a bit more of an explanation of Mr. Mallard.)
ReplyDeleteI think of Mrs. Mallard as a non sympathetic person. She would only sympathetic because from the reading you can get that feeling that she had went through years of abuse. When she had heard about her husbands death she might have felt sad at first but then she realized that she is finally free. She was looking out the window and she even says to herself "free". When Mr. Mallard came home, Mrs. Mallard might have been in total shock and realized that her dreams of being free are over and it "broke her heart".
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with you[Joab]. I feel as though Mrs. Mallard is a sympathetic person. Even though it did not seem right that she did not feel any sorrow for her husband's death, she had a different reaction because she spent a good amount of her life being suppressed by her husband. She finally felt free to be who she is without having to worry about upsetting her husband. Granted she had her sister worried but she finally had a moment to herself that she may have never had before and wanted to embrace it.
ReplyDelete