Characterization of Louise Mallard

Louise is a young, married woman with a heart condition

Louise Mallard is the main character of the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. She is married to Brently Mallard and she has a sister named Josephine (p. 1, l. 3).

Louise Mallard is described as “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (p. 106, ll. 30-31). Readers are also informed that Louise Mallard is “afflicted with a heart trouble” (p. 106, l. 1). The mention of a "certain strength" (p. 106, l. 31) in Louise seems to be in contrast with how Josephine and Richards see her, since they seem to believe that Louise is actually weak.

Lousie has mixed reactions to the news of her husband's death

We learn about Louise's inner life when we hear her thoughts after her husband's death. At first, she has a wild emotional reaction: “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.” (p. 106, ll. 11-13). Her reaction suggests either great pain or shocking relief. It also suggests that she does not tr...

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