The Story of an Hour Group

Topic: Thoughts on Mental Illness in Story of an Hour

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1

asubgrl

After looking over the story, I begin to question, is it possible that Mrs. Mallard had a mental disorder?

2

Absolutely.  This story and "The Yellow Wallpaper" deal with women's issues in physical and mental confinement and the fight for freedom.  They are both wonderful explorations in the issues of women's rights and women's conditions that up until recently had not been given any credence.

3

Since she was confined mentally, think of it like a prison: how would you feel if you were just released suddenly after so long? The same priciple with Mrs. Mallard is shown. After being in "prison" for so long, you tend to lose your mind. After which, you get used to the program, even though you don't like it. A sudden change in your daily routine can cause some confrontation in yourself.

4

I think the only mental disorder she might have been suffering from was depression. She reminds me so much of women I know from my mother's and grandmothers' generations who thought their only role in life was to be wives and mothers. Like Mrs. Mallard, they loved their husbands, but they hated being confined to housework and having an identity only through being married. She finally felt freedom when she thought she was free of him, but the shock, and probably disappointment, of seeing him walk through the door did her in. This story is the very definition of irony!

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