The theme of Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Wife” relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of An Hour” because Mrs. Mallard lived her life for him as her wife and after his passing there was grievance but also a feeling of freedom living her life not revolved around her husband. Dickinson says; “She rose to his requirement, dropped. The playthings of her life To take the honorable work Of woman and of wife.” Dickinson’s description of what women would do for a man was exactly what Mrs. Mallard was to her husband, her life was her husband, that’s why after finding out he passed away there was a scene of freedom that she felt. After having felt freed, Dickinson states “If aught she missed in her new day Of amplitude, or awe, Or first prospective, or the gold In using wore away.” Dickinson describes women missing their old self and this relates to Mrs. Mallard. She beggings to reminisce about her past self and missed it. Lastly, in the poem, Dickinson says ” it lay unmentioned, as the sea Develops pearl and weed” meaning that it never gets brought up to a woman’s husband and it’s left unsaid. Mrs. Mallard went through the same thing with not letting her husband know and it was left unsaid till she also forget about herself till he passed away and her life was hers again.
