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Discuss how the theme of the Emily Dickinson poem “The Wife” relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour.” In order to receive credit, you must refer to the totality of the poem, not just the first four lines.
Please be sure to include your section number at the end of your response and address comments to others by name.
89 thoughts on “Week 9 Discussion”
The poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson contains within it a strong critique of the role of a woman during the time period Dickinson lived in. There is substantial thematic overlap between this poem and the female protagonist in “The Story of an Hour.” In the story, Mrs. Mallard is described as young, but with “a dull stare in her eyes.” This ties very much into the second stanza of the poem, in which Dickinson describes the life and outlook of the now-married woman with lines such as, “If aught she missed in her new day/Of amplitude, or awe.” In both instances, marriage acts as a factor of emotional repression for these women, forcing them into more contained versions of themselves. The poem goes on to compare this repression of desires to the sea containing within it seaweed and pearls, buried in its depths. In the case of the story, Mrs. Mallard experiences joy only when she believes her husband to be dead, then when it is revealed that he is in fact alive, she dies of shock and grief. This demonstrates thoroughly the connection between marriage and the containment of the female spirit, a theme that is present in both works.
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Justine, thank you for this thorough response, which mentions several important lines in the Dickinson poem and ties them to the Chopin story. Often students focus on the first four lines and do not mention the other important ideas in the poem. I don’t want to say too much more until other responses come in. Thanks for jumping in so quickly.
Hello, Justine
I agree with your interpretation of both texts “The Wife” and “The Story of an Hour” as both of these women play powerful roles in these works. Being a woman and a wife is compared in both stories and relates to independence. Emily and Mrs. Mallard both have emotional beliefs of being a wife and how it takes away your freedom and ability to be independent and by being a woman only, you are fully able to be in control and not oblige to any other person but
yourself.
Hi Justine, your post gave me many new ideas about the story, like how Mrs. Mallard died of grief soon after the return of her supposedly dead husband, as I was thinking that she died rather long afterward due to the slight ambiguity of the text. Thankfully, your post that I read helped me realize that the idea was misled, and I thank you for it.
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Hey Justine. I really enjoyed reading your post. One part that made me think deeper was when you mention the comparison of emotional repression to pearls buried deep in the sea. That part in the poem really does represent a woman’s true potential. If those women were allowed to explore themselves and unleash their potential, the world would benefit from their valuable skills. Their newfound selves can be compared to the likes unobtainable pearls hidden in the depths of the sea. It’s a strong metaphor that really exemplifies the great cost society incurred by restricting females to only household chores.
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The poem “The Wife” and “The Story of an Hour” both have women who have strong opinions on womanhood and independence. Mrs. Mallard and Emily Dickinson both play powerful roles of being a woman during their time period in which they describe in their works. In “The Story of an Hour” when Mrs. Mallard hears about her husbands death, even though she was sober, she felt as if she would finally be free and independent as a woman. In the poem “The Wife” Emily discusses the difference between being a woman and being a wife. She feels as if being a wife you are not free and are not in control of yourself as stated in the lines “If aught she missed in her new day Of amplitude, or awe.” Both of these women feel as if marriage prevents them from being their true self and instead have to act as a slave and oblige to their husbands and fulfill duties as a wife.
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Gagandeep, your ideas here are good. The post asks for specific reference to the Dickinson poem in totality. You’ve touched on an important line. Can you explore the rest of the poem and its relation to “The Story of an Hour?”
Hi Gagandeep, I appreciate your strong feelings toward the texts, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that the wives are acting as “slaves,” rather, they are more similar to a shadow. In that era, a woman was supposed to be seen as a supporting figure for the family of the married men, and thus they cannot be seen properly. However, I understand why you would term it so, as the wives do give up a large number of personal freedoms to their husbands.
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Hi Gagandeep,
I agree with what you said about these women feeling as though marriage forces them into being untrue or repressed versions of themselves, I picked up on this as well in both works. Independence specifically is a good concept to bring up here, as the idea of independence, or the lack thereof, seems to be the consistent current running through both the poem and the story. Both authors seem quite opposed to the idea of a wife containing herself for the sake of a husband.
Gagandeep, I agree with you. These women have strong opinions on women and independence. Both of them feel like their self identity is lost once married. Mrs. Mallard’s emotions further explain how a women of their time might feel about marriage.
In both “The wife” and “The Story of an Hour” based on the position of Ms.Mallard and the position of a woman during that period now married. The poem dives into how she is supposed to act now being a wife and unconsciously changing her behavior to suit the image of what’s a proper wife during that time. It also portrays gloomy aspects in her behavior which reveals she is not happy with her ‘role’ as a wife. The poem uses weed and pearls from the sea to give an idea of how the old Ms.Mallard’s (before marriage) way of behaving is hidden away. The quote “But only to himself is known The fathoms they abide” shows that due to specific conditions she must change the way she behaves. This then connects to the overall theme of being gloomy with the loss of freedom and spirit a woman originally has before marriage. This can be seen once she believed her husband passed away she then changes the way she behaves and shows a glimpse of happiness upon the supposed death. Once she heard the news that he wasn’t dead after all the sadness and grief returned making the story feel gloomy again. From reading, we can also see the importance of the comfort of how someone behaves and lives along with the spirit of feeling freedom.
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Brandon, I appreciate your comments and your reference to a line from the Dickinson poem. But I’m trying to get everyone to respond to the poem in totality.
Brandon while I agree with some of the points you had made such as how Mrs. mallard is not happy with her role as wife I don’t agree with the fact that the change in behavior made by wife’s during time was unconscious I think that it was very conscious because they knew how they would be treated and looked at if they resisted what was expected of them with at the time would have been a very difficult thing for them to do so maybe they thought it was better to just give in the be an outcast.
Hi, Brandon, I agree with your perspective on both of the readings, and I found amusing how at the end of the reading when Louise found her husband is not dead the story takes a turn and even though she was desperate and depressed she is an even deeper emotional state when she finds out he’s alive; maybe the realization that she will still be part of an unhappy marriage that will consume her and be the end of her; both stories go hand in hand as two women of that era speaking against marriage that as we all know at the time it was what every woman should want and live for.
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The poem, “The Wife”, by Emily Dickinson, contains several themes within its short frame. During Dickinson’s era, as Justine mentioned, the idea of an ideal wife is one that quietly supports her husband from behind, suffering troubles without complaint, and only caring for the children without being able to pursue intellectual thoughts. I remember listening to my history teacher once, who quoted from a definition from a historical textbook, “An ideal wife is a wife no one knows about.” This connected with the ideas I read here today, and the idea that a woman can be happy when her husband dies shows just how repressed the young Mrs. Mallard must have felt during the time Mr. Mallard was there.
We must consider that the wife depicted in “The Story of an Hour” is someone young, with perhaps a great amount of time to pursue her own dreams before she was married. This ties in with the sense of repression because someone younger tends to dislike being tied down, as well as wanting in freedom. We also need to consider the title of the story itself, “The Story of Hour.” In an hour, Mrs. Mallard went from grief at her husband’s death, to happiness for her freedom, to shock when her husband
(cont. from the previous sentence)
returned.
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Hi Kevin,
I loved how to explain the idea of the ideal woman during Dickson’s era , I think the wife in ” The Story of an Hour” capture that idea because it describes how she realizes the pain and suffering is over due to the fact her’s husband was killed. The story doesn’t explains how bad she suffers but to her reaction of his passing we get the sense of her struggles and unhappiness with him. The poem is more of an general critique of how woman are behaving to please their husbands and ignoring their needs and happiness.
Kexin, I appreciate your comments, and I love when students evoke prior learning, which you have done here with great effectiveness. However, have you addressed the Dickinson poem with reference to the specific language?
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In the poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickson has a theme of disappointment about how woman were supposed to be behave, and how they were supposed to make their husband happy while they lose themselves in the process. The line that stood out to me was” It lay unmentioned, as the sea Develops pearl and weed” because the sea represents the woman and “pearl and weed” represents the feeling of happiness and hatred towards the husband. It relates to the story of “The Story of an Hour”, in the story we see a wife who got the news that his husband just died and she shows two emotions of sadness then a realization of relief and comfort within herself. First, Mrs. Mallard mourns his husband death because despite feeling trapped with him, she did love his husband’s. But this is short lived once she finally realized that her husband is gone and his freedom is no longer limited. This sentences showed her true reaction “She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body”, the widow doesn’t understand the feeling of being free and without her husband. But she knows that now she could truly be happy without any limitation due to making her husband happy and content with her actions. At the end of the story, Mrs. Mallard dies because it’s revealing that her husband wasn’t killed, her hope of being free came to jaunting stop. Both the poem and the story both, how husbands limit and belittle their wife by excepting them to change their lives and making them follow society norms on being a good wife, and mother. Having them to postpone their own happiness to increase their husbands’ self-esteem and satisfaction of having a socially acceptable wife.
Lizanjela, thanks for the thoughtful comments. You’ve chosen a very telling quote from the Dickinson poem; however, I was hoping students would address the totality of the poem. I would question whether the wife in poem feels hatred for her husband. Just as with “The Story of an Hour,” we don’t see any outward signs of abuse or cruelty on the part of the husbands. Isn’t it just that the women feel unfulfilled, not even allowed to express the depth of this unfullfiment?
Section 0503: Hi Lizanjela , after reading what you had to say about the theme of both ¨The Wife¨ by Emily Dickinson and ¨The Story of an Hour¨ by Kate Chopin I think disappointment does make sense as a their to these written works due to the way they are both written. Both women are disappointed with the way their lives have played out and are thinking back on their past in the case of ¨The Story of an Hour¨ are even excited to find out that her husband was dead because that meant she finally had her freedom back.
Lizanjela,
I agree with your points because of the poem “The Wife” and the story “ The Story of an Hour” based on the position of a woman during the time period of Ms. Mallard and the poet Emily Dickinson live in. And in the poem, the poet is not happy about the position of woman and the role of wife. After Mrs. Mallard’s husband dies, she keeps saying the same word free. Mrs. Mallard’s husband’s death is sad for her but she might feel more of freedom and comfort without her husband.
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In “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson, we can see from the very beginning that a woman is getting married and shes beginning a new life; the author wants us to understand and pay close attention to the changes and sacrifices of such women, “dropped, The playthings of her life” could be interpreted as all the joys of her life and the one that she would have to let go do to live in a misogynistic era and also a transition from being a girl to a woman, the tone of the story is sarcastic, full of irony and mocking words such as “honorable” “amplitude and “fathoms” are used to express her indignation with her new life.
In another side we have “The Story of an Hour” where we are introduced to Louis Mallard; she is not only suffering from a medical illness but also from an unhappy marriage; here we can see the physical use of her illness as something weighing her down and making her suffer but we can also interpret that this can be a direct cause of her unhappy life; the entire story is set up as a call for help with Josephine trying to help her sister any way she can and in some way disgusting the “truth” about her husband’s death. In my opinion, the reason Louis was in so much suffering was not the realization that she would be lonely but more the idea that she would be a widower for the rest of her life and could not find happiness after all; due to the strict ideas of women at the time and cruel marriage traditions.
This two stories can be related and the anxiety and worry Emily Dickinson transmits in her poem is the desperation and indignity Louis Mallard fells in her marriage, a marriage where a woman had to sacrifice happiness for a life in a patriarchal society where they usually would be confined in their home, not being able to provide for themselves and simply not being respected or important in society; the reason these two stories go hand in hand were two women of an era speaking up for themselves and standing up for a tradition where they had to be belittled and dissatisfied.
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Juliana, thanks for referring to several phrases from the poem. The use of the word “playthings” also seems to imply that marriage confers adulthood on a woman. I think there is so very subtle verbal irony in the choice of words such as “honorable,” as you mention. I am so glad to see that you are sensitive to these nuances of language. I don’t quite understand your contention that Louise Mallar in “The Story of an Hour” is sad about the prospect of being a widow. Isn’t she, instead, thrilled by the idea? A widow would still be respectable in these times; however, a “spinster,” as unmarried women were called, would not.
Emily Dickinson poem “The Wife” and Mrs. Mallard in “The Story of an Hour.” both show how women are forced into a state of repression at a young age due to marriage “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression” and the sacrifice’s they have to make for their husbands in order to fit the opinion society had on how they should be “She rose to his requirement, dropped The playthings of her life To take the honorable work Of woman and of wife” and if it ended up tearing a piece of herself away leaving behind a empty shell of what once was “But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky”. but no one noticed because to them it didn’t matter as long as they were doing what was expected of them the only person that may have known her was her husband “t lay unmentioned, as the sea Develops pearl and weed,But only to himself is known The fathoms they abide” “He stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry”, After being stuck in such a repressed life Mrs. Mallard was at first shocked then ecstatic to finally be free from the object of her repression but when it is revealed to her that he is really alive she dies from the shock and grief of losing a freedom she had just gained thus gaining her freedom for eternity and not just from her husband from for the pressures of society as well. 0503
Ariadna, your connection of the poem to the story is very good, especially in your discussion of the phrasing about the discontentment of women being “unmentioned as the Sea develops weed/But only to Himself is known the fathoms they abide.” Because it was seen as a privilege to be a wife, it would be very unseemly to express unhappiness at the state. And yes, Mrs. Mallard does seem quite liberated by her death, both from her marriage and from the societal expectations that clearly tormented her. The narrator does mention that men might feel the same confined in the stricture of a marriage.
The theme that can be seen in both “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson, and “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, is about women who honored the custom of domesticity during the 1900’s.
In the last portion of Dickinson’s piece which it says, “It lay unmentioned, as the sea… Develops pearls and weed… but only to himself is known…The fathoms they abide.” What I was able to take away from this section is, when a union is made, whether it be good or bad marriage there is no need to verbally elaborate what is expected of the women; it’s like being bonded to contract and there is no need to read the fine print as you are aware of what the transaction involves. Which is why Mrs. Mallard’s “brief moment of illumination” is her realization she no longer must cater or seek approval from her husband and can live her life as she would wish.
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Stephanie, I really enjoy your correlation of marriage back then to a contract with fine print. Both women seem so saddened by marriage. Dickinson really expressed her concern with losing self identity when married. I believe Mrs. Mallard proved that with the emotions she felt when thinking her husband died.
The theme of the Emily Dickinson poem, “The Wife”, is about the sacrifices a woman must make in order to conform to society’s version of an ideal woman. In older generations, women were not expected to pursue their dreams or passions. Instead, in order for a girl to evolve into womanhood, she was expected to forego any pursuits and wed a man whom she would perform household duties for. It was a heavy burden and many women were not recognized for their true potential. They existed only to please their male counterparts. However, deep inside, many women would fantasize about exploring their interests and would go on existing through life, never to mention their true desires. This poem is very relatable to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour” because Mrs. Mallard was having mixed feelings over the death of her husband. For years, all Mrs. Mallard knew was providing for her husband and existing only to please him. It was only after his death where notions of independence and freedom were coming into fruition. Mrs. Mallard buried the discomfort she truly felt in her marriage deep inside of her. It was never to be spoken about, much like the woman from the poem. Also like the girl in the poem, Mrs. Mallard must have sacrificed much of her own passions to be a dedicated wife for her husband.
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Syed, your comments are very insightful. I’m especially struck by your discussion of the unspoken longings of women at this time. When you read “The Necklace,” you will encounter a dissatisfied woman, who spends her whole life daydreaming. This character, of course, is quite shallow and different from the more cerebral character in “The Story of an Hour.” My only complaint with your post is that there is no direct reference to the Dickinson poem. You do not address specific lines in your otherwise excellent discussion.
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In the poem “The wife” by Emily Dickson we can see a young girl getting married and sacrificing her life to be a wife. The author described it as “the honorable work of woman and wife”. As if being a wife is a job to do. In the past women had to give up their everyday life to become a housewife to a man while the man works the women will stay at home and do house chores and such. The whole poem describes how a young woman sacrifices it all to be in a marriage like many women did in the past. In “Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin Mrs. Mallard a woman with heart trouble comes to believe her husband is dead and as the story goes on, she starts to get full of joy she comes to the understanding that she is free at last. In the story Mrs. Mallard says, “Free! Body and soul free!”. She was clearly unhappy in the marriage. Both stories show a theme of women sacrificing their freedom and happiness to be with a man.
Evelyn, your comments are thoughtful and demonstrate a clear understanding of the literary themes. The question for the week, however, asks everyone to address the Dickinson poem in totality, rather than just focusing on line or two. The women do sacrifice their freedom and happiness; unfortunately, there was not much choice in these times, and being unmarried brought its own suffering.
Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Wife” is about the suppressed feelings after fulfilling the expected role of wife. This relates to “The Story of an Hour” and Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state because these suppressed emotions surface after she processes the death of her husband. The first four lines of the poem relate to Mrs. Mallard’s initial reaction to the news. She is shocked and sad, as a “good” wife should. Line four to eight of “The Wife” is about the process of allowing old feelings of ambition and freedom to die out as the role of wife would not permit these feelings. The third stanza talks about the duration of time of these suppressed feelings, as Emily Dickinson writes “Develops pearl and weed”, pearls take a long time to develop, comparing this to the feelings a wife holds inside her. Mrs. Mallard breaks free from the “wife” in the poem as her inner feelings emerge realizing her newfound freedom, of body and soul. Mrs. Mallard is overwhelmed with joy as she now starts her new free life, not bound to this role of “wife”, that is expected of society. Mrs. Mallard dies after her husband arrives because the loss of her newfound freedom is too difficult to bear.
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Hi Kenny,
First of all, I love that you made these in-text citations while maintaining their relevancy to your argument. It was also great that you focused on the “suppressed feelings” in this discussion, as it is something that I did not really touched on. It was a very insightful comment and it gave me a different perspective on the readings. I also appreciated you mentioning the pearl, I never really paid it that much attention as other things caught my eye, but it was still an interesting detail that you pointed out.
Kenny, your comments are excellent. I just wish you had included the quotes from the poem instead of just the line numbers. This would have helped a lot of us in the group to fully appreciate the connections you draw here. This is one of the very few posts that really considers the totality of the Dickinson poem.
Hi Kenny, you have given a completely different perspective of how both pieces correlate. I was not thinking in-depth about Mrs. Mallard’s story, of the suppression she lived to be a “good wife” as you mentioned, I was thinking too literal on the surface comparing it to individuals that are still experiencing till this day. However, I do agree that her death was caused by the multitude of emotions she experienced from the excitement of feeling freedom once again to losing it in a matter of minutes.
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In general, Emily Dickinson’s “The Wife” is about a woman who sacrificed her independence to better serve her husband when she took on the role of a wife. Mrs. Mallard is in the same boat as the woman described in Dickinson’s piece, with both of them being married women in the same era, where they were subject to this whole notion that as a female, the only honorable role you can take on and the only way you’ll really be useful is when you agree to become a wife who devotes herself only to her husband (and kids if she is fortunate enough to have any). Mrs. Mallard wasn’t really shown going through any hellish ordeal in the story, but the fact that she utters the word “free” (repeatedly) and rejoices at the tragic news of his husband’s death is proof that she was some sort of prisoner. A prisoner not only in the marriage but also the shackles of society because this whole idea of the ideal wife, which was what the whole poem by Dickinson was about, is a social construct, and it does not, by any means, take the individual’s/woman’s thoughts and emotions into account.
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Hi Gwyneth I like how you included the quote “free, free, free” in your post. Yes its true we never hear about Mrs. Mallard’s exact difficulties that she had as a victorian wife, but in this moment of epiphany, it is very revealing for her to utter these words out loud. It only adds to the mystery of what her life was like under her husband. And then ultimately her dropping dead when she finds out her husband is still alive shows that her heart breaks when she realizes her freedom has been revoked.
Hi Gwyneth,
Thanks for reading my post. I think the social construct of what is acceptable and considered the norm was a lot narrower and stricter during Emily Dickinson’s era. The choice seemed to either be a wife or an outcast. A hellish ordeal could be that Mrs. Mallard was a prisoner of her role, and she didn’t realize this until the death of her husband. What a tragic ending for Mrs. Mallard, to have a taste of freedom and for it to be taken away.
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Gwyneth, your comments are insightful, but is there any specific reference to lines from the Dickinson poem?
Hi Gwyneth, I agree with your ideas about how both of the women were taking on the role of devoting themselves to their husband, this is something that has been happening for generations and still doesn’t seem to stop. I like the comparison you made with her saying free (repeatedly) and her feeling like a prisoner because the question that arises is do all married women feel like that. I think that is a important point to consider because it shows how being a married women restricts the amount of freedom you have and with the passing of her husband, it really takes a toll on her life.
The theme of “The Wife” relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The story of an Hour” by portraying the emotional roller coaster of being a wife in the victorian era. There was the sense of servitude by a wife and the loss of independence that a wife would feel after being married to a man. Then this feeling could turn into dependence to the point where a wife would need to rely on a husband for a livlihood. Mrs. Mallard demonstrates the dependence that she had on Mr. Mallard upon hearing the news of his death. She wept uncontrollably and closed herself in an upstairs room to mourn and grieve her loss. But then the feeling of freedom overcame her. She realized that she no longer was under the control of one person and relished in the idea of having a life free of the clutches of a dominant victorian husband. Finally she drops dead in the end as her elation is crushed when her husband is actually alive and never died in the train accident.
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Giulia, as I’ve commented to others, your insights are very good. However, the question for this week asks for very specific reference to the Dickinson poem.
Professor Conway,
I feel that the third part of Dickinson’s poem particularly reflects a specific aspect of of “The Story of an Hour”. “It lay unmentioned, as the sea, Develops pearl and weed, But only to himself is known…” To me this section of the poem reflects how Mr. Mallard is apathetic to his wife’s feelings as a subservient and obedient part of their marriage. The true dilemma his wife must deal with day in and day out is obvious but not something that is important in their union.
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The poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson relates to the protagonist of “ The story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard’s emotions. The poem shows the role of a woman after marriage during the time period which is poets Dickinson lived in. In the poem, poets use “requirement”, “dropped”, “playthings of her life”, and “honorable”. These words represent that during that time period, a woman is the husband’s requirement. And she needs to take the honorable work as a woman and doesn’t have her own time. In “The story of an Hour”, it shows that the protagonist Mrs. Mallard has an unfortunate marriage. When Louis Mallard saw the news about her husband’s death she has sad emotions and comfortable emotions. And she whispered one word which is “free, free, free!”. I think Mallard is a woman that exhausting with her unhappy marriage craving for freedom. After her husband died, she has the sadness of her husband’s death, but she might feel free and comfortable from exhaustion marriage.
Jiaxian, as I’ve said to others, your comments are very well taken; however, the question for this week asks students to go beyond the first few lines of the poem to discuss it in totality as it relates to the story.
Section 0503: The theme of both ¨The Wife¨ by Emily Dickinson and ¨The Story of an Hour¨ by Kate Chopin is loss. Throughout the poem by Dickinson she discusses or just states how she gave up things to be with this person and how the relationship might have seemed worth it in the beginning but now that magic,or gold as she states has faded to possibly nothing. In ¨The Story of an Hour¨ we see how the wife does not seem sad about her husbands supposed death, but rather states that she is finally free and is happy , showing that she felt confined, that she felt that she had lost her freedom and had finally got it back. Throughout both written works both women seem to reminisce on their happier more free pasts, they both felt as if they had lost themselves through their marriages and yearned to let their true selves run free.
I like your theme loss because when people think of a loss its more physical. In these situations more mentally they are losing their happiness and their sanity to be a wife in society you can’t question it.
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Patricia, please address comments to others by name so we can follow along. Also, please make sure your posts meet the length requirement. See COURSE INFORMATION —”Information about Discussion Boards.”
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Beginning with the first four lines, “The Wife” relates to Ms.Mallard’s emotional state, in the way that Ms.Mallard has only known marriage and feels her identity is only that of a house wife. We can see this realization of identity as she sits in her chair waiting for her thoughts to sort out. She shouts “free, free, free!” as she escapes the role she’s dedicated her life to. In the Next Stanza of “The Wife”, Dickenson describes what things she could’ve done, and how she has wasted time not doing them. We see that Ms.Mallard rejoices in her husbands death because as a younger girl, she has so much to do in her life and plenty of time to do so. The two ideas here are perspectives from a point of regret for the past, and from joy for the future. Finally, no one would know the great things that “The Wife could’ve done, much in the same way that Ms.Mallard would never share her dreams now that she has passed. Both texts give an emotion of wanting, and the desire to be free.
Hey Justin, the last lines of your paragraph really hit. I did not even think of a life the women from the reading could have had if they were not obligated to take on their roles. And what you wrote really sparked this thought in my mind that it is because of women like Mrs. Mallard, and women as described in “The Wife” that allowed modern day women like myself today, be who we are. If they did not role with the punches and take on all the crap they did, to eventually fight against it. We could still be living in that submissive and oppressive time. Which is really scary because I cannot imagine being a wife even in this time period. Thank you for your perspective.
Justin, as I’ve said to others, your comments are good, but do they address the totality of the Dickinson poem?
When comparing the poem by Emily Dickinson “The Wife” and the short story “The Story of An Hour” there is a similarity of themes that develops throughout each text. The theme of a wife being drawn to their husband’s feet every time there is a command given but realizing the dreams and hopes that were left behind. In the beginning poem, the wife gets portrayed as someone who must serve their husbands every need, she says “rose to his requirement”. Continuing to the second stanza the transition to be a married woman and leaving her ambitions and hopes in the past, using the words “the gold, in using wore away.” This suggesting that her dreams are fading with time. Going into the final stanza she comes to the realization as a married woman that her happiness or “the pearl and weeds” are “laid unmentioned” meaning she keeps her happiness within herself while being this perfect shell to her husband. In relation to “The Story of an Hour”, as Ms. Mallard sees her husband death, she quickly goes from grieving to jumping in joy, this happens because of all those years where she had to serve her husband despite not having any problem with him. It was just the idea of her having to obeying her husband’s orders, it didn’t matter that she loved him but the role that she had to take on as a married woman. However, when realizing her husband is still alive the shock of it kills her even though she felt liberated from her death. Both texts represent the burden created when being a married woman and all the responsibilities that are needed to be taken on with the husband during this time period. (ENG 201 0505) [11615]
Hello Mosheur,
Thank you for your response, it gave me a new perspective of how Emily Dickinson uses the gold, pearl, and weed to describe the vanishing freedom of a housewife. I love how you mention the seashell as a defensive tool of Mrs. Mallard’s hidden-self. During the 19th-century, society assumption of housewives as honorable work, whom they have to neglect their true-self and suppress their desire for freedom, which Dickinson describes the desire of independency in correlation with the depth of water.
Both Emily Dickinson’s poem “The Wife” and Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour.” is from the point of view of the wife. The theme that relates to both of the readings is the uncertainty of happiness. First in “The Story of an Hour” the wife was told she loses her husband. She breaks down but then goes to her room and reflects. Unlike most widows, she realizes she’s free. Not really free from him but free to be happy for herself. ” There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully.” (line7) is a metaphor. She wasn’t sure why she was feeling the way she was. In the end, the uncertainty of her happiness was cleared, she could not live with her husband alive. The poem by Emily Dickinson “The Wife” brought up the word” if ” multiple times because of her uncertainty. She leaves her happiness of childhood to become an adult probably a wife. Then comes her uncertainty she questions her life. The last stanza answers her “if “saying at the end of the day if something goes wrong it won’t be spoken of.
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Patricia, as I’ve noted to others, your insights are very good. However, have you addressed the Dickinson poem in its totality?
As I read “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson, the kind of woman Emily describes in her poem might as well be about Mrs. Mallard from “Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin. I think it’s safe to say that Mrs. Mallard felt trapped in her marriage, and due to so many more factors. “To take on the honorable work Of woman and of wife.” (Dickinson) was exactly what Mrs. Mallard felt free from when she thought her husband was dead after hearing the news. The second stanza was a bit trickier for me to decipher, which is probably why other students avoid it. When I broke it down though, how I translated Dickinson’s words to my understanding was, basically women at the time gave up so much of themselves. The word awe meaning, wonder or less joyous depending on context, and prospective and gold as mentioned seemed to all describe the specifics of what women at the time missed out on due to their full time jobs of being a wife/woman. The last line of stanza three instantly painted a visual in my head of the moment Mrs. Mallard realizes her husband isn’t dead as he stood in the doorway. I felt like that was the moment, all the lies they abided came to light and as she stared at him they both realized she did not want to be in a lie anymore. The lie being that she was happy in her role which is why she died, her soul couldn’t take it.
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Hi Samantha,
I appreciate your veery in-depth analysis of how the poem correlates to the the story. Your break down helped me understand the concepts better, especially because you defined specifics terms and explained how it is interpreted. I never realized how Mrs. Mallard could have viewed such a situation as a lie, rather than just a circumstance that shocked her to the point of death. I can understand, though, why her “soul couldn’t take it”, and provided that I was in a similar situation, I know my soul probably couldn’t handle it after a certain point either.
The theme of the Emily Dickinson poem “The Wife” correlated with Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour,” both protagonists suppressed their desire for independence, leading to their unfulfilled marriage life. The dynamic of the story was rooted in the same traditions found in the 19th century, the idea of being a daughter and later as a wife. In Dickinson’s poem: “To take the honorable work/ Of woman and of wife”; it reflects on society’s assumption of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage life until her death. “She had died of heart disease – of the joy that kills” (20), the dramatic irony of Mrs. Mallard’s death was described as “joy”, yet it bears the truth of her vanishing freedom.
“The Story of an Hour” spark a taste of married life in the 19th century in both male and female perspectives: “blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (12). One can feel the desire of freedom in a marriage life as Emily Dickinson exposed the desire of independence in correlation with the depth of water: “But only to himself I known/ The fathoms they abide.”
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Ellen, I like that you pointed out the doctor’s line of Mrs. Mallard died of a heart attack from joy. it shows a great deal of the culture during the time the Mallard’s lived. They often believed that a woman’s duty truly was to her husband and that no matter what she must love and adore him. Only the reader understands why she had a heart attack upon seeing her husband alive. It was better for her to die quickly than to continue living a life of “captivity.”
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Ellen, your comments are very good, but have you discussed the Dickinson poem in its totality?
The theme of the poem “The Wife” relates to the emotional state in “The Story of an Hour” in many ways. The emotional state in “The Story of an Hour” tends to breed a rollercoaster of emotions for the protagonist. She first experiences heightened grief, then as she realizes she no longer has to “live for someone else,” she experiences feelings of relief and freedom as a result of her husbands death. The poem takes a feminist approach by discussing the difference in being a woman and a wife, and how that positively reflects on the female individual. Emily Dickinson describes the act of a woman/wife as something to be “Of amplitude, or awe…”. The protagonist in “The Story of an Hour” may have experienced a slight epiphany that relates to the realization that she will be able to embrace the “honorable work” and “amplitude” of her womanhood, once she realized she was no longer going to be at her husband’s dismay.
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Soraya, your comments are very insightful, but have you addressed the totality of the Dickinson poem?
I feel as if the totality of Dickinson’s poem concentrates on the empowerment of the female role. I might be mistaken, but I believe the last 4 lines of the poem address the male perspective’s of women and how they tend to undermine their importance of their role as not just a women, but a wife. Even though they could be a “pearl”, they’re masked by the “weeds” amongst the sea floor, and in ways feel obligated to serve and respect the male standards that are expected of them. They are truly taken for granted.
Soraya, I mean all the lines or ideas in the poem.
Wow, poor, unfortunate Mrs Mallard who only had a promise of her full potential, of happiness only moments before her untimely demise. This isn’t the first time I’ve read this story… Every time I feel a unique understanding and pity for Mrs. Mallard. She looks at Marriage as a duty almost like being chained down. “Of amplitude, or awe” (Dickinson 6). I understand why she felt free when she learned of her husband’s death. The truly torturous thing is… she would never be free and never was. It was always her duty as a woman to get married and be a wife to some man, no matter who. “She rose to [the] requirement” (Dickinson 1) admirably despite her true self being destroyed in the process. I have often wondered if her heart problems were a symptom of her being caged in. Perhaps stress and anxiety have caused her to have a weak heart. Thereby the mere act of being forced into the marriage led her to “Develop(s) pearl and weed” I have often lamented at the will of women often being stripped away in the past. Mrs. Mallard played her part well. She understood what was expected of her, but in the end, it was the expectation that took her life. Her potential, her talent, “fathoms [that] they abide” (Dickinson 12).
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Curtis I really appreciate your analysis. It is pretty torturous to think that she would never truly be free. Her whole life was built on her remaining oppressed. A part of me had hope that maybe Mrs. Mallard could have been someone great if her husband was dead.
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The poem “The Wife” by Emily Dickinson talks about how the woman’s life changes from being a single woman to a married woman and how her freedom changes once she is married. While in “The Story Of An Hour” by Kate Chopin is about how a woman reacts to finding out that her husband died and how that changed her life until the moment she sees him walking through the door. When Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband died she feels joy and freedom. “She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body” (Chopin), it’s like she’s remembering how it felt to be single and free from a man; she’s no longer being controlled by her husband. When she sees her husband walk through the door the doctors believed that “she died of heart disease- of the joy that kills” (Chopin). She may have died because she thought that she was free to then realize that she was no longer free from her husband and it wasn’t because she was happy to see that he was alive. In “The Wife” when Emily Dickinson writes, “But only to himself is known/ The fathoms they abide” might be about how she’s going to have to tolerate her husband and do whatever he wants her to. Both “The Wife” and “The Story Of An Hour” represent how a woman’s life changes from being body and soul free to having that taken away once they are married to a man.
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Shirly, as I’ve said to others, your insights are very good; however, does your response address the Dickinson poem in its totality?
In both the story “The Story of an Hour” and the poem “The wife” both female figures take it upon their lives to be wedded, however it results in them losing their independence of themselves. Being as both charcaters in the texts are wives, they have to do the things that wives do and follow orders of their husband to please them. As both drops what brings them joy and happiness to mature as an adult female, they both are locked in a marriage that only allows them as much freedom and happiness their husband gives them. As Mrs.Mallard exclaims “Free! Body and soul free!” for she obviously unhappy in her relationship, ending with her dying from her supposedly dead husband returning as her freedom is once again ripped from her. Both women in these texts sacrifice themselves and their lives to be with a man who barely makes them happy and that they don’t love nearly as much as they have before.
Carly, your comments are thoughtful, but have you discussed the Dickinson poem? The challenge of this week’s discussion was to connect specific lines of the poem to the Chopin story.
Hello Carla
excellent viewpoint on your opinion with “The Story of an Hour”, and also the poem “The wife” and truly how in the real world there are women’s that have to do certain things and steps in order for their husband to happy and not herself and it hurts to see how she finally happy about the death of her husband to get that freedom and happiness and that “happy wife’. and also she most certain sacrifice to be this wife and this woman that she is. They both sacrifice themselves. however, as Ms.Celeste Conway Professor mentions but yes this week discussion was to connect the lines of the poem chopin story, excellent viewpoint!.
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The Theme of Emily Dickinson poem “The wife” relates to Mrs.Mallard’s emotional state in “The Story of an Hour”, how these women’s have both strong powerful opinions about indepedence. In my opinion, the reason why i believe this because according to the story “the story of an hour”, the death of her husband his death made her realizes she will be free and also indepedent. Now,that Mrs.Mallard’s husband is dead she loves him with all her power but she wants that freedom and that she would live for herself and get to be that wife that she is living free.On the other hand, according to “The Wife”, she take the role as that women and also as the wife.
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Stephanie, I appreciate your discussion of the themes of both the poem and the short story. However, have you addressed the question of this week’s discussion board? Have you connected specific phrasing of the Dickinson poem to the Chopin story? This is the challenge of this week’s analysis.
thank you Professor Celeste Conway i believe i have connected the specfic phrasing of the disckinson poem to the chopin story but thank you again for your feedback.
Stephanie, we are looking for exact quotes from the poem and connecting them to the story.
Hey Stephanie , I agree with you in the poem there was a line that said “If aught she missed in her new day
Of amplitude, or awe,Or first prospective, or the goldIn using wore away,” which showed that she was having a self reflection on how she feels as her being the wife and everything is about making sure her husband is happy
In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard receives news that her husband is dead. She goes through a short grieving process that ends with her feeling a sense of freedom. She realized her husband made her feel stifled, she could now be great. Unfortunately, she dies of a heart attack when she finds that her husband is still alive. In “The Wife,” by Emily Dickinson, the protagonist self reflects about her life. “If aught she missed in her new day. Of amplitude, or awe, Or first prospective, or the gold In using wore away.” This self-reflection relates to Mrs. Mallard’s emotional state because she felt she could achieve so much now that her husband was deceased. Both women feel oppressed in their marriages.
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In the poem “The wife” by Emily Dickinson and in the short story “The story of an Hour” both share the same themes of identity and the role of women being in marriage, which in this case it seems like both women deal with issues of self discovery. Before I get into more depth I just want to say this is a common mistake a lot of young women and even men do! We tend to rush into things because of feelings we feel in the moment so whenever that person is gone, we completly lose ourselves and feel alone in the moment because we rushed into something without discovering oursleves and learning how to love ourselves first. Then that’s when we feel the freedom and it makes you regret everything and shows that you in fact wasn’t ready for the commitment, and that’s what happened with Mrs. Millard she went from grieving, feeling sad but then at the same time having a feeling of relief and feeling free as she says “Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering showed that her loss wasn’t a loss after all it was a loss of freedom. As well, as in the poem the lines that stood out to me the most and compared to how Mrs. Millard was feeling were “She rose to his requirement, dropped, The playthings of her life” meaning the she stopped her life to make sure she made her husband happy. And the line “Develops pearl and weed”, She does a comparison of a pearl and weed; pearl being her and weed being her husband. She followed by saying “But only to himself is known, The fathoms they abide.” basically saying only he mattered in the marriage and she had to put up with everything to make him happy. Going back into the short story Mrs. Millard then found out that Mr. Brently wasn’t dead after all , and that killed her happiness to the point where she had a heart attack.
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Both “The Wife” and “The Story of an Hour” compare a woman’s freedom with marriage. Dickinson expresses how a woman’s freedom changes before and after marriage. Once married, a woman is the possession of their husband and no longer has self identity. Though, it is not until marriage that women have a place in society. In “The Story of an Hour”, we can see how Mrs. Mallard agrees with Dickinson. She was happy when her husband died. She felt like she could finally be free. It wasn’t until she found out he was not really dead that she was overcome with sadness. Both stories associate marriage with lack of freedom.
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Ava, this is a little short.