chopin

chopin

1. Does Chopin’s characterization of Mrs. Mallard justify the story’s unexpected and ironic climax? Explain your response.
Mrs. Mallard was a woman of the Victorian era who had heart trouble (Chopin, 652).   Her sister had come over to her house and tried to tell her some bad news gently to keep her heart from failing.   The sister and a friend told her the news of her husband dying in a railroad accident.   Mrs. Mallard acted unlike anyone would have thought.   Most wives would sob uncontrollably when they received that kind of news.   However, Mrs. Mallard wept briefly.
Mrs. Mallard was upset that her husband died but when Chopin described the things she did it was very shocking how this ended.   She was described as someone who was happy and relieved that her husband was no longer there.   As strange as this may be, she believed she would be free at this time and be able to live her life for herself (Chopin, 653).  
Chopin described Mrs. Mallard as being happy and dancing with her sister in the hallway as she was now free.   However, her husband was not dead as he walked in the front door.   Since Mrs. Mallard was so happy that she could now be free of the things her husband did in private that she did not see him as he first came in.   It was not like a person who had lost someone they loved.   She was described as someone with a heart condition but yet it did not seem to bother her at that time.

Once Mrs. Mallard realized her husband was not dead, she was in shock.   Chopin described her as being happy and then very sad. This was when she had died from her heart disease.   It was believed that she died because she was so happy and then suddenly saddened that her husband had not died in the accident.   With the description of Mrs. Mallard one would believe that she was very healthy and as happy as anyone could be.   It was not expected that she would have passed at the end of the story.   She was happy one minute and then laying on the floor the next.