Character Analysis of Mrs. Mallard in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” explores a woman’s unexpected reaction to her husband’s assumed death and reappearance, but actually Chopin offers Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to reveal problems that are built-in to the marriage. By offering this depiction of a marriage that confuses the woman to the point that she celebrates the death of her …showed first 75 words of 1036 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1036 total…trying to deny peoples expectations about gender roles in general and marriage in particular. Younger readers feel like Mrs. Mallard is too quiet and that she could have improved her life immeasurably if she had taken the initiative to improve or end her relationship with her husband. All in all, how individual readers respond to Mrs. Mallard’s story show their own ideas about marriage, society, and how men and women communicate with each other.