Louise Mallard Symbolism

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention website posts some startling facts about heart disease in America. As the leading cause of death in the United States, heart disease killed 631, 636 people in 2006 alone. In fact, half of these deaths were attributed to women. This is an overwhelming pattern for generations of Americans. Thomas Foster writes in Read Literature Like a Professor, that heart disease is a very common symbolic pattern in literature as well. He said, “there is no better, no more lyrical, no more perfectly metaphorical illness than heart disease” (Foster 208). The heart is, “the symbolic repository of emotion” (Foster 208). The main character of Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, supposedly suffers and dies from this very disease. Like many stories, Mrs. Mallard exhibits a romantic detachment as an illness of the heart.…show more content…
Mallard “was afflicted with a heart trouble” and that she had to be approached with “great care” to tell her of her husband’s death (Chopin 212). As the story continues, however, it becomes evident that her illness is really a lack of love for her husband. Louise Mallard’s disinterest really became apparent to her when she whispered the words “free, free, free” (Chopin 212). “Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body” (Chopin 213). At this point, Louise’s emotional well being left her feeling like her heart was about to burst at the

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