What kind of relationships do the Mallards have? Is Brently Mallard unkind to Louise Mallard, or is there some other reason for her saying "free, free, free!" when she hears of his death? How does she feel about him? Look to your story for clues and evidence to justify your response. *

Mr. Mallard appears unconcerned by his wife's dissatisfaction. Despite the fact that he loves her, she finds his affection suffocating. She doesn't feel the same way about him, and her feelings aren't quite as strong as his. In compared to his life, her independence is constrained.

When she saw the sweet, soft hands clasped in dead; the eyes that never gazed at her except with affection, frozen and lifeless, she knew she would cry again.

She had feelings for him at times. She didn't do so at other times. Mrs. Mallard blamed her lack of independence on her husband, despite the fact that he was a kind man. He was, in a sense, her jailer, the one who kept her from being who she truly was. She is not pleased with his death and did not wish him harm. She is ecstatic about her newfound independence and authority.

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Answer and Explanation:

"The Story of an Hour" is a short story by author Kate Chopin. The main character, Louise Mallard, is told at the beginning that her husband has passed away in a train accident. Mrs. Mallard then locks herself up for a whole hour in her bedroom, during which she realizes her husband's death represents a new beginning for her. She is finally free.

What kind of relationship do the Mallards have? Is Brently Mallard unkind to Louise Mallard, or is there some other reason for her saying "free, free, free!" when she hears of his death?

Mr. Mallard is not unkind to his wife. According to her own thoughts:

She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead.

Brently has only looked at Louise with love. Still, she says she is free because of his death. The reason behind such feeling is that Mrs. Mallard has been a subservient wife all of her life. She has constantly felt restrained by marriage, having to ask for permission, having to justify and explain herself. Even though they did not have a violent or rude interaction going on between them, their relationship was still exhausting to her.

How does she feel about him?

She feels divided, bittersweet. Again, in her own thoughts:

And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!

She loved him at times. At others, she did not. Even though she had a kind husband, Mrs. Mallard saw him as the cause of her lack of freedom. He was, in a way, her jailer, the one keeping her from fully being herself. She is not happy about his death per se - she did not wish him any evil. She is happy for herself, her newly found freedom and empowerment.