I find it interesting that the doctors say Mrs. Mallard died of "heart disease- a joy that kills." I think she died simply because she was so happy to finally be free of her husband that when she sees him and realizes she is still under his jurisdiction, its too much for her to handle. Its kind of like when you make plans with someone and you are super excited for these plans to take place, and then at the last second they cancel on you.
Mrs. Mallard even says she didn't really love her husband that much, so at the news of his death, she didn't know how she was supposed to act. All the other women at this time period, if they got news that their husband's had died in war, basically fell apart. Mrs. Mallard on the other hand went crazy. She was looking forward to living for herself for the rest of her life and her husband coming back from the dead ruined all her plans.
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I agree with what Camille has said about how Mr. Mallard showing back up is a kill-joy for Mrs. Mallard. She had only enough time to realize her freedom from any other controlling force and not enough time to act upon it. Mrs. Mallard had time to enjoy only a few breaths of the perfectly blue sky outside and listen to a few joyful sounds from the neighborhood and then her sweetest hour ever lived passed with her own passing.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that Mrs. Mallard had a bad relationship with her husband, she even says that he loved her; but as is read in A Doll's House, love can be a restraining force. As it is with mum's who hover over their children and either the child must be given space or they'll break free on their own like the broken bird cage in Trifles. Mrs. Mallard had just had her cage wrenched open for her, had flapped her wings freely for the first time in her life and then was shoved back in that cage and the effects of her loss of Freedom killed her.