As the wife sat and pondered on her updated marital status, which has switched from married to widowed, she experiences an array of emotions and thought processes. She received the news of her husband's death from a friend of his, who tried his best to verify the information. In the end of the story, the acceptance and commitment to this false news led to the heart diseased death of Mrs. Mallard, when she found out that the report was not accurate. Being in joyful bliss of her new found freedom, she sees her living husband walk through the front door. This causes her to let out a cry, which her previously mentioned heart trouble could not bear. Due to this rude awakening she passes away. Her joy being interrupted caused her death, while those around her believed the joy of seeing him alive was the provoking cause.
In the present political sphere, the term "fake news" has been used and thrown around. I have not been keeping up with everything that has been occurring, but believing something has its consequences, whether it's true or not. It may be wise to verify important information for ourselves without letting others dictate to us what to believe, lest it leads us to an unpleasant destination as with Mrs. Mallard.
Hello Mark,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this blog. All this brings to mind certain clichés, such as "What a difference a day makes," and " a New York minute." In today's information age, misinformation and miscommunication can go around the world in an instant. This week's short story takes place in an hour, but could be read in under five minutes. Kate Chopin's story as well as today's fake news can serve as a lesson in impulsivity. People seem to be addicted to shocking news and everything seems to be blow out of proportion because it will get ratings or some other profit driven motive. Ideally, I think it is better to think then act as opposed to acting and then thinking "Why in the world did I do that?!"