Thesis #2: Chopin

Louise does not “come to life” until she has processed the fact that her husband is dead. In the beginning she is a delicate woman with a heart problem; as she sits in her room turning over the news that she is “Free! Body and soul, free!”, her eyes are “keen and bright,” holding the very essence of liveliness. This is in stark contrast to how she imagines her husband will look, “fixed and gray and dead.” The descriptions surrounding Louise's reaction revolve around energy, spring, an open sky, her coursing blood; at one point she is likened to a “goddess of Victory.” Chopin intentionally uses lively descriptions only when we believe Louise to be a widow, suggesting that marriage is life-draining for women.