In my opinion, Louise's marriage was bringing her down and making her character feel old. Again, I feel sympathy for Louise because of the struggles she had with herself and her marriage. Chopin portrays Louise as her husband's prisoner. This was not strange at the time Chopin was writing the story. Marriages aren't always about devotion to your spouse. We see this when Luisa thinks: "There would be no powerful will that would bend her into that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have the right to impose a private will on another human being" (Chopin). It was as if neither women nor men had their own personal freedom. At the beginning Chopin makes us think that Louise is an old character, but as we continue reading, Chopin tells us otherwise: “She was young, with a beautiful and calm face, whose lines revealed repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin). Now the widow sees all her possibilities in a new life and her youth shines in her. Chopin tells us in the quote that Louise's awareness of new possibilities is giving her strength. I get the feeling that Chopin writes from a feminist point of view and therefore wants her readers to understand that the death of Louise's husband was a weight on her shoulders. Who would really want to get married to someone they don't love? Another positive thing is the fact that she is open to new things and gains new freedom. When Luisa goes upstairs after hearing the news, she sees "the open window, a comfortable and spacious armchair" (Chopin). I found this to be symbolic of how Louise would live her life now that her husband was gone. Her character will be open to new things, comfortable with herself and her life. She has the space to live and be herself instead of living under the rule of a man. References to the "new spring life" (Chopin), the "delicious breath of rain" (Chopin), "patches of blue sky" (Chopin) seemed to me to indicate his freedom. Louise is shown endless opportunities to become a new person. He saw all these things as if it were the first time. This tells me that her marriage kept her in the dark about life, and now she is becoming an open person with no limits. All of this makes you see Louise as a stronger character.