Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

Kate Chopin wrote many stories, and books about women gaining freedom, and independence. “The Story of an Hour” deals with a woman named Louise Mallard, who has an unfortunate heart disease, and must deal with the news of her deceased husband. The story starts off quickly with the knowledge of the heart disease, her husband’s death, and a caring friend, and loving sister there to comfort her. Soon the story focuses on Mrs. Mallard alone in a room, staring out into the sky, going over the news of her husband’s death, and all that it implies. Though the story contains the death of Mr. Mallard it is based, oddly enough, in the spring time, a time often used to represent new life, and new beginnings. The scenery quickly makes sense as Mrs. Mallard sits in her arm chair, at first “pressed down by a physical exhaustion” which shows that the death of her husband has taken a toll on her, but the soon lighter atmosphere of the room and, the bright colors, such as the blue sky, give off the feeling of moving through the sadness, and a new life coming from this death. The spring setting is popular among new life stories, it is the ending of the winter of her life, the

Mallard chants “Free! Body and soul free!” at this point in the story, the audience learns her first name is Louise. She is no longer chained to Mr. Mallard, and instead of being his wife, Mrs. Mallard, she is now Louise; free to be herself. It is important to note that the marriage was similar to a prison to Louise, “she was drinking in a very elixir of life” meaning that she had lost what she thought was her life until now, finally she was able to step into the spring days, wishing, and praying now that life would be long, instead of not long ago, when she “shuddered that life might be long.”. After leaving her solitude Louise walked “unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” not defeated by this moment, or worn down by the news, but instead walking like Nike