The Story of an Hour
In 1894, Kate Chopin wrote, "The Story of an Hour." In this fictional
tale the author describes the experience of Louise Mallard, a woman
with heart trouble, immediately after receiving news of her husbands
death. Unlike the expected reaction, Louise actually has a moment of
relief realizing the freedoms she now has, which were taken from her
by an unhappy marriage. All the events of the story take place within
an hour in Louise's home. In the final minutes of the hour, Mrs.
Mallard is shocked to see that her husband walks through the front
door alive and well, which causes her to have a heart attack and die.
While her family believes she had a heart attack because she was
overjoyed, the author leads us to conclude the heart attack was
actually caused by her realization that the freedoms she looked
forward too were no longer a reality. Kate Chopin's description of
what the main character feels and sees shows us how this is possible.
The story is very well written as it flows from one paragraph to
another each presenting a new idea or information for the reader. The
story begins by informing us that Louise's husband, Brently Mallard,
was killed in a railroad disaster. Being that Louise has a heart
condition, her family was concerned with how she would react to the
bad news. Her sister, Josephine, broke the news to her. She
immediately cried as expected but the interesting part of the story is
when she goes into her room and locks the door. While Mrs. Mallard is
slouched in a chair her experience doesn't feel that tragic at all.
The mood is rather peaceful and relaxing. The reader is reminded more
of a sunny day than a gloomy sky. At this point it is almost confusing
but Kate Chopin...
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prisoner is put in handcuffs and taken back to his cell where he is
reminded he will be for life. Imagine the mental strain that would
cause the prisoner. I believe Mrs. Mallard's situation to be very
similar. This is why after careful review of the text I am convinced
that Louise's reaction to seeing her husband was still alive, was
complete disappointment rather than joy. It was all her newfound hopes
and dreams of a future of happiness destroyed due to the fact she
would still be a wife. Just as Josephine was wrong about what Louise
was going through in the bedroom, the doctors were wrong by saying she
died of "a joy that kills."(315)
WORKS CITED
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Literature and Society: An
Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction. Eds. Pamela J.
Annas and Robert C. Rosen. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. 313-316.
The “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and ‘”The Hand” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette are similar in theme and setting. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Kate Chopin create the theme of obligatory love and the unhappiness it entails. Both stories illustrate the concealed emotions many women feel in their marriage yet fail to express them. The two stories take place in a sacred room of the house and both transpire in a brief amount of time. The differences between the two stories are seen through the author’s choice of characters in each story. In “The story of an Hour” Kate Chopin involves other characters in Mrs. Mallard’s life, whereas, “The Hand” deals with marriage and togetherness and only involves the husband and wife. Symbolism is seen all throughout “The Hand” not so in ‘The Story of an Hour.” The similarities in “The Story of an Hour” and “The Hand” is portrayed in theme and setting. The differences are illustrated in the choice of characters involved in each story and the amount of symbolism depicted in the different stories.
Like in many tragically true stories, it would seem Mrs. Mallard 's freedom came too late. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour” begins by introducing Mrs. Mallard as a person afflicted with heart trouble. The story builds on this by having Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and her husband Richard explain the situation in a very sensitive manner. Their efforts would prove to be in vain however as Mrs. Mallard then proceeds to emotionally break down. The news shocks Mrs. Mallard to her very core and has her at odds with how she should feel now that all was said and done. After coming to terms with her situation, fate delivers its final blow in a cruel and deceitful ploy towards Mrs. Mallards. And with that, Mrs. Mallard 's dies. In her hour of change Mrs. Mallard 's was delicate, thoughtful and excitable.
Since the last time I have journaled I have finished Magic hour by Kristin Hannah and Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. Magic Hour is about a feral child who was found in the small town of Rain Valley. It follows the police chief, Ellie, and her sister, Julia, while they try to figure out how to help this child. Julia is a psychiatrist who is working to get the girl to speak, while Ellie is trying to find whom the girl belongs to. Just Listen is about Annabel, the youngest sister of three in the Greene family. The family seems like they have a perfect life. The girls all model, Annabel is popular at school, they live in the perfect neighborhood, and they appear to everyone like the perfect family. The reader quickly discovers that this is not the
Story of an Hour – A Big Story in a Small Space. Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" tells the story of a woman trapped in a repressive marriage, who desperately wants to escape. She is given that chance, quite by accident, and the story tells of the hour in which this freedom is given to her. The story is very short (only two pages), so is interesting to look at as a minimalist piece of literature, and the surprise ending offers an opportunity to look at Chopin's use of foreshadowing.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. ( This description of the scenery is very happy, usually not how one sees the world after hearing devastating news of her husbands death.)
For women, the 19th century was a time of inequality, oppression, and inferiority to their male counterparts. A woman's social standing depended solely on her marital status. For these reasons many women were forced to lead a life of solitude and emotional inadequacy, often causing depression. In Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," setting plays a significant role in illustrating the bittersweet triumph of Mrs. Mallard's escape from oppression at the ironic cost of her life.
Analysis of “The Story of an Hour”. In her story “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin (1894) uses imagery and descriptive detail to contrast the rich possibilities for which Mrs. Mallard yearns, given the drab reality of her everyday life. Chopin utilizes explicit words to provide the reader with a background on Mrs. Mallard’s position. Chopin uses “She wept at once,” to describe Mrs. Mallard’s emotional reaction once she was told her husband had been “Killed.”
Kate Chopin wrote a short piece called “The Story of an Hour” about a woman’s dynamic emotional shift who believes she has just learned her husband has died. The theme of Chopin’s piece is essentially a longing for more freedom for women.
The aspirations and expectations of freedom can lead to both overwhelming revelations and melancholy destruction. In Kate Chopin’s “ The Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard is stricken with the news of her husband’s “death” and soon lead to new found glory of her freedom and then complete catastrophe in the death of herself. Chopin’s use of irony and the fluctuation in tone present the idea that freedom can be given or taken away without question and can kill without warning. After learning of her husband’s death in a railroad disaster, Mrs. Mallard sinks into a deep state of grief, as one would be expected to do upon receiving such news.
Kate Chopin’s story “The Story of an Hour” focuses on a married woman who does not find happiness in her marriage. When she hears of her husband’s death, the woman does not grieve for long before relishing the idea of freedom. Chopin’s story is an example of realism because it describes a life that is not controlled by extreme forces. Her story is about a married nineteenth-century woman with no “startling accomplishments or immense abilities” (1271). Chopin stays true to reality and depicts a life that seems as though it could happen to any person. Frank Norris comments that realism is the “smaller details of every-day life, things that are likely to happen between lunch and supper, small passions, restricted emotions…” (1741). “A Story of an Hour” tells the tale of an unhappy married woman which is not an unrealistic or extreme occurrence. Chopin conveys in her short story the feeling of marriage as an undesired bondage to some married women in the nineteenth century.
“The Story of an Hour” was a story set in a time dominated by men. During this time women were dependent on men, but they always dreamed of freedom. Most people still think that men should be dominant and in control. They think that without men, women can’t do anything and that they can’t be happy. Well this story has a twist.
Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and Carver's "Popular Mechanics" both use setting to develop their theme. The relationship in marriage breaks down if the couple does not truly love each other. Both stories have similar settings, such as both went into the social environment of a relationship, but some contents of the setting of each story have differences. Each story's theme is conveyed by the setting, such as social environments and time, of the story. In "The Story of an Hour," Chopin, the author, uses the 1900s in order to convey the theme of the story. In "Popular Mechanics," Carver, the author, uses two different settings in order to develop the theme. In summary, the settings of "The Story of an Hour" and "Popular Mechanics" help convey the theme.
Key Elements:The story of an hour · Plot: Standard plot. A woman who receive the notice of her husband's death, and when she begins to felt freedom her husband appear again and she can't accept it and fall died. · Characterization: Few characters a. Mrs. Mallard or Louise: Mallard's wife. Was afflicted with hearth trouble.
The definition of selfhood is the state of being an individual person. In the story, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Louise Mallard a wife in the 19th century was searching for selfhood and freedom. This short story was written at a time where it was common sense and tradition that women “were inferior to men in status and opportunities” (Berkove p152-158). The Story of an Hour has probably inspired a great deal of women to oppose their husbands if they feel like their marriage isn’t quite as equals as it ought to be. The story illustrates the authority a man has over a woman. Women are properties of men in a conservative society, so it is hard for women to have their own lives. Chopin clearly implies that any woman’s search for ideal feminine
Coming to the end of this class I have learned a lot about what it takes to make a piece of literature leave you feeling a certain way. A lot goes into setting up a atmosphere in a story because you are not really seeing it in front of your face so you must imagine it. The author wants you to imagine a certain scene and feel a certain way through their words and descriptions. An important component to making a reader understand the atmosphere and visualize the scene is by the setting. Setting is where a specific event is taking place. Without setting it would be hard for a reader to not only visualize but to even understand the theme, tone and the atmosphere. Throughout this semester we learned this from genres such as short story, poems and