“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin had a hidden story behind it, since reading it before I’ve been able to catch things I hadn’t before. I found taking a look at another reader’s perspective along with reading about the emotions, which another reader had caught on to. The purpose of this piece it to analyze the literary piece “The Story of an Hour” along with taking a look at other peoples analysis.
While reading “The Story of an Hour” the literary terms that I found very fitting with the piece were dialogue along with tone. I feel the dialogue in the story really made the story; “The Story of an Hour” showed the emotion of the sister and husbands friend of being supportive and respectful by coming to Louise to tell her of the death of her husband them selves. Then following the dialogue used when she sat and was speaking to herself, she showed joy. Joy seems to be an unexpected feeling for most but, she keep repeating “Free” because she felt with the death of her husband she was finally free to enjoy life. In the context it was clear that her husband was good to her, but she believe that all women and men oppress one another even if they do it out of kindness. Louise also knows she loved Brently but knows it doesn’t matter anymore compared to her newfound independence. Tone changed throughout the story, form a very sad and cold beginning to the feeling of warmth when she felt free. In the dialogue tone was shown in her words of excitement. Then suddenly changed and her heart sank when she saw him, ironically heart disease was her death. It was a disappointment to her when she praised for freedom, but I suppose she got what she wanted even though it was because of her husbands death, but rather her own. The statement that I f...
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...omething," readers naturally will speculate.
In conclusion I found that the different analysis of both of the authors of Kate Chopin work “The story of an hour” was eye opening. The fact that both pieces brought up very different points made me really think. Also it showed me that no matter how many times you read something you’ll miss out on a lot of pints other people see. Lastly I learned that looking deeper on one passage you could write a new understanding of what is trying to be felt or presented.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour” (1894). http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
Deneau, Daniel P. "Chopin's THE STORY OF AN HOUR." Explicator 61.4 (2003): 210-213. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
Jamil, S. Selina. "Emotions In The Story Of An Hour." Explicator 67.3 (2009): 215-220. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Chopin, Kate. ?The Story of an Hour.? Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. 2nd ed. Ed. John Schlib and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin?s, 2003. 862-63.
Deneau, Daniel P. "Chopin's the Story of an Hour." The Explicator 61.4 (2003): 210-3. ProQuest. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
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.
“To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.”(Lao Tzu). In Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour”, it tells of a heart trouble married woman, Louise Mallard, who learns that the man she loved and married, Brently has died. Mrs. Mallard’s behavior and emotions have shocked her entire family as she finds it a joyful and powerful event that may change her life for the hour that she has remaining to live. Mrs. Mallard considers his death as a freedom that she has yet longed for over so many years. As many readers begin to express their judgment towards Mrs. Mallard, the aspects of personal relationship may seem to convince those that maybe she was a bit selfish with her response. In the agony of a bitter marriage, “The Story of an Hour” portrays the reality of being in love, being married and finally having female independence.
In conclusion, “The story of an hour” is a clear depiction that women status in the society determines the choices they make about their lives. In this work, Chopin depicts a woman as a lesser being without identity or voices of their own. They are expected to remain in oppressive marriages and submit to their husbands without question.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour”. The Seagull Reader: Stories. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. 65 – 67.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. DiYanni Robert. 6th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986. 38-41. Print.
During the time of its publication “The Story of an Hour” was not received with open arms. In fact, the topic itself was strange to many as it spoke of “a woman rejoicing in the death of her husband” (Hicks). And it
After reading The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin, Daniel Deneau remarkably breaks down and analyzes the most intense aspects of the short story. Deneau acknowledges simple things such as “the significance of the open window and the spring setting” along with more complex questions including what Mrs. Mallard went through to achieve her freedom. He also throws in a few of his own ideas which may or may not be true. Almost entirely agreeing with the interpretation Deneau has on The Story of An Hour, he brings stimulating questions to the surface which makes his analysis much more intricate.
Kate Chopin made use of every aspect of setting in "The Story of an Hour." Her use of setting permitted the reader to piece together an entire life story of the characters from a two page short story using his own interpretation of the veiled hints she left through description. Each of the different elements of setting, including time, location, social context, and environment, convey all the information that Ms. Chopin chose not to explicitly write. Analyzation of each element leads to a clearer picture of Mrs. Mallard's circumstances and actions, and a fuller understanding of the story itself.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Eds. John Schilb, and John Clifford. 5th. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 705-706. Print.
Kate Chopin's story, "The Story of an Hour", focuses on an 1890's young woman, Louise Mallard. She experienced a profound emotional change after she hears her husband's "death" and her life ends with her tragic discovery that he is actually alive. In this story, the author uses various techniques-settings, symbolism and irony- to demonstrate and develop the theme: Freedom is more important than love. Chopin uses settings to convey particular moods, character qualities and features of theme. Firstly, the author uses time setting to reveal Louise' inner desire and her restrictions.
Jamil, S. Selina. "Emotions in the Story of an Hour." Explicator 67.3 (2009): 215-220. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. 261-263. Print.
Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is a brilliant short story of irony and emotion. The story demonstrates conflicts that take us through the character’s emotions as she finds out about the death of her husband. Without the well written series of conflicts and events this story, the reader would not understand the depth of Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflict and the resolution at the end of the story. The conflict allows us to follow the emotions and unfold the irony of the situation in “The Story of an Hour.”