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Analysis of story of an hour by Kate Chopin
Analyse the story of an hour by kate chopin
Analyse the story of an hour by kate chopin
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Throughout time literature has been used to explain and to explore the very fiber of the human condition. Modern media has joined in on using its ability to reach a vast majority of people to show the Oppression of a second class citizen as shown in Kate Chopin’s “A Story of an Hour”. The modern media that can be seen expressing views related to the views expressed in Chopin’s short story is music. The song “Oppression” by Ben Haper shines the light on the oppression of people. The archetype “the oppressed citizen” is one that can be seen throughout history and society. Chopin uses the literary devices of imagery, symbolism, and dramatic irony to highlight the role of Louise Mallard. The oppressed citizen hopes and dreams becomes a faded memory of the things they could not achieve as seen in the work of Chopin.
Chopin used the archetype of “the oppressed citizen” to show the state of society during the time she wrote “A Story of an Hour”. During that time women were the oppressed citizen throughout Louisiana as stated in the Cultural context, the patriarchal code favored the husband leaving many women at the mercy of their husbands and without a voice. Mrs. Mallard was like many women during this time completely depended on her husband and constricted by the laws during that time.
The role that Mrs. Mallard is required to fulfill in Chopin’s short story may seem simply but after thinking deeply about what role she plays in the story her requirement became deeper. Her role throughout the story is to enlighten the reader to the hardships many women were facing during that time. During this time women were the oppressed citizen, leaving them without a voice which is made clear in the statement,” the laws of Louisiana have their root...
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...code, the civil code enacted in France in 1804 to regulate issues property, marriage, and divorce.” (Kirszner and Mandell 223) One have to see some truth Chopin’s short story because imitates life. Everyone has hopes and dreams of doing something great or becoming someone great and living a life without fulfillment is truly oppression therefore, the hopes and the dreams of the oppressed eventually becomes a faded memory of the things they could not achieve.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Literature:Reading, Reacting, Writing. 8th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. 222-24.
Harper, Ben. "Oppersion." Rec. 1995. Fight For Your Mind. MP3. Virgin Records, 1995.
Kumar, Rajiv, A. K. Kella, and G. Tayal. "Effect Of Acute Stress On Rat ECG." Internet Journal Of Pharmacology 1st ser. 8 (2010): 7. Academic Search Premier. 8 Dec. 2013.
...t from the societal constraints placed on them and never to revert from this freedom. Through the Calixta?s and Louise?s awakenings, Chopin describes two different ways to accomplish the same goal. Both characters make choices to hold onto their newfound freedom, although on the surface it seems as though neither gets to enjoy her freedom fully. Chopin cleverly uses the endings to show that both characters find a freedom that endures, and both make choices to hold onto this happiness.
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.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” female heroine Louise Mallard’s judgment is questioned after her inability to show emotion following her husband’s death. Instead of feeling desperate and hopeless, Louise feels a sense of freedom and liberation. This depiction of an independent woman prevails in The Awakening as Chopin discusses a woman who battles to fulfill traditional Victorian female ethics in the midst of undergoing a physical and emotional awakening. Edna and Louise are similar because neither woman is happy with accepting conventional gender roles. In The Awakening, Chopin discusses the different female roles that Edna Pontellier, Adele Ratignolle, and Mademoiselle Reiz’s represent to emphasize the different ideas that women
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. Vol. 2. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1991. 487. Print.
The symbols and imagery used by Kate Chopin's in “The Story of an Hour” give the reader a sense of Mrs. Mallard’s new life appearing before her through her view of an “open window” (para. 4). Louise Mallard experiences what most individuals long for throughout their lives; freedom and happiness. By spending an hour in a “comfortable, roomy armchair” (para.4) in front of an open window, she undergoes a transformation that makes her understand the importance of her freedom. The author's use of Spring time imagery also creates a sense of renewal that captures the author's idea that Mrs. Mallard was set free after the news of her husband's death.
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.
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.
Kate Chopin was a Victorian writer; whose writing manifests her life experiences. She was not happy with the principles of the time, because women had fewer rights, and they were not considered equal to men. Afraid of segregation from society, people lived in a hypocritical world full of lies; moreover, Kate Chopin was not afraid of segregation, and used her writing as a weapon against oppression of the soul. Marriage was an oppressor to Chopin, she had been a victim of this institution. Being a victim of marriage, Chopin's "Story of an Hour," is an expression of her believe that, marriage is an institution that oppresses, represses, and is a source of discontent among human beings.
Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. 11th . New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 476-477. Print.
Chopin, Kate. A. “The Story of an Hour.” Baym 1609-1611.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Backpack Literature. 4th ed. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson: 2012. 168-170. Print.
Xuding Wang writes in her essay, Feminine Self-Assertion in “The Story of an Hour”, a strong defense for Kate Chopin’s classic work, “The Story of an Hour”. Wang provides powerful proof that one of the pioneering feminist writers had a genuine desire to push the issue of feminine inequality. Even decades later, Xuding Wang fights for the same ground as Kate Chopin before her. She focuses on critic Lawrence I. Berkove, who challenges that Louise Mallard is delusional with her personal feelings of freedom once she discovers the news that her husband has passed away. The story opens with the line “Knowing Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble” (Chopin). [1] Chopin uses allegory to describe
Kate Chopin tells the story using a lot of symbolism and she uses irony to raise the concern of a married women who has experienced oppression. She is raising an issue and she tells the readers that women shouldn’t experience what Mrs. Mallard did and shouldn’t be trapped in the intuition of marriage and follows the rules that society has made only for women. Her use of literary devices makes the story more interesting and meaningful. Which is why this story should be in American literature
Koloski, Bernard. "Kate Chopin "The Story of an Hour"" Www.katechopin.org. Kate Chopin International Society, 08 Nov. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.
Kate Chopin, author of “The Story of an Hour” written in 1894 was the first author who emphasized strongly on femininity in her work. In the short story, Chopin writes about freedom and confinement Chopin is an atypical author who confronts feminist matter years before it was assumed. The time period that she wrote in women were advertised as a man’s property. The main idea in the short story is to illustrate that marriage confines women. In “The Story of an Hour” the author creates an intricate argument about freedom and confinement Mrs. Louise Mallard longing for freedom, but has been confined for so long freedom seems terrible. Mrs. Mallard wife of Brently Mallard instantly feels free when her husband dies. The reason she feels this way