How Does Kate Chopin Use Figurative Language In The Story Of An Hour

Kate Chopin exquisitely presents a story of a young, free-spirited woman that stands out of social standards, using a wide variety of rhetorical terms and figurative language. Among these, Chopin used many examples of imagery in Story of an Hour, composing a very visually descriptive and intriguing piece that captivates readers since 1894. The use of imagery has a pivotal role in her short story as it visualizes the whole situation and creates a compelling contrast between the story and emotions of both characters and the readers.
Story of an Hour starts with extremely disastrous news of Mr. Mallard’s death, who is the husband of the main protagonist Louise Mallard. Unpredictably, Mrs. Mallard goes berserk after hearing the news from her sister

Josephine, which Chopin describes as “wild abandonment” to emphasize the simplicity of such action as bursting into tears without prior hesitation or denial of facts. However, the melancholic emotions accompanying the situation are ceased when Louise escapes and locks herself in her room. Suddenly, the mournful emotions emerge as peacefulness and next, euphoria. The transition is depicted as the wonders of nature that Mrs. Mallard notices when she realizes that she is free. The sight of treetops heralding the new beginning introduces the readers to the state of calmness, foreshadowing the subsequent happiness. The imagery used appeals to more than only one human sense, for example “the delicious breath of rain” in which “delicious” signifies flavor. Another great example of outstanding imagery is the comparison of Mrs. Mallard weeping to a “child who has cried itself continues to sob in its dreams” which has an extremely powerful impact on the readers, because it provides them with true emotions of sadness. Kate Chopin skillfully chose the words in her story to manipulate and drastically change the readers’ emotions. From one sentence to another she uses words to diversify the mood of a situation and to represent the stereotypical variability of a woman.
The use of imagery enhances readers’ understanding of Story of an Hour and widens the possibility of interpretation of the text. With an effective use of figurative language, Kate Chopin easily captivates readers and creates an intriguing setting of the story, along with unexpected actions and visual details, that might foreshadow further actions of the main character, Mrs. Mallard.