Kate Chopin Regionalism

Kate Chopin Analysis

Kate Chopin is famous amongst the literary world for her creation of a strong female who dealt with social issues head on. A woman ahead of her time, Chopin thrived by channeling her feelings of anger and disappointment through her work; “A Story of an Hour” is no exception. In this short story, Chopin touches upon elements of Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism, not only defying the literary “norm” of the nineteenth century, but consequently challenging her audience to consider the possibility of a love so cruel that causes death.

Kate Chopin’s uses a touch of Regionalism through the characters actions. Common language, a characteristic of Regionalism, is expressed through the portrayal of emotions and feelings that deeply touched the characters. The protagonist,

Mallard. The reader, however, does not expect Mrs. Mallard to be relived of her husbands passing, “she said it over and over under her breath, ‘free, free, free!’”. Prior to the Women’s Rights movement (1848 to 1920), marriage suppressed women, and the right to divorce was often not an option, “and yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not”. Women of this time were seen as an extension of their spouse as opposed to an equal partner. Her husbands death sparked anew in her. She began to fantasize about all the opportunities ahead of her.

To exhibit Naturalism within “A Story Within an Hour”, the dejected tones contribute to the effect of Naturalism as well as Chopin connection to nature, Mrs. Mallard’s new found freedom, and death of her husband. Chopin’s vivid description of nature was commonly found throughout this time period, “There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing the window”. Her description of the clouds connect to Mrs. Mallard’s feelings towards her husbands death. Around this time period, incorporating nature (Naturalism) into become common amongst literary