Kate Chopin’s novel “The Story of an Hour” is one of the best-known masterwork of short fiction and narrates about the role of women and her self-knowledge. Out of many aspects of human existence, Chopin were interested in internal, spiritual life of woman, and her role in the society. The Chopin’s view of the world formed under huge influence the family and epoch were the basics of individuality formed and established. She brought up mostly by women, as well as her great-grandmother. Living in such environment, from early age Chopin sees a woman differently from common social view. Her view on woman as an independent person, and not as a part to the man to pleasure him and for continuation of the family kind. Such aspiration to the independence, …show more content…
Chopin focuses attention on the Mrs. Mallards, her face and eyes: “She was young, with a fair, calm face.” Also, we can read very beautiful and delicious description of the nature which of Mrs. Mallard could see through the open window: “… tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new life; the delicious breath of air; a distant song; countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves; patches of blue sky.” While describing the nature, Chopin uses epithets and metaphors. The “open window” plays interesting and important role in the story. The “open window” and opened and spread arms represents the freedom and new opportunities for Louise after her husband has died. The experiences she got through her senses: the smell of a coming rainstorm, the sound of singing birds, all destine happiness – the new life and freedom. In the world, where woman limited or even devoid of a voice, “opened and spread her arms out” used as one the main ways of nonverbal communication and shows state of the mind of a …show more content…
At the sight of whom the victorious Louise has suddenly died. Chopin begin and end a story with heart problems of Mrs. Mallard. At the beginning, she uses the term “heart trouble” which give more a medical sense and understanding of the problem. At the end used “heart disease” term: “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills.” which gives more a psychological sense. The last phrase “the joy that kills.” is ironic. Louise felt both, happiness of obtaining freedom and great disappointment of husband return. The last phrase assumes that her heart condition is more a metaphor for her emotional condition, than a real medical state. The shock and disappointment of the blow up as balloon hope of just obtained new life killed
She whispers, “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin). Though her situation is sad, she does not have a remorseful response. She locks herself in her room and reflects upon her new reality. She instead comes to find a form of liberation for herself from her husband’s death. As she looks out the window, Chopin writes, “…she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window,” (Chopin). Chopin is stating Louie’s newly found greatness for her life. She is now able to live for herself and not behind her husband as society has told her. She can be different and gain more from her life now because she does not have to follow or live for a man, as many woman did in society. She feels exonerated from her bondage, which is marriage, and she now feels she can have a life for herself. In the end, her husband is actually found to be alive as he walks into the room. Chopin writes, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills,” (Chopin). From seeing her husband, Louise dies. It was joy that had killed her. Readers can easily believe that she died because of the shock that her husband was still alive, but in reality she died from the loss of her new found greatness. The joy that killed her was her own
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.
We read “A story of an hour” written by Kate Chopin. It is about a young married woman, Louise Mallard, who has a heart condition and a shock can kill her immediately. Her sister, Josephine, was careful not to upset Louise that her husband, Brently Mallard, died in a train accident. Louise cried and went to her room. However, Louise felt happy even though the situation was tragic. In addition, she realized that she gained freedom from a depressing marriage and from her dominating husband. Brently opens the door at the end of the story, and Louise was surprised to her husband alive. She was shocked and died because of a heart attack. Ironically, the doctor declares “she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills” (Chopin). In the movie we saw, it was different. Louise was kept in the house because Brently is afraid that she might die or because he is afraid that seeing the world could give her an idea to rebel against him. Brently showed her many pictures, including their picture in Paris, and she always begs him to take to the gardens of Paris but he always refuses. Louise was made dependent to his father and Brently to take care of her.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, it talks about marriage and a woman’s life in the 1800’s. This story illustrates the stifling nature of a woman’s role during this time through Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to her husband’s death. When Mrs. Mallard obtains news that her husband is dead, she is hurt after a brief moment and then she is delighted with the thought of freedom. This story shows how life was in the mid 1800’s and how women were treated around that time.
In Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" the author portrays patriarchal oppression in the institution of marriage by telling the story of one fateful hour in the life of a married woman. Analyzing the work through feminist criticism, one can see the implications of masculine discourse.
...giving it boundaries and distinctive characteristics about the situation. Setting preys upon reader stereotypes and preconceptions about the certain time frame or location in which the story takes place in order to bring out more meaning. In this work, Chopin develops the story based on the reader's knowledge and understanding of a woman's place in late nineteenth-century America. But the specific setting--the time of year and the structure of the Mallard house--also gives clues to help readers understand Louise and attempt to determine the cause of her death. Louise may die of heart disease, as the doctors say at the end of the story, but setting indicates that the disease was not "joy that kills" (14).
... This woman suffers a tremendous amount from the commitment of her marriage, and the death of her husband does not affect her for long. A marriage such as this seems so unbelievable, yet a reader can see the realistic elements incorporated into the story. This begs the question of how undesirable marriage was during Chopin’s life. The unhappiness felt by Mrs. Mallard seems to be very extreme, but Chopin creates a beautiful story that reflects upon the idea of marriage as an undesired relationship and bond to some women in the nineteenth century.
... in a husband’s attitude towards his wife: he dominates her, shapes her lifestyle, make her live for him instead of living for herself. Unfortunately, the wife accepts his behavior because she loves him and doesn’t want to lose him. At the same time, the feeling of obedience in order to prevent divorce lives in her only at the beginning of their marriage. As the years pass by, she becomes used to the subordinate mode of life that her husband has thrown on her. And after some time she finds out that she hates her lifestyle because she has devoted all her life to her husband, and the only thing she wants is freedom.
...ive her life for her own benefit. This is proven by Chopin's use of foreshadowing, the protagonist's realizations, and the effect that the realizations have on her life after the event. The author gives us thorough evidence to support the fact that Louise Mallard experienced an epiphany. Through a close examination of the story, the audience can see that she uses verbal indication that a change will occur. Chopin provides insight into Mrs. Mallard’s outlook on life and the affect this new outlook has. “Joy that kills” ends this dynamic short story, as well as Louise Mallard’s life. As the audience reads about Mrs. Mallard’s epiphany, it is likely they experience realizations of their own.
Unfortunately, her hope for long years and many beautiful spring days was abruptly ended in an ironic twist. Unbeknownst to herself and her company, Mr. Mallard had survived, and within an hour the promises of a bright future for Mrs. Mallard had both began and came to an end. Her grievous death was misconstrued as joy to the others: "they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills" (Chopin 471). This statement embodies the distorted misconception that a woman lives only for her man. The audience, in fact, sees just the opposite. To Louise her life was elongated at the news of her husband's death, not cut short. Throughout the story, one hopes Louise will gain her freedom. Ironically, she is granted freedom, but only in death.
While Chopin's employment of irony presents a socially unaccepted concept in a more acceptable format, it is the author's use of perspective that increases the impact of her message. Chopin's point might be lost, perhaps entirely, if the reader were not informed from Louise's viewpoint. While the other characters are oblivious to her actual joy in death, although it is described as such "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills," their definition of this joy equates to her love for her husband. In contrast, because Chopin writes from the perspective of Louise, we understand that the intermittent love she feels for her husband, love itself dismissed as the "unsolved mystery," pales in comparison to the joy she feels upon the discovery that she can now live with the "possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being."
In the story it states, “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair… She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin 22). Through this quote, Chopin describes two different places that are a part of the same setting. By using the adjective, comfortable, when describing the armchair, Chopin creates a symbol representing her marriage. Then when she uses the adjective new, she creates another symbol representing the start of a new life without her husband. By using these two symbols, Chopin illustrates the new possibilities Louise has now that she is free. Due to the two symbols, and their context in the story Chopin further supports the main idea of the
The descriptions in the story foreshadow the tragedy that ends the story. The author believed unexpected things happen often. In the case of this story, Louise Mallard believed her husband to be dead, having been told this by her sister, Josephine. However, when it is revealed that her husband had been alive the whole time, she is unhappy to see him and suffers a fatal heart attack. While she did have heart trouble, Richards and Josephine thought that the news of her husband’s death, not her seeing him again would be detrimental to her health, possibly even fatal. Chopin succeeded in getting this message across.
...egaining her husband and all of the loss of freedom her marriage entails. The line establishes that Louise's heart condition is more of a metaphor for her emotional state than a medical reality.” (Koloski) It is ironic that she accepts the death of her husband and is joyous and free, and then he ends up being alive after she walks out of the room with a sense of power. The ending of The Story of an hour by Kate Chopin implies that maybe the only true resolution of conflict is in death.
Mallard. Her self-assertion surpassed the years they were married and the love she had for him. She is beginning to realize she can now live for and focus on herself. The text insists “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.” (Chopin 477.) Finally she can live freely and no longer worry about being confined in her marriage and inside her own home. She has come to realization that she is now independent and can think freely and achieves happiness and freedom. She is no longer held down or back by her marriage. She will no longer be someone’s possession she will be free and respected. Her husband Brently returns and he is alive the happiness and freedom she once possessed briefly with the mere image of her deceased husband were quickly torn away. “When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease of joy that kills” (Chopin 477). She was free but still confined without the knowledge of her husband who wasn’t dead. Chopin illustrates at the end that she was free because joy killed her. She was joyous because she was finally set free but she is now once again confined by the grief knowing her husband was not killed