Story Of An Hour Essay

561 Words2 Pages

In “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, we are introduced to Mrs. Mallard, a young woman with heart problems and a recently deceased husband. The story introduces the idea of a woman being “trapped” in a relationship, which reflects on the time period of this story. While reading, you are put into the mind of a woman whose dreams both come true and fall to pieces in the course of, as the name suggests, an hour. It doesn't take too much effort to determine the theme of the story. I believe that the theme is that while a relationship can enhance who you are as a person, it can also suffocate your personality and growth. This applies to the time period this story is set in because women were suffocated by their husbands. However, it also applies to today. When two people are together, both parties may begin to feel a loss of individualism. This is mainly due to socially acceptable phrases like “Two halves of a whole” and “He/She/They complete me”. When you start saying and accepting these ideas into a relationship, you can stop feeling like “Willow” and more like “Half of Willow and ______”. …show more content…

This includes words they use, pacing, and attitude. The tone of “Story of an Hour” changes throughout the story. From paragraph one to ten, the tone is very somber and calm. This is shown through sentences like “But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky.” in paragraph eight and “Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach her soul.” However, after paragraph ten, the tone becomes more frantic and hopeful. This is shown in sentences like “They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.” in paragraph eleven and “No; she was drinking in the very elixir of life through that

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