Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a wonderful period piece that gives reader’s an inside look at the complexity of human emotions and the oppression a woman might feel in marriage. Mr. Mallard is said to be killed in a train accident, and while Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and Mr. Mallard’s friend Roberts are extremely upset by this news, Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room, looking forward to her newfound freedom. One example of her newfound symbolic freedom is the open window in her room. It expresses a window so that she may peer out into her new life, and, as though Mrs. Mallard were a bird, an open window for her to spread her wings. Mrs. Mallard sits in an armchair by her window, her head lolled back and exhales a deep sigh. She peers out the window to the signs of life below her; she sees the open square with the breeze blowing through the trees, hears the twittering of sparrows outside, and hears a woman singing beautifully. She sees the calm blue sky and is suddenly filled with an immense feeling. She feels it creep from the sky, through all the sights, scents, and colors. It exhilarates her, finally allowing her to feel like she’s living for the first time in her life. …show more content…
She, like a caged bird, was made to bend to her husband’s every will and was never able to develop into her own person. After the death of her husband she finally feels free, as though her cage has been broken and a window has been left wide open. She dreams of traveling, of being able to enjoy her life as she wishes it, and not how it is wished of her. Her pulse is quickened and exclaims that she is free in both body and soul. She even mutters a prayer, begging life to be long, when just a day before she dreaded the thought of life being
To be inconsistent with traditional communities beliefs it is hard for many to accomplish. Nevertheless, writer Kate Chopin fights that conflict to deliver the readers a few of the greatest thought vexing literature that a human can get their hands on. Applying to her improvement reflections of narrative stories, such as plot control, irony, and character development, Kate is capable to take the reader towards a world of feelings that humanity would despise. Chopin shows her unbelievable literary ability in “The Story of an Hour” by joining character development and plot, with her use of thought-provoking vocabulary and narrative irony.
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.
Mrs. Mallard, in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, lives through many revelations before ultimately leading to her demise. Mrs. Mallards’ acceptance of her husband’s passing brings rise to emotions that can only be described as a “sexual” experience as this “[…] thing […] possess[es] her” (Chopin 552) and eventually results in a new outlook on the situation. In the final seconds of her life, it was not so much a joyful shock that killed her as it was the realization of everything that she had just thought of in the past hour being stolen from her.
“The Story of an Hour” was a story set in a time dominated by men. During this time women were dependent on men, but they always dreamed of freedom. Most people still think that men should be dominant and in control. They think that without men, women can’t do anything and that they can’t be happy. Well this story has a twist.
Chopin, the author of “The Story of an Hour”, uses many objects to embodies the recurring idea of a woman desires of freedom; portrays by Mrs. Mallard’s. Mrs. Mallard is a dutiful, typical housewife; like any other women in her years, she longs for some freedom in her life. At first, the thought of her husband’s death appalled her. However, did not take Mrs. Mallard very long to realize that her life without Mr. Mallard is an advantage for her. Mrs. Mallard immediately isolates herself in her room, when she discovers Mr. Mallard’s death.
Lauren Oliver once stated, “I’d rather die my way than live yours,” meaning that it is better to die living a way you would enjoy, rather than just be alive but not actually living a quality of life that is enjoyable. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a fictional short story in which she uses symbols to help show how independence is a necessity in life. In the novel, Mrs. Mallard’s husband was on a business trip when suddenly a terrible railroad disaster occurred. On the top of the list marked ‘dead’ was Mr. Mallard’s name. This caused a predicament for nobody knew how to tell Mrs. Mallard because of her delicate heart.
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is an example of a modern short story. It meets all four criteria that make it a modern short story, such as emphasis on subtle characterization, implications rather than explicit facts, emphasis on revelations, and examples of dramatic irony. This story meets the first criterion of a modern short story by emphasizing subtle characterization. An example of this is when the narrative adds phrases that describe how the characters feel and aren’t relevant, making the plot go by slowly.
“The will is never free- it is always attached to an object, a purpose. It is simply the engine in the car- it can’t steer” this quote said by Joyce Cary perfectly describes the life of a married woman During the late 1800s. A married woman during that time period had little if any free will as an individual unless her husband was to die. The freedom of an Individual's will within society is constructed based on the circumstances of the individual as shown in the controversial short story “ The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. In the short story, Chopin uses the narrative point of view, Louise Mallard, setting, foreshadowing, and symbolism to exemplify the idea of how through the death of their husband's women get a new found power of free will within society that the women would never receive if their husbands were alive.
Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour is best due to its captivating elements of surprise, imagery, and its potential hidden messages through its articulated symbolism. The story takes place in an hour’s time where a delicate, heart diseased woman, Mrs. Louise Mallard, grieves the news of the loss of her husband, Brently Mallard. Now, although Brently had strong feelings for Louise, represented by the articulation that, “the face that had never looked save with love upon her”, Louise merely loved Brently sometimes, however, “often she did not” (Kirszner, & Mandell, 2017, p. 129, para. 8).
At the beginning of “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard is met with the devastating news that her husband has been tragically killed in a railroading disaster. Her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend, Richards, take great care in delivering the news, since Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition. As soon as she receives the news, she is immediately overcome with grief and soon leaves the company of her sister to reflect on her thoughts alone. She stares out the window reflecting on the activities taking place outside on a dreary day. She feels physically exhausted by the emotional burden that was placed upon her just moments before. The theme
Kate Chopin's story, "The Story of an Hour", focuses on an 1890's young woman, Louise Mallard. She experienced a profound emotional change after she hears her husband's "death" and her life ends with her tragic discovery that he is actually alive. In this story, the author uses various techniques-settings, symbolism and irony- to demonstrate and develop the theme: Freedom is more important than love.
Happiness has many meanings, in this case it is the feeling of accomplishment the human mind creates after the fulfillment of its desires and wishes. As shown in “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin the main character; Louise Mallard gets the feeling of happiness when she realizes she is finally free to make her own choices. The idea of freedom overwhelms her and invigorates her entire mind and body. After a life of repression of her own opinions, she is finally given the opportunity to have a life of freewill and make decisions for herself. The events that occurred in the “Story of an Hour” demonstrate how Chopin wanted to help the reader understand to what degree the mind goes in order for the human being to feel happiness.
“The Story of an Hour” was written was by Kate Chopin. Kate Chopin was an author who was known for tackling feminist topics. When she was nineteen years old, she married a man named Oscar Chopin, and she lived in New Orleans for the next ten years (Chopin 420). During that time, in Louisiana, women were still thought of as being the lawful property of their husbands’. As a result of being in such as environment, Chopin’s writings produced independent protagonists.
“Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the kind of people they are” -Stephen Moyer. In the story, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin contained many different elements of internal and external conflicts that attached with the main character named Mrs. Mallard, and the way faith lead her to deal with her conflicts had also lead her to an ironic ending. The story takes place in the late 1900s where “women was radically different than it is today” (784). Decades ago, women did not have the same rights and advantages as men.
Marcus Tullius Cicero stated, “What then is freedom? The power to live as one wishes.” Freedom is something many people crave, but often something that many people don’t receive. It is difficult to obtain full freedom, and that is often a roadblock to the things you want to achieve. This is demonstrated in Kate Chopin’s realistic fictional story, “The Story of an Hour.”