Going through the different lanes of experiences and through the various phases of life, Kate Chopin’s stories take the reader into a journey of unearthing the truths hidden within the human selves. It is the exuberant writing style of the Chopin and it is the marvelous way of narration which turns every story of Chopin into something revealing some specific universal truths. In “The Story of an Hour” a reader is sure to get immersed in a narrative world in which one of the most desperate truths of life has been depicted. It is a story which might, on one hand, be interpreted as a feminist outburst, and which, on the other hand, can be considered as a story depicting the human urge to break down the shackles of societal confinements. “The Story of an Hour” is a narrative in which Chopin has ingrained …show more content…
This very phase in the story is a phase of rebellion in which Mrs. Mallard challenges the conventionality of the institution of marriage in which a woman, in Chopin’s time, was subjugated by a man. It is a story in which the central protagonist dies learning the truth that her husband is alive and that her dreams of living a life of freedom is shattered (Chopin), and this very death itself can be considered as a rebellion against a life of suppression and subjugation. The fact that it is a story ingrained with the theme of rebellion can be proved by citing the fact that the imageries used in the story represent a desire which should be considered a rebellion in respect of the time in which the story was composed and published. Mrs. Mallard enters the room alone after learning about her husband’s death and she eventually locks her room, but after getting inside she turns into a different woman – a woman
These two stories both only a few pages long, describe an extremely important theme within many of Kate Chopin’s writings. “The Storm,” and “The Story of an Hour,” focus on women’s revolt against conformity and the norms of their title. Kate shows how her woman can take their gender confining roles and flip them around to live in peace and freedom. The stories both coincide with the central impression of women challenging and altering their lives from a set view, either ending up with a death or ending with a secret affair. All of the women in Chopin’s stories wanted something to happen to change their lives. They found that change through by being unorthodox, by fighting the flow, and by differing from the mold.
“The Story of an Hour” is a stark display of female rejection of the norms of society. This work, by Kate Chopin, begins with a woman going through the stages of grief for her husband’s death. For the wife, Louise Mallard, this was an awakening of a new life. This new life is cut short as the information that led her to believe this news turns our false. Kate Chopin reveals that even the desire for love is trumped by the need for freedom and independence, through her use of precise diction and syntax, and symbolism.
In Kate Chopins “Story of the Hour”, several elements contribute to the overall meaning of the story itself.
In conclusion, “The story of an hour” is a clear depiction that women status in the society determines the choices they make about their lives. In this work, Chopin depicts a woman as a lesser being without identity or voices of their own. They are expected to remain in oppressive marriages and submit to their husbands without question.
Kate Chopin wrote a short piece called “The Story of an Hour” about a woman’s dynamic emotional shift who believes she has just learned her husband has died. The theme of Chopin’s piece is essentially a longing for more freedom for women.
Kate Chopin’s story “The Story of an Hour” focuses on a married woman who does not find happiness in her marriage. When she hears of her husband’s death, the woman does not grieve for long before relishing the idea of freedom. Chopin’s story is an example of realism because it describes a life that is not controlled by extreme forces. Her story is about a married nineteenth-century woman with no “startling accomplishments or immense abilities” (1271). Chopin stays true to reality and depicts a life that seems as though it could happen to any person.
“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.
Everyone’s lives are filled with experiences, relationships, and environmental influences that can never be erased. These permanent factors in one’s life have an impact on many of their actions, as well as a significant influence on the thoughts they have. A person’s view on life is based on their experiences, relationships, and the ideas they receive from their environment. They will never forget the past, and the past will always have a role in their future, whether it teaches them a lesson or allows them to put trust into specific people. Living in the 19th century society, Kate Chopin had many experiences, relationships, and influences from her environment that impacted her views on her works as a writer. Due to her upbringing within an unorthodox and female led household, many of her stories focus on women being free and intelligent individuals. One such story she wrote portraying these themes was the “Story of an Hour.” Though this was a popular story, stories with these feminine themes like this were seldom seen in 19th century society. By understanding Chopin’s life story, one can see how her familial relationships, marital experiences, and childhood environment affect her motivation to write the “Story of an Hour” which expressed her feminine ideology. (2017,Ganesan
In the beginning of the story, The Story of an Hour, Chopin describes the scene of Louise Mallard’s husbands’ death. Throughout the story, Mrs. Mallard is said to sad, but eventually realizes that she is free, on her own to do the things she wants to do, and to be her own person. She explains how “patches of blue sky” started appearing (6) and began noticing that this could be a new beginning for her. Even though she is going to mourn over the death of her husband, she does eventually get to come to the mindset of happiness and freedom.
In the short story, “ The Story Of An Hour”, Kate Chopin's continually refers to Freedom. In the 1900’s women were not granted freedom. A woman's identity was through her husband therefore she did not get to exercise this right during her marriage because of the responsibilities given to her as the women of the house in which the majority of the 1900’s housewife had to take care of the house, meet the needs of her husband and to help her family be successful. Louise is characterized as a typical housewife. She stays home while her husband went to work.
The Story of an Hour is a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894. This short story details a sickly wife (Louise Mallard) who’s been informed about her husband’s (Brently Mallard) death. Her sister, Josephine, who was told by Richard (one of her husband’s friends) tells her the tragic news. After hearing of this, Louise begins sobbing and goes upstairs to be alone in her room.
Adrenaline floods her system as she comes to terms with what Chopin describes as “a monstrous joy”. She goes on to acknowledge that she will indeed mourn her husband’s death, but she accepts the bitter precession for the blissfully sweet years to come that will belong to her alone. The theme of confinement in marriage is exceptionally strong in this paragraph, as Chopin recognizes that not all unhappy marriages are due to poor treatment or contempt—but sometimes, just a loss of self is at fault. Mrs. Mallard continues to allow the ecstasy of her new-found joy wash over her, continuously whispering to her herself: “Body and soul free!” This is dramatic character development in comparison to Mrs. Mallard sitting silently, meekly, in her chair, confining her emotions as she too was confined for so long.
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.
At one point in life everyone loses someone they love. Even if they don’t necessarily love them. If that person has been with them for almost all of their life then losing them would be losing a big part of their life. On the other side of things. There are situations where a person, especially in a marriage, is tired or feels restricted to certain things because of that person.
Kate Chopin was born February 8th, 1950 and died 54 short years after. Chopin was recognized as a “pioneer in sterner literary realism and an advocate of women’s freedom and opportunity for self-expression” (Gannon). She was a very unique, independent woman for her time as “she dressed unconventionally and smoked cigarettes long before smoking was an approved practice among women in her class” (Kimbel and Grant). She writes the “Story of an Hour” in December of 1894. “Chopin was still exploring the psychology of the independent-minded woman in conflict with herself and her society” during this time, empowering her to write this story of the newly “independent” Mrs. Mallard (Berkove).