Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

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The short story “The Story of An Hour” written by Kate Chopin is a powerful piece about a woman finally finding true freedom within her life. This short story exemplifies the theme “true freedom can only be obtained when one sheds his/her confinements” because the main character would rather die than go back to the boundaries of a traditional marriage in the time period of 1894. She is finally able to be free of the things holding her back are taken away. This short story is about a woman, Louise Mallard, who suffers from heart disease and receives notice that her husband has passed in a terrible train accident. Her sister fears that the horrible news about her partner will be too much stress on her and will ultimately kill her. After …show more content…

Digging deep into this piece of literature, it is obvious hints of Chopin’s feminism radiates throughout this story. Not much information is given about Louise in the beginning to make the assumption she is unhappy with being married, however, when she is given the news about her husband she is heard saying “Free, Free, Free” under her breathe over and over again (Chopin, 1894). The audience now has to ask the question free from what? As the story progresses the readers learn that even though Mrs. Mallard married him and loved him, she didn’t “love him often” (Chopin, …show more content…

During this time, she experiences this emotional independence knowing her husband is no longer in the picture. She no longer needs to hide the fact that she has a calamitous life and wants to be a liberated woman. As soon as she leaves her bedroom room, however, the freedom she thought she has been given is suddenly unavailable to her as she realizes her husband is still alive. It’s at this point when Mrs. Mallard learns she will be stuck in the same dreadful lifestyle as

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