Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis Essay

An author named Anaïs Nin, had once stated, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” This demonstrates how difficult it is to regain the feeling of freedom, after feeling confinement in your own skin. In certain circumstances, there are some who can relate to this feeling very easily and understand the struggles. Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour, introduces a character who well understands this feeling. On what seemed to be another day for Mrs. Mallard, (an elderly woman with a fatal heart condition), she received some news from her sister Josephine that was well unexpected. Her husband had been killed due to a railroad disaster. Her reaction was the same as anyone else’s: immediate pain. She went upstairs to remain alone in her room, where she cried passionately about the death. She walked over towards the open window and observed the world as if it were alive and fresh, where she thought and thought. She started to wonder if her husband’s death was such a

Mallard begins to feel confused about how she should really feel about her husband’s death. She takes it into consideration whether or not she should be happy or sad. In the text it mentioned that,“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. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought” (8). This part is significant because it points out how Mrs. Mallard started to recognize how she really feels about the death. Another scene that relates to Mrs. Mallard being confused is: “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name” (9). This signifies that she couldn’t quite identify what this was, this feeling. She continues to ponder about what it was as she stares out the opened