More handpicked essays just for you.
Story of an hour by Kate Chopin Louise Mallard
Story of an hour by Kate Chopin Louise Mallard
Story of an hour by Kate Chopin Louise Mallard
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Structure provides guidance to the reader throughout a short story. Kate Chopin uses structural techniques to enhance “The Story of an Hour” from beginning to end. She follows formal structure to a certain degree, but occasionally strays to actual structure. Upon analysis of the organization of Chopin’s story, the reader understands the powerful meaning that is expressed in such a short piece.
Initially, a short story begins with an exposition. This is the laying out of important background information, characters, and setting. Chopin’s story is only a few short paragraphs in length, so her exposition is almost overlooked. However, she does provide one detail that is essential to appreciating Mrs. Mallard. Louise is described as needing “great care”(Chopin, 293) because of her distressing “heart trouble” (Chopin, 293). This information is crucial to “The Story of an Hour” and essentially can be considered the exposition. Mrs. Mallard’s condition reoccurs in the resolution of the story, adding to its importance. Additionally, the only other piece of information that can be revealed in Chopin’s exposition is the significance that every sentence must contain vitality. The “dense structure” (SparkNotes) parallels the intensity presented in the short hour of Louise’s life. Although short, this story’s exposition does reveal information that the reader needs to understand.
Subsequently following the exposition is the complication. The reader is exposed to the development of major conflict through the complication. In “The Story of an Hour”, the complication is introduced abruptly when Chopin recalls how gently Mrs. Mallard was informed of her husband’s death. This news could cause her intense pain or death, which leads the reader to...
... middle of paper ...
...n Hour” is a structural work that can be analyzed and critiqued. Chopin magnificently organizes this piece and takes the reader on a journey, despite the stunted length. Formal structure is followed for most of the story, although some aspects are considered unique and actual structure. Kate Chopin guides the reader through one hour of Mrs. Mallards life-, which changes Louise, Mr. Mallard, and the reader, forever.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 5th Compact ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 293-95. Print.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Story of An Hour Plot Analysis” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Story of an Hour.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2007. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour”. The Seagull Reader: Stories. Ed. Joseph Kelly. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. 65 – 67.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed.
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. New York: Pearson, 2010. 261-263. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. Vol. 2. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1991. 487. Print.
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.
Jamil, S. Selina. "Emotions in the Story of an Hour." Explicator 67.3 (2009): 215-220. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
Several symbols in Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" create a feeling of comfort, wellness, and wonderfulness within the reader's mind. The first symbol I will speak of is the "comfortable chair" which she sinks into after the news of her husbands' death. Then, I will speak of the open window, which she sits in front of through which she sees many symbols of things that are good. Finally, I will speak of the description of Mrs. Mallard herself and her comfortable situation, which will tie together all the symbols that create the feelings of comfort and wellness in the reader.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 4th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: St. Martins, 1997. 12-15.
Chopin, Kate. A. “The Story of an Hour.” Baym 1609-1611.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Perrine's Literature: Structure Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010. 541. Print.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” focuses on a woman named Louise Mallard and her reaction to finding out about her husband’s death. The descriptions that the author uses in the story have significance in the plot because they foreshadow the ending.
In “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin expresses many themes through her writing. The main themes of this short story are the joy independence brings, the oppression of marriage in nineteenth century America, and how fast life can change.
Kate Chopin’s short story "The Story of an Hour," utilizes superb symbolism and elucidating points of interest with a specific end goal to differentiation Mrs. Mallard 's everyday and dreary life. Chopin utilizes symbolism and expressive subtle elements to differentiate the rich conceivable outcomes for which Mrs. Mallard longs with the dull reality of her regular life. The main theme of this story is “the quest for identity” because Louise’s sudden self-discovery shows that she had been seeking her own identity in a male-dominated world at the time. Kate Chopin wrote this in the 19th century when males were “dominate” and females were “passive.” Mr. Brently’s "death" was what initiated her “quest for Identity” without him “dying” she would have never thought about how
Kate Chopin is able to illuminate her stories with clever language and meaning. As well as an immense criticism as to how society oppresses the individual in the glorified institution of marriage. Through language, she is able to introduce the thought of deeper meanings. “The Story of an Hour” being a prime example of the individual that has a need for freedom for herself. Through symbolism and straightforward comments, the freedom that Mrs. Louisa Mallard is notable just as her marriage is oppressive.
Daniel P Deneau. (2003). Chopin's, The Story of an Hour. The Explicator, 61(4), 210-213. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from Research Library. (Document ID: 419206431). http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3&did=419206431&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1317923613&clientId=74379