The Locket By Kate Chopin Analysis

The ending of “The Locket” by Kate Chopin{{fragment}}. I found myself having to go back and re-read the story a few times because I thought I missed something.{{avoid I statements in formal essays}} Although, the setting changed drastically at the opening of the second part, there was a soldier killed in the first part and the readers are led to believe that it was Edmond. A combination of the setting, the locket, and the character descriptions led me to believe that the story was building up to a sad ending.{{not a bad start, but you need to remove me from your thesis statement.}}

The setting of war at the beginning of the story set the tone for the entire first half.{{how so? be specific}} From the description of how the soldiers are dressed, “ Their gray uniforms were worn beyond the point of shabbiness.” (Chopin 1) to the description of the hillside, “The noise reached far out over the plain and across the hills and awoke the little babes that were sleeping in their cradles.”(Chopin 1){{fragments}} From the descriptions above, the readers can see that Edmond and the other soldiers have been struggling to stay alive and are missing their loved ones terribly. {{ how does the

setting contribute to the fact that ending of the story was a surprise?}} At this point in the story, it is very hard to imagine any type of happy ending. {{remove}}

In conversations with the other soldiers, Edmond was asked about the locket that was hanging around his neck.{{topic sentence needs to be connected with a reason}} He gave the impression that it has brought him luck.

He even says "I don't know how I could have gone through this year and a half without it." (Chopin 2){{nice evidence!}} When Edmond describes Octavie giving him the locket and how much it was her most precious possession it leads the reader to believe that he would not ever remove the locket from his neck.{{very good!}} When the clergyman was describing the removal of the locket from the soldier’s neck, I had no doubt that the soldier was Edmund{{ good argument but remove I}}. I really could not imagine who else could have the locket around their neck. {{remove

I}}

The sadness continues through the second part in the descriptions of Octavie. The setting changes leaving a different visual compared to the first half as described by Chopin, “The peace and beauty of a spring day had descended upon the earth like a benediction.” (Chopin 2). Octavie has stopped living and is still mourning her love. She dresses in black and wears a veil to cover her face. The locket remains around her neck but tucked away. It was difficult for Judge Pillier to see her this way and he even asked her to remove the veil. He tried to help her see the bright side of life. Judge Pillier states "Do you not think that on a day like this, miracles might happen? When the whole earth is vibrant with life, does it not seem to you, Octavie, that heaven might for once relent and give us back our dead?" (Chopin 2) This comment brought a sense of joy to Octavie but still didn’t change the fact that Octavie thought Edmond was dead.

In conclusion, I was shocked at the end of the story to see that Edmond was alive. The setting and sadness throughout the story really made me feel that he was dead. After reading the story a few times I understand that the other soldier stole the locket because he thought it would bring luck but the real luck is with Octavie as she has her love back.