Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis Essay

Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of An Hour,” emotionally illustrates the hour in which a young woman with a heart condition finds out her husband has been killed in a mining accident. In the beginning, she grieves over the loss of her husband, but she soon becomes relieved and joyous when she realizes that she is now free. However, her husband returns after having been far from the mines for the day and her heart problems return and she dies. Kate Chopin was an early feminist author and was well acquainted with death after losing many siblings as a child, her husband (who left her a large amount of debt), and her mother with whom she was very close. As a means of therapy, Chopin took up writing and her ideas about feminism and death are very clear. In “The Story of An Hour,” Chopin uses multiple symbols and an allusion to a Greek god to illustrate and support the idea that male oppression harms the souls and lives of women.

The Story of an Hour represents a single hour in Mrs. Louise Mallard’s life, in which a woman who has a weak heart due to emotional distress, experiences the momentary joy of freedom after hearing that her husband Brently Mallard had been killed in a railroad accident. Mrs. Mallard’s initial reaction, upon hearing of her husband’s death, is not far from what readers expected; she is deeply grief stricken, crying uncontrollably and wants to be left alone. However, during the hour she spent alone in her room, her state of mind changes dramatically. Sitting in the armchair motionless, she sees the blossoming

The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin is the tragic story of a woman whose newfound position as a widow gives her strength. She develops a sense of freedom as she embraces her husband's death as an opportunity to establish her own identity. The tragedy is when her newfound identity gets stripped away as the appearance of her husband reveals that he is still alive. The disappointment from this tragedy kills her with a heart attack symbolizing the many conflicts that she faced throughout the story. The conflicts the character faces within herself and society show that the social norms for women were suppressing to their strength and individuality as human beings.

When first reading Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour," one may not typically be surprised at its ending, write it off as one of those creepy "back from the dead" horror stories and forget about it. There is more to this story than simply horror. The author is making a very strong, however subtle, statement towards humanity and women's rights. Through subtle symbolism, Kate Chopin shows how marriage is more like a confining role of servitude rather than a loving partnership.

How would one feel to hear the news of a significant other or loved one who has passed away due to an accident? The news is heartbreaking and rather unimaginable. “Sorry to say but your husband has died due to an accident.” No one wants to hear those words or go through the painful time. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin’s, the death of her husband meant freedom and happiness. Chopin’s uses a great deal of symbolism throughout the story in order to depict the theme of freedom and happiness.

For different circumstances, some may feel the need to conceal what they truly feel inside. Some may do this to fit into the norms of society or as to not become an outcast. An internal conflict with identity is the protagonist in, "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, Louise and “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. In “The Story of an Hour” which took place in the late 1800s, Louise known for having heart trouble believes her husband has tragically died in a railroad accident and is secretly relieved with her newly found freedom. However, once she finds out that her husband is alive, Louise passes away from the shock of having her freedom stripped as fast as it was given to her.

In “The Story of an Hour,” one of the messages about marriage that is trying to be sent is that the system of marriage itself, not the husband, does women wrong. The narrator shows that Louis crying at the news of her husband’s death, “with sudden, wild abandonment” (169). The word “wild” implies a sense of nature and that her initial reaction was instinctual and natural. Such a reaction is normal towards a husband who has been very loving of Louis as far as the narrator reveals. Although remorseful in front of others in public, Louis feels very happy in private. Louis feels liberated that she is no longer held in bondage to her husband, but still feels depressed as she is

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is a short story from the late nineteenth century centering upon a young woman as she processes newly received information that has reported her husband dead from a horrible train accident. Due to this sudden turn of events, she has been gifted a new outlook towards her potential future. Throughout the development of the story, many literary devices have been used in order to help facilitate a certain set of thoughts and themes by Kate Chopin. All of which have come together to make an extraordinary literary experience that helps

Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour" presents a young married woman named Mrs. Louise Mallard, who has a "heart trouble"(26). Suddenly, Mrs. Mallard receives a news that her husband, Brently Mallard has died in a train accident. She weeps and ascends to her room. Within a short period of time, she is able to fully come to terms with her husband's sudden death. Instead of mourning over his death, she feels joy and excitement. She can now act as herself and has the freedom she is longing for. Ironically, her husband comes home alive and she dies of the realization that her freedom and identity will be taken away again. The imageries that Chopin uses help the readers imagine Mrs. Mallard's excitement and the new life waiting for her.

“The Story of An Hour” focuses on sixty minutes in the life of a young nineteenth-century woman, Mrs. Mallard. Upon learning of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard experiences an epiphany about her future without a husband. Her life, due to heart problems, suddenly ends after she unexpectedly finds out her husband is actually alive. Mrs. Mallard’s actions cause the reader to cogitate a hidden meaning weaved into Kate‘s short story. Chopin had an idea that women felt confined in their marriages, and the idea is brought out through the protagonist’s initial reaction, excessive joy, and new perspective of the world following the upsetting news.

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour”, there happens to be a gender issue. Louise Mallard has just learned the news of her husband dying in an accident and she honestly does not know how to feel about it. In the essay, there are two literary terms that stand out more than the others. The two terms are foil and mood. Chopin sets the mood early in the essay by stating that, “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin 13).

The late nineteenth century short story “Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin is an influential story about a young women with a heart condition, Mrs. Mallard who receives the news that her husband had just passed away in a train wreck. While receiving this news she soon becomes overwhelmed and excuses herself upstairs to her bedroom, where her attitude towards the death of her husband drastically changes. Though she is upset about her husband’s sudden death, she realizes she now has something to be joyful about. When she is “facing the open window, [in] a comfortable, roomy armchair” (Chopin, 1894, para. 4) she recognizes the importance of her freedom from the confinement of her husband and the future opportunities that await her. Kate Chopin uses symbols and imagery of springtime through the “open window” to express the feelings Mrs. Mallard known as Louise experiences.

Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour,” is an interesting portrayal of the institute of marriage, from one woman’s perspective, in the late 1800’s. Chopin details a wife’s emotional journey, during the span of one hour, as she discovers that her husband has unexpectedly passed away. Through this character’s innermost thoughts on her marriage and her future, the role of marriage in the story is revealed to the reader. Upon learning that her husband is deceased, the main character, Mrs. Louise Mallard, becomes distraught and withdraws to her room to be alone with her thoughts.

Up to how wide would the range of freedom be appropriate? These days, people are assured considerable freedom compared to the 19th century. According to Dictionary.com, the word “Freedom” means, “The power to determine action without restraint.” and “Political or national independence.” (“Freedom”). In the words of Wikipedia, Kate Chopin, the author of this story, was born in the middle of 19th century. She had to face with the deaths of her father and siblings in early childhood (“Kate”). According to this story of Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”, she was overwhelmed with a grief and a longing for being free from under the strict rules by a husband (Chopin 352-53). Her bitter statements in this story bespeak how much the freedom was eagerly wanted by women of the 19th century. By considering theme, purpose, and tones, the reader identifies the degree of the ardent wish toward the independence: Freedom.

“When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin). During the late 1800’s women were obligated to give obedience to their husbands and basically be a housewife. In the “Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard was an intelligent women living in the 1800s with a very bad heart problem. So when the news struck about her husband’s death, Josephine, her sister had to inform her with great care about the tragic death. Instead of other women in her time who would be dreadful over the news was very understanding and decided to grieve in pain alone in her room where she felt a sense of freedom. Kate Chopin’s 1894 short story “The story of an Hour” displays a theme of freedom and the oppressiveness of marriage at the end of Victorian era with setting, symbols, and distinctive characters.