Irony In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

Chopin expertly adds irony to the story by stating, “When the doctors came they say she had died from heart disease - of joy that kills” (8). However, the readers know that she died because of the sudden loss of her new found freedom. This develops irony because the characters didn’t know the excitement she felt when her spouse “passed away”, but the readers know she rejoiced in her freedom. From the characters point of view, it may seem she died because she was so excited her husband returned safely. After Mrs. Mallard barracked herself in her room, it is stated that she “Abandoned herself” and then started chanting “Free! Free! Free!” (7). This displays her excitement towards her husband's death. However, the other characters are fearing for her health since they believe she is not strong enough to get through the

“But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin 157). She feels free from the obligations to her husband that was forced upon her during the Victorian era and she is looking forward to the years of independent freedom that are yet to come. “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature” (157). Mrs. Mallard did not want to submit to the oppressor, who in this case, was her husband. She wanted to make her own decisions and didn’t want to take orders from her husband. She was forced to live that way because her husband controlled her. Once she found out that he was supposedly dead, she felt free from the male oppression that she had been a victim of since the day she and her husband exchanged vows. Mrs. Mallard would rather live for herself and not have to live for her husband, and his alleged death allowed her to live for herself without getting a divorce, so her society wouldn’t look down upon her.

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows one to explore many ironic instances throughout the story, the main one in which a woman unpredictably feels free after her husband’s assumed death. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to illustrate the struggles of reaching personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself to reach self-assertion while being a part of something else, like a marriage. In “The Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, celebrates the death of her husband, yet Chopin uses several ironic situations and certain symbols to criticize the behavior of Mrs. Mallard during the time of her “loving” husband’s assumed death.

In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the author depicts how someone can be trapped in an unproductive and unsatisfying reality because of other’s thoughtlessness, exploitation, and domination. When combined with the contemporary society’s belief, presumably the later half of the 19th century, a further understanding of Chopin’s thoughts and feelings can be realized. Mrs. Louise Mallard, the victim and messenger of this story, is the image of such a person. Her relationship with her husband is so oppressive and limiting that even death is considered a reasonable means of escape. The condition of life for Mrs. Mallard is terrible, yet for some reason she doesn’t seem to come to the full

Anyone who receives notice of a loved ones death is never expected to take it lightly. In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard is informed of her husbands “death” as gently as possible, and immediately she understands the enormous significance this loss will have on her life. Unlike many widow’s, her feelings of utter devastation do not last. Mrs. Mallard’s sobs of loss turn to cries of joy after she reflects upon her own character and discovers truths about her marriage.

Kate Chopin is known for being criticized for empowering the subject of female sexuality and independence. In Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, it is placed in a time where men were known as being the head of the household while women were only in charge of raising the children and caring for the home. In the 1890s, women didn’t have so much power to themselves compared to today’s society where female empowerment is frequently encouraged. Chopin’s story narrates a sequence of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions that goes within the motion of the story. As she overcomes the sudden death of her husband, her emotion of grief soon turns into the sudden feeling of freedom, later on emerging into a strong independent woman.

When it is revealed that she has “heart trouble”, her sister uses extreme caution when breaking the news about the death of Mrs. Mallard’s husband. Chopin makes use of certain things in the short story where things can be taken literally and figuratively. Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition can be looked at literally and figuratively because Chopin incorporates it as both a physical and symbolic problem. Mrs. Mallard did have mixed feeling about her marriage and the lack of freedom that she had. When Mrs. Mallard realizes that she has this

The piece is chalked full of visual and figurative language, as well as description, which adds to the central theme of the story. Chopin writes, “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; The face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed grey and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin, 440). This sentence uses various forms of descriptive writing to paint a picture for the reader that even though Millard would be sad when she saw her husband dead, she imagines a future that she could live for only her. Chopin goes on to say “She would live for herself” (Chopin, 440) and would be free to have independence to do what her heart desired to do.

Mallard struggles to come to terms with her husband’s death while also finding out what it means for her future. In the beginning Mrs. Mallard is told of her husband’s death “with the inability to accept its significance.” meaning that his death means more and will affect her life in more ways than the obvious(38). As she processes her grief Mrs. Mallard realizes that his death will give her an escape from under his control. Chopin says Mrs. Mallard is “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.

Louise being so happy for her husband being dead is not something you would expect a new “widow” to feel or act. She is happy in her new freedom and imagines what life will now be like. I believe that Mrs. Mallard got what was coming to her; she should not have planned out her life prematurely. Kate Chopin does this intentionally to convey to the reader how this woman is so oppressed at this time that she would find joy in the death of her husband. Louise is quick to think about starting her new life with little to no mourning for her husband’s death.

Mallard does not feel guilty about not loving her husband due to the fact that he is already gone. Because of all these new feelings and emotions that she is experiencing she starts to form a identity. She does not have to be this perfect wife anymore, because she is free. She can finally come out of her shell. Kate Chopin creates this for the reader in order for the audience to not view Mrs. Mallard as a weak character, but now as a actual person. The story goes deeper into making Mrs. Mallard a actual person that she stated thinking of her future with a new life she has found. The story does this by saying “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long . It was only yesterday she had though with a shudder that life might be long.” Now that she could live for herself and not her husband it made her want to become healthier. Being forced into playing a boring, timid, obedient wife made her not see the point in life. She was content with the fact of dying young due to her heart problems, rather than live a long life being the woman her husband wanted her to be. The ironic part about it is that she was viewed as a weak character. But everyone thinks she dies because of her heart condition. But actually it was because as soon as she saw her husband alive she did not want to go back to being the ‘weak’ person her husband wants her to be.

In the story, the label that Chopin gives to Mrs. Mallard’s problem is “heart trouble’ which involves both physical and emotional factors. Similarly, I think it’s very ironic for the writer to use the phrase “joy that kills” in the last sentence of the story because it is actual joy that Mrs. Mallard feels when she realizes her husband is dead, and pain so great that kills her when she sees her husband walking through the door. However, other characters are unaware of the transformation that has occurred in Mrs. Mallard. The dramatic irony in the end is that Louise doesn’t die because of joy as the doctor claims but actually because of loss of joy. Her husband’s death gives her a glimpse of new life and when that new life is swiftly taken away, the shock and disappointment kills her. Therefore, the main character, Mrs. Mallard

It was at this point that Kate Chopin helped the reader to get a true sense of what Mrs. Mallard was going through. She starts sobbing and mourning then goes to her room to be by herself. Just like any normal person would do she went into her room to grieve and think of what her life will be like going forward. While reflecting on what was to come she came to the realization that she was free. Free? Mrs. Mallard realized there will be no more men and women oppressing each other. She became overjoyed from the simple fact that she was finally free. Over the next few days she continuously ponders what the future holds and comes to the conclusion that she will cry at the funeral, if only as a formality.

In Kate Chopin’s literary piece “The Story of the Hour” she takes us through the reactions of Mrs.Mallard when she receives news about her husbands death. Mrs. Mallard felt some sort of freedom when she heard about her husband, she repeatedly said “free, free, free!”(129). Reading this story now a days one might think that Mrs.Mallard is insane that she is happy that her husband is dead. However the story did

Mallard should have been in tears but it did not bother her. “ She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.” ( Chopin, 4 ) . Her marriage aged her, she was no longer the young woman she once was. The news of her husband's death did not upset or make her mad it gave her a sense of peace. Mrs. Mallard had a taste of freedom which gave her strength.