Story Of An Hour Critical Analysis

In the “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, is about pleasure of freedom and the oppression of marriage. Just like in Kate Chopin’s story, inside most marriages, even the ones that seem to be the happiest, one can be oppressed. Even though, one might seem to be happy deep inside they miss the pleasure of freedom and living life to the fullest. Just like, in this story Mrs. Mallard feels trapped and when she hears about her husband’s death she first feels distraught, but ultimately realizes that she has gained her freedom. This news leads her to an inner battle within herself, as she tries to keep those feelings from coming out. The story culminates when she dies of a heart attack, because she realizes that her husband is not dead and she would be returning to her old pointless existence. This story has many great literary elements that keep the story interesting throughout its plot, by using great foreshadowing and symbolism.

The short story The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, describes a woman conflicted with the death of her husband and her outlook on life after his assumed passing. Through the story, Chopin shows the transformation of Mrs. Mallard from that of an ordinary wife to that of a woman cherishing her newfound freedom. Although Mrs. Mallard is deeply saddened at the news of her husband’s passing, she finally begins to feel a sense of relief and witnesses what it means for her as a woman. Just as she begins to fully cherish her life, she is horrified at the sight of her “dead” husband’s return and proceeds to perish. Through the use of imagery and syntax, Chopin illustrates the interchanging psychoanalytic perspective of an individual following a personal loss.

Everyone has lost a loved one or has seen and experienced a situation in which another person has lost their loved one. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, published in 1894, details that moment in a woman's life when her world is shattered and the process of self-consciousness begins. Louise Mallard, wife of Richard Mallard, a successful businessman. Louise Mallard is a woman ahead of her time, by the standards of the 1890’s she should be happy. Her husband loves her; she herself acknowledges that he “had never looked save with love upon her.”(Chopin, p.477) In the 1890’s women depended on their husbands financially. There was an unspoken rule that the man was the powerful one, the wife would conform to the

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.

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is a brilliant short story of irony and emotion. The story demonstrates conflicts that take us through the character’s emotions as she finds out about the death of her husband. Without the well written series of conflicts and events this story, the reader would not understand the depth of Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflict and the resolution at the end of the story. The conflict allows us to follow the emotions and unfold the irony of the situation in “The Story of an Hour.”

Kate Chopin's `The Story of an Hour' is a short yet complex piece describing the feelings of Mrs Mallard. This story is overflowing with symbolism and imagery. The most prominent theme here is the longing for freedom. Chopin focuses on unfolding the emotional state of Mrs Mallard which can be separated into three stages: quickly moving to grief, through a sense of newfound freedom, and finally into the despair of the loss of that freedom.

The Story of an Hour discusses Mrs. Mallard, as she is forced to cope with the news of her husband’s death. The author, Kate Chopin, provides surprising characterizations with each new plot turn. The surprising order of the feelings that Mrs. Mallard shows, portrays her true character with each new aspect that is unveiled. Mrs. Mallard’s depressed state is conveyed through the utilization of diction and creative imagery and with these she is portrayed as a sweet and dutiful wife.

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a short yet complex story, describing Mrs Mallard’s feelings. It focuses on the unfolding emotional state of Mrs Mallard after the news of her husbands death, and has overflowing symbolism and imagery. It is an impressive literary piece that touches the readers’ feelings and mind and allows the reader to have a connection to Mrs Mallard’s emotional process. Although the story is short, it is complete with each word carrying deep sense and meaning. It is written in the 19th century, a time that had highly restrictive gender roles that forbade women to live as they saw fit. Mrs Mallard experiences something not everyone during this time has the luck to have; the happiness of freedom that the reader only

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour was first published in 1894 (The Story of An Hour). The main theme of this story is oppression and loss of freedom for people, especially when they are married. The oppression happens to both women and men. This theme is demonstrated many times throughout the story. Mrs. Mallard had a weak heart, but when she was told about her husband’s accidental death, she accepted it immediately. The passage in the story is, “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.” Even though Mrs. Mallard had the reputation of being delicate, she was not like other women who denied death and she faced the strong emotions that arose from the news in a straightforward way. She went to her room alone and wanted to deal with her grief by herself.

The conflict in the story is both an internal and external conflict in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. Mrs.mallard struggles with society and its ways women were treated ,and also how her feelings are of how she thinks she's free. First thing lets introduce the story. The setting is back in the 19th century, and Mrs. mallard received news that her husband was in a bad accident and killed. She then went up stairs to a room by herself. Thats when the conflict we’re going to talk about begins.

‘“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.” (Chopin 477). With these words, the woman in “The Story of an Hour” is starting to comprehend the fact that her husband is truly dead. She is beginning to see the positive side of her situation specifically, her sense of freedom. The recurring theme in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is that marriage can sometimes make a person desire freedom from their loved ones.

In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin, gives one death, self-discovery, freedom and death again. There is so much going on; every word and phrase of the short story, has to be analyzed in order to understand the story. The talented use of descriptive phrases allows the reader to be aware of the emotion felt by the main character in the story, Mrs. Mallard. Drawing the reader into the emotions of Mrs. Mallard gives the reader the opportunity to feel the very same emotions. The foreshadowing, conflict and irony used by in, “The Story of an Hour,” are clues that aid in understanding the significance behind the story.

Her internal struggle begins by finding out that her husband is thought to be dead. At first, she feels sad. She isolates herself in a room. She spends most of her day sitting by a window. While sitting in the chair, before she dared to acknowledge her feelings about her loss, the book said, “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her and she was staving to beat it back - she was as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been.” This shows she knows that what she is thinking is wrong and she is trying to fight it off but she can’t. Over time she notices everything is happy outside. Mrs. Mallard comes to realize that she could be happy without her husband. She dares to let her mind wander to thoughts of finally being able to think for herself and have her own opinion. She desires to have her freedom but society of this time will not allow it.

There are two types of relationships. A healthy relationship, where both individuals feels happiness, security and fulfillment. These individuals choose whom they are in love with and want to spend the rest of their lives together. Then there is the other type of relationships where an individual in the relationship feels trapped and unable to escape to feel that sense of freedom. Chopin illustrates in “The Story of an Hour” about Mrs. Mallard not having any women rights and how she feels trapped in her marriage as well as the reaction she has when she realizes her unhappy marriage comes to an end. For an individual to feel trapped in a relationship and is unable to escape from it, is intolerable and toxic. This can lead to an unfulfilling life.

In the short story "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin, the author, presents the reader with an obscure view of marriage. Chopin's main character, Mrs. Louise Mallard, experiences the excitement of freedom instead of the devastation of loneliness after she receives the news of her husband's death. Mrs. Mallard disturbingly finds out that Brently, her husband is still alive. She know knew that her only chance at freedom is gone. The disappointment instantly kills Mrs. Mallard. Published in the late 1800s, the overbearing nature of marriage presented in "The Story of an Hour" may very well reflect, but not restricted to, that era.