The Necklace and Story of an Hour; a Comparison Essay

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.

Throughout the story, she uses detailed passages to describe how Mrs. Mallard feels about her husband and his death. Chopin uses scenic and beautiful words to describe the way Mrs. Mallard is feeling after the news of her husband’s death. “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window”(Page 498). This use of imagery allows the readers to picture how Mrs. Mallard feels and how she looks at life now. Chopin also uses other passages to describe, in detail, how Mrs. Mallard looks, after all, this chaos. “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought (Page 498). This use of imagery allows the reader to grasp a full picture, in their minds, of what she looks

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

[In the following essay, Berkove contends that Chopin's narration of “The Story of an Hour” is ironic rather than straightforward.]

The plight of women is evident in the texts presented in“The story of An Hour” and “Hills like White Elephants”. “The story of An Hour” is a short story presented to a reader, the story of a woman whose name (Mrs. Mallard) is interestingly only known after the death of her husband. The illustration of the invisibility of women in Chopin’s work is evident by the use of her literary style. In “The story of An Hour”, Mrs. Mallard seems to live in the shadow of her husband, similar to the story line in “Hills like White Elephants”, a story about a traveling couple to Barcelona. Likened to Mrs. Mallard, who yearns exclusivity from her husband, the woman in in “ Hills like White Elephants” –Jig, is repressed and under the control of her husband who eventually convinces her to procure an abortion. Despite the fact that their men appear stifling, the devotion and love of these women to the men is both trepidating and unexplainable. Both women in hills of white elephants and the story of an hour devoted their lives for their companions as they felt the need to be taken care of. This manuscript therefore provides an analysis of the situation of both women.

These thoughts were a bit suspicious and frightful to acknowledge. As Mrs. Mallard sits next to her window she begins to contemplate what feelings are emerging from her, “There was something coming to her and she was wanting for, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name” (Chopin 653). This depicts the anticipation of change that is about to come into her life. Chopin describes it not as a physical object, but something she internally knows when it fact it blossoms into a new realization. With all these perplexed emotions she encounters from looking out the window to “patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds” (Chopin 653), these thoughts become the factor of releasing herself from her forbearing attitude into the new impression of individualism and

I am going to show how Chopin’s use of symbolism, setting, and tone reinforce my thesis statement. Throughout this paper I will be using the Gender criticism to see “The Storm” as a reflection of the author’s life and times as well as the life and times of the characters in the story. The reason I chose this school of criticism is to demonstrate how plot details, settings, and characters of the story reflect on or are representative of events, settings, and people in the author’s life. This school will also help me demonstrate possible reaction to the culture in which the author lived.

Chopin’s work has allowed her to become recognized more over time. As women keep gaining rights, so are Chopin’s works of literature acquiring literary attention. Chopin realized that people valued morality, especially when it came to things such as adultery and the marital discord caused by such, so she decided to use those two items to try and deliver a message concerning an overarching patriarchy that set into motion internal strife for stereotypically frail individuals and women alike who had been cornered by the strangling ideology. Chopin uses identity as a main focal point concerning her philosophy over her search for self and desire to express herself when being subjugated.

The author portrays a sad portrait of marriage, well Louise Mallard seems to had been struggling with her relationship but in my alternate conclusion I tried to show some other side of Mr. Mallard that was not very well portrayed by Chopin. The end of

In paragraph eight, Chopin begins to use personification as well as imagery. Mrs Mallard “young, with a fair, calm face” (158) is sitting in the armchair with a “dull stare in her eyes” (158) which “indicated of intelligent thought” (158). Reading this, the reader can form an idea of what Mrs Mallard looks like, and we understand that there’s something going on in Mrs Mallards head, something changing everything in her mind. Mrs Mallard is still struggling to figure it out but “she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching towards her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air”. From this we understand that she is beginning to realise it, and her soul is beginning to fill with happiness of freedom, which is in all the sounds, smells and things she sees. For one moment, however, she is somewhat afraid of feeling happy about her freedom and “she was striving to beat it back with her will” (159). This shows that Mrs Mallard is a “product” of her time, and is striving to feel what is socially accepted. She realizes that society would determine her thoughts of freedom inappropriate, but she can’t stop herself from feeling that way.

Discuss the authors’ presentation of freedom from social class and marital restrictions in ‘The Necklace’ and ‘The Story of an Hour’, developing your argument with close analysis of language, structure and form

Mallard transitions from a married woman seemingly tied down by her title and her husband to a free woman ready to live for herself. It is never doubted that Mrs. Mallard loved her husband. However, Chopin says with the death of Brently, Mrs. Mallard is escaping the “powerful will bending hers” indicating signs of a controlling husband and an oppressive marriage. Symbolic signs of Mrs. Mallard’s newfound freedom begin to present themselves after the news of her husband’s death. In his article “The Story of an Hour – Kate Chopin,” Dermot conveys the idea that calling Louise by Mrs. Mallard was another way she was bound to her husband, and calling her by her first name was another indication of her independence.

when she hears of her husband’s death. Although she is not stuck as many women would have

Many things one does or does not do in life are based on perception; our perception of someone, their perception of us, and even our perception of ourselves. John Moore says, “your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception–do not confuse them with “facts” or “truth.” Wars have been fought and millions have been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that everybody has a different viewpoint (Quotations for Martial Artists, John Moore, p 1).” In Kate Chopin 's A Respectable Woman, perception is a major theme; for example, Mrs. Baroda 's perception of her husband’s friend, Gouvernail, shifts drastically throughout the short story. Chopin’s main theme of perception is displayed well because of her use of literary devices such as imagery, setting and dialogue; through these devices, Chopin reveals Mrs. Baroda’s feelings and thoughts, based on the way she perceives Gouvernail before, during and after meeting him for the first time; this paper will discuss the literary devices and how Kate Chopin uses them to portray themes of freedom, identity, desire, as well as perception.

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there was a house far into the woods where a young couple lived. One rainy day it knocked on the door and the young couple was shocked, because there were never people that came to their house.