...Hannah Radney Professor Andrew J. DiNicola English 1102 July 22, 2014 Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”: Character Analysis of Louise Mallard Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” (1894) is a fictional short story presumably set in America in the late 19th century. Chopin’s story is a description of an hour in the life of Louise Mallard, the protagonist in the story. The subject of the story is the transformation of Louise Mallard after she learns about the supposed death of her husband, Brently Mallard; what she thinks and how she feels as she is alone and contemplates self-assertion for the first time. (Koloski) Chopin first introduces the reader to the main character as only Mrs. Mallard. Given the time period of the story, Chopin directs the reader to the conclusion that Mrs. Mallard has no identity of her own. This reference to her as only by her husband’s last name foreshadows how marriage represses Mrs. Mallard and realistically like many women of this time in history. The virtuous wife, in Mrs. Mallard’s world, accepts the idea that her husband has a right to impose a private will upon her. (Jamil) During the time period in which the story takes place, married women are in a subservient role to their husbands under the “femme covert laws.” “Covert refers to a woman’s legal status after marriage: legally upon marriage, the husband and wife were treated as one entity. In essence, the wife’s separate legal existence disappeared as far as property.” (Lewis 1) A married...
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...Wife American author, Kate Chopin, in her narrative short story, "The Story of an Hour," recounts the story of an hour in the life of Mrs. Louise Mallard, a young woman "with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength" (Chopin, 605). Chopin's purpose for writing this short story is to address the lack of independence and social status that was an everyday part of life for married women living in the Victorian era. She adopts a sympathetic tone in order to appeal to similar feelings and experiences in her female readers. In 1870, Kate married Oscar Chopin, a Louisiana businessman of French-Creole descent. In New Orleans, where Chopin and her husband lived until 1879, she was among Southern high society. Proper Southern women of this time were expected to be submissive, compliant and stoic. Coming from a long line of Southern females, I know this to be true. The society of this era viewed the altruistic wife, reliant on her husband and devoted to her children, as the feminine ideal. Chopin's forward-thinking literary works of the late nineteenth century were not considered socially acceptable, so it wasn't until the 1960s or 1970s that she became "an integral part of the evolution of feminism" (katechopin.org). Chopin begins "The Story of an Hour" with an instant, essential revelation of the story's pinnacle. Readers learn in the first sentence that the story's main character, Mrs. Mallard, is "afflicted with a heart trouble" (Chopin 605)...
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...In Kate Chopin's short story, “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard's heart trouble causes her to live her life with fragility. Throughout the story Chopin focuses on Mrs. Mallard's feelings and proves she is unsatisfied with her marriage and the life she is living. When she receives the unfortunate news that her husband Mr. Mallard died in a train accident, Mrs. Mallard shows little to no remorse. With the use of textual evidence, it can be argued that Mrs. Mallard's death in “The Story of an Hour” is not caused by joy, but rather disappointment that Mr. Mallard is still alive. Mrs. Mallard expresses a sense of happiness that her husband is dead multiple times throughout the story. Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's death as a “paralyzed...
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...with socializing, instead of taking care of family related things. In the lights of these circumstances, the feminist approach has revealed itself in literature. One of the good examples of feminist literature is Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour”, which exposes the lack of freedom of women in the 1800s. In her story, Chopin estimates the situation of women in marriage and she looks at the life from a female perspective. Mrs. Mallard, the heroine of the story, is a cardiac patient, who had been told what to do by her husband and could not make choices for herself. In a way, Chopin portrays what it is like to be a woman in the late nineteenth century through an ill protagonist. In the story Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband is dead, even though she is emotional at first, she leaps for joy with the recognition of freedom. However, when Mrs. Mallard learns her husband is alive, which means she will lose her moment of freedom all over again, she dies. “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.” (Chopin 3) Analyzing of “The Story of an Hour” through the historical and feminist lenses, it can interpreted as an illustrating of a woman’s lack of freedom in a male-dominated society. “The Story of an Hour” was written in the Victorian Era, when a wife was responsible for all household chores without...
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...The story of an hour Woman’s rights have changed very much through the last centuries. In the 19th century women were not allowed to make decisions. It was the man who ruled at home. Women just had to obey the man’s orders and do what they were told. Their place was in the kitchen, while the man dominated everything else. In the short story “The Story of An Hour, 1894 by Kate Chopin” we see that Mrs. Mallard, who is the main character of the story, tries to drown her sorrows about the tragically death of her husband. But when she has thought it through, she actually is not that sad anyway. She feels relieved, she feels free. She knows it is going to be hard to see his body and attend the funeral, but at the same time she looks forward to the years that belong entirely to her. No man is ruling over her life anymore: (Chopin, page 2) “"Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.” One day Mrs. Mallard’s sister comes to visit her. She has some very sad news and prepares to tell them as gently as possible, because of the weak heart Mrs. Mallard has. Both her name and the fact about her weak heart, give hints about her personality even before the actual story begins. Mallard is the name of a small and shy duck, which is the most ordinary bird in the world. This name gives associations of being ignored, overlooked and not be taken serious. Mrs. Mallard’s weak heart can also be a symbol for that she has a troubled marriage, because the heart is always metaphorically connected...
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...Literature Review of “The Story of an Hour” By Kate Chopin Introduction: "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin speaks to a negative perspective of marriage by giving the onlooker a lady who is plainly thrilled that her spouse has passed on. This is communicated through the dialect in "The Story of an Hour". The storyteller relates what she sees in straightforward exposition, yet when her feelings are portrayed, the words are energetic and influential. This proposes that Louis has a profound internal life that is not joined with the outside universe of her spouse or companions and the way that she houses herself in her room to run across her emotions is critical. The world outside of her own room is just negligibly depicted, yet the world within her psyche is enthusiastic and overall portrayed by the storyteller. The window outside of her room is alive and lively like her brain, while everything about her physically is sequestered. At the point when Louise's feelings are depicted in regards to something she is excited about, the dialect gets vivacious and rich with shade and dynamic pictures. This stands in sharp complexity to the segments in which she appears aloof or candidly unattached. It is essential to recognize not just the dialect becomes animated with the utilization of words like "mystery" and "impulse" but the exact stating evolving. The beginning feelings depicted in these quotes in which she was latent about is short clean sentences, yet when she starts to feel...
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...Shanika Spencer ENG 112 Short Story Analysis Grief and Relief “The Story of an Hour” authored by Kate Chopin doesn’t actually take an hour to read. From Mrs. Mallard’s diagnosis of heart trouble to her death, “The Story of an Hour” is a conversation between the narrator and the reader. The narrator tells us things about Mrs. Mallard that Mrs. Mallard herself is not aware of. The conversation that the narrator presents to us is so vividly and dramatically written, it makes the lesson of “The Story of an Hour” obvious to whomever is reading it. In the late 1800s there was not yet such a thing as women’s rights or the independence of women. At the sound of keys at the front door, Mrs. Mallard made the ultimate sacrifice for her freedom. In “The Story of an Hour” the narrator is unknown. The narrator is playing the part of the guide, so to speak. The narrator is the guide that clearly presents every detail of Mrs. Mallard’s final moments to the reader. The narrator carefully starts out by telling us about Mrs. Mallard’s heart trouble and the fragility of informing her of her husband’s untimely death. One would expect a great amount of grief after being told that your loved one has passed but it was slightly different in this case. The narrator tells us that “she did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance” (Chopin Page#). Mrs. Mallard did not immediately understand the importance of the news she had just heard...
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...compare the two short stories “The Story of an Hour”, by Kate Chopin and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, by James Thurber. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a short story written in 1937. The main character is an older man that drives his wife to town for beauty parlor visits and weekly shopping. “The Story of an Hour” was published in 1894. The main character, Louise Mallard, thinks that she will find freedom from the death of her husband. These short stories share a common theme, gender roles within a marriage. Each of the main characters in these stories has their own ideas about the gender roles that they are supposed to play, according to society and the time that they live in. The secret life of Walter Mitty and The Story of an Hour are based on a man Mr. Walter Mitty and a woman Mrs. Louise Mallard, whom believe that they have become prisoners within their marriages. They have to abide by the society standards of their era, divorce is not an option because all marriages have issues and the wedding vows need to be honored, “Until Death due us Part”. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Versus The Story of an Hour In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” Walter is an elderly American man who is retired and has nothing better to do but to follow his wife around. Walter daydreams about a life that he wishes he had. The focus of this story is to represent a fantasy world opposed to a reality. “The Story of the Hour” presents a much more dramatic effect. This story reflects upon...
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...flowing through your consciousness. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, we see this scenario played out in a woman’s life during one emotion-filled hour. Louise Mallard is a woman afflicted with heart problems who, upon hearing the unfortunate news of her husband’s death, is thrust into a moment in time when the life she has come to know suddenly begins to take on a whole new meaning. Interwoven in this timeless tale are themes of self-assertion, oppression, repression, and freedom at a time when woman were anything but. Through her use of irony, symbolism, suspense, and descriptive narratives, Chopin masterfully captures the essence of one woman’s plight in “The Story of an Hour”. The use of irony is an effective literary tool Chopin uses throughout her story to keep the audience cognitive of the contradictions inherent in people and situations. Early on, we see an example of situational irony when we are told Louise Mallard, after being informed of her husband’s death, “Did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzing inability to accept its significance” (215). We are further told, “She wept at once, with wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (215). Louise appeared to everyone in the house to be extremely sad and goes upstairs to be alone in her room. Normally, this is a very typical reaction after having lost a loved one. However, once Mrs. Mallard is alone, she is not saddened by the passing of Mr. Mallard but rather relieved: “She saw...
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...“The Story of an Hour” Brian Williams English 125 Melissa Eidson April 8, 2013 “The Story of an Hour” I have chosen to describe the theme for “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin in 1894. Theme in fiction is associated with something abstract, something broad. The theme in a story is associated with an idea that lies behind the story. I will give great insight on identifying two of the literary elements in the short story that contribute to the theme. The point of view and symbolism will be the two literary elements, I will provide with examples. Explaining how the selected literary elements affect the narrative theme will be a vital point to this literary work. The theme of Chopin’s piece is essentially a longing for more freedom for women. Chopin reflects her rejection of the “postures of femininity” through her character’s descriptions. She describes her as young with a fair calm face whose lines bespoke repression. Men in the 19th century looked for young and calm attributes in a wife. They wanted a submissive woman to tend to their needs as Chopin’s description suggests. Chopin says that Mrs. Mallard would live for herself. Mallard believes she will be free of marriage, and won’t be repressed as aforementioned any longer by her husband. Chopin displays her character as having a joyous moment after the death of her husband because she is let go being forced into her femininity. Chopin displays a need for more independent women in this piece, suggesting that wronged...
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...The story of an hour Like many contemporary women living in the nineteenth century, Mrs. Mallard in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin bore social ties of traditional requirements. Under the strict control of social requirements, married women’s lives were formed around their husbands. They were happy with their husband’s happiness and sad with their husband’s depression. They were regarded as the properties of their husbands even in daily lives. Kate Chopin did not directly express women’s dependence, but the readers could realize this truth through the chaos in Mrs. Mallard’s mind. After her instinct reaction when hearing the news of Mr. Mallard’s death like “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (p.106), there was something a little bit hopeful and happy appearing in her feelings. Then, “she did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her” (p.107). For one moment she was afraid to allow herself to be joyful about her freedom "she was striving to beat it back with her will" (p.106). This showed us that Mrs. Mallard was a product of her time and was dependent on society rules. We often need a whole life to comprehend one person’s soul and desire. Though, sometimes, in only a while, we are able to realize some meanings of life. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, in just one hour, Mrs. Mallard’s thought and feelings revealed profoundly the desire for freedom of women in the nineteenth century. Through only one hour...
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...Comparison Essay In her two short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm,” Kate Chopin discusses relationships between husbands and wives. In “The Storm,” she tells the story of Calixta who has an affair with Alcee, a former boyfriend while her husband is at the store waiting for a storm to pass with their son Bibi. It talks about unfaithful wives and how sneaky and unsatisfied they are. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin tells the tale of Mrs. Mallard’s husband, who dies and she is suffering with a troubled heart. Kate Chopin’s stories were about marriages. Cheating is in “The Storm” while death is in “The Story of an Hour.” Both were themes in these two short stories. They are deep in passion and sex, involving unfaithful and dissatisfied wives. Chopin’s short stories were emotional and showed affection. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard’s receives possible news that her husband had died. It broke her heart that the love of her life was gone. Her mind and body are paralyzed, and she does not want to be bothered. She looks out of the window and cries up into the sky, and this event changes her life forever. Ironically, she feels no sadness about her husband’s death. In fact, Louise feels “a delicious breath of rain was in the air.” To her, her husband’s death is a “new spring.” Her mood of relief has changed because of a death. This is not a reaction that a wife should have about their husband. She should be having a sense of depression and...
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...Ironies of Story of an Hour In the short story, "Story of an Hour" by author Kate Chopin, she uses many different types of literary elements to define her story clearly and to show the significance behind what happens in the story. The primary literary element that was used in the story that is the most prominent is irony. Two kinds of irony that were utilized in this short story. The first one is situational irony, which means the reader is expecting something to happen, but it doesn't actually happen. The second irony is dramatic irony which is used to suggest to the reader in on something that is going on that the characters are unaware. These two ironies add to a surprising ending. "Story of an Hour" was written in 1894 and is about a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who just received news from her sister, Josephine and her husbands friend Richards that her husband has died in a "railroad disaster" (par. 2). Reader's expect Mrs. Mallard's reaction and feelings are expected to be one way, but yet we discover an unexpected surprise. This is the first of situational ironies throughout the story. As Mrs. Mallard heard the news of her husbands untimely death the reader's expected her to react a certain way, but in fact "she did not hear the story as many women have heard the same" (par. 3). After grieving with "wild abandonment" (par. 3) of her late husband's death, Mrs. Mallard seeks solitude in her room. As she gazes out the open window she sinks down into her chair she takes in the...
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...Montgomery Mrs. Williams ORM 400 - MCMI 5 July 2011 The Heart of “The Story” Kate Chopin’s “The Story of the Hour” gives the reader an up close and personal account of a woman’s devastating and liberating experience when she is informed of her husband’s death. Chopin wrote during a time immediately following the women’s suffrage movement. She took a very liberal approach to explaining how women felt and how women dealt with the issues facing them. In “The Story of the Hour” we watch Mrs. Mallard and her through process as Chopin develops the themes of love and oppression. The short story begins with Mrs. Mallard being informed of untimely death of her husband in a tragic train accident. The characters informing her are cautious of their relay of devastating news due to Mrs. Mallard heart condition. Chopin immediately begins to show the theme of love. As the reader and the characters continue to think about Mrs. Mallard’s heart, Chopin begins to express her heart condition is one of a physical and literal sense. Mrs. Mallard is a loves her husband and is immediately struck with grief when she learns of his death. She daydreams of the times that they shared and how her life may be insignificant without someone to share love. At the same time, she then begins to think about the love she has having a life of independence and not having to share with anyone. Just as quick as Chopin develops her theme of love, she subtly addresses the theme of oppression. As Mrs. Mallard...
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...in 19th century. Her short story “ The Story of An Hour” is one of the most outstanding works in her numerous novels. Although the length of this story is short, and it has less than two-thousands words, it wins the favor of many critics because its exquisite language, dramatic plot, changing creative skills, and deep themes. This story tells readers a one hour story in Mrs. Mallard’s life. Mrs. Mallard has heart disease, so her sister and her husband’s friend tell the news of Mr. Mallard’s death very carefully. They both think when Louise hears the news, she will get sick. However, Mrs. Mallard feels very excited, even looks like a goddess of Victory. Though the news makes her sad, she finally...
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