...“Story of an Hour,” a short fiction about a married woman named Louise Mallard, who received disturbing news about her spouse dying in a train accident. Louise’s sister Josephine was very hesitant about informing her about the tragic situation that has occurred. She was more afraid to tell Louise because of her heart condition. Therefore, Josephine tries to break the news to her gently about the death of her husband. Louise mallard immediately “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment” (Chopin, 128). She went to her bedroom where she stood worried by an open window, symbolically meaning that things are about to open up to her. She starts to say “Free, Free, Free” (Chopin, 129) under her breath as if she will now live for herself and not for him. Mrs. Mallard’s family friend and sister were skeptical about delivering this tragic news to her due to her heart condition. Once telling her the news she then returned downstairs where she experiences another shock and disappointment that her husband is not dead. He walked steadily through the front door; ironically, she falls to the floor dead herself. “She had died of heart disease of joy that kills” (Chopin, 129). The author Kate Chopin is trying to show how Mrs. Mallard was...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...Story of an Hour: The need to be free “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is about Mrs. Louise Mallard, a woman with heart troubles, her husband Brently Mallard who had her under his bondage, Mrs. Mallard sister Josephine who cared very much about her and treated her gently and Mr. Mallard’s friend Richard who was the bearer of the news of Mr. Mallard’s death. When Mrs. Mallard got the news of her husband’s death, she was heartbroken at first and she wept. After some time alone in her room with the many thoughts that flooded her, Mrs. Mallard finally realized that she was living in captivity and now she was finally free. On her way to the door she saw her husband who is supposed to be dead, alive at the bottom of the stares and her heart gave way, her sudden need for freedom was...
Words: 503 - Pages: 3
...How were women’s lives affected by society's expectations regarding the male dominance formality? For many years, women have been minimized and marked as always being inferior to a man. Society has played a major role in this stereotype that women struggled with in the past. Fortunately, this stereotype is not around as much as it used to be. Delia Jones from ”Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston and Mrs. Mallard from “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin both struggle with the female roles that society has put upon them and long for individual freedom, even though their relationships with their spouses differed. For many years, women had to be married and care for the household duties in order to be considered successful. Delia and Mrs. Mallard...
Words: 837 - Pages: 4
...The Story of an Hour, The Chrysanthemums, The Storm, Little Things, The Flea, and Desiree’s Baby are all works that revolve around relationships between men and women. However, even though all of these works revolve around relationships, there are many similarities and differences among them. To start things off, one similarity shared by all of the works are the false relationships between couples. Another similarity between the works are the use of things within them being used as inexplicable symbols. Also, all of the works except The Storm show women being mistreated and not appreciated by men. Now following behind those similarities of those works are differences, such as The Storm being the only one of the works which has the man caring...
Words: 1115 - Pages: 5
...Literary Analysis of The Story of an Hour Oppression is dominant in many traditional styled marriages, suggesting that the woman stay at home to see to the man’s needs and to bore children, only to later end up old and sad and without independence, seeking resolution and finding only anguish and regret in her endeavors. Death in many cultures is looked upon as a sad event, and in others is respectively as a joyous moment, not because the victim was deceased, but because they are thought to have moved on to a new life. What these two concepts have in common may be vague at first glance, but after reading The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, one can begin to piece together the relationship between these two concepts. The title ultimately has the ability to tell the story before one even has to lay eyes on the first sentence. The Story of an Hour suggests that the woman’s life begin at the very moment that her husband's ended, in other words, this is where her story began. The title goes on to suggest that her new life only lasted for one short hour until she abruptly perished. No other detailed information about how her life was previous to this...
Words: 603 - Pages: 3
...“The Story of an Hour" published by American author Kate Chopin is often referred to as a mainstay of feminist literary study. This story is the documentation of the abstract reaction Louise Mallard had upon learning of her husbands, Brently Mallard, death. After the initial waves of grief have passed, to the surprise of many readers, including Mrs. Mallard herself, Mrs. Mallard feels a sense of relief, joy and freedom. It is through this reaction that readers are able to infer that Chopin is making the argument that individuals discover their self-identity only after being freed from confinement, and how freedom or lack of affects mental and emotional states. After Mr. Mallards death is revealed to Mrs. Mallard, Mallards self-identity is revealed to herself. Chopin does this to portray that people who have...
Words: 453 - Pages: 2
...Every time that I’m hearing the word “Freedom”, I’m seeing a lot of things going on with it. If someone has it, he or she could do a lot of things in the world because they have a power to do things to make themselves better. There are three short stories, which the protagonist of the stories had the freedom. One of the stories, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin that talks about Mrs. Mallard saw a freedom for herself after having a thought that her husband is dead, but she felt it in just a moment. Second, the “A&P” by John Updike, which talks about Sammy who discovered freedom after he saw himself having more and better opportunities after he quits his job. The last is the story of Tillie Olsen “I Stand Here Ironing”, which talked about...
Words: 837 - Pages: 4
...Name Course- Instructor Date Interpretive Plot Analysis Of The story Of An Hour Introduction The trajectory of “The story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is seemingly deluding when the reader goes through the story superficially and not tries to get a grip over the plot line. Mrs. Mallard is vexed by a weak heart and therefore any bad news should be broken in gentle manner to her. When her sister Josephine tells her about the news of his husband perishing in a train accident, then instead of struggling against the truth, she succumbs to the flow of events easily and cries her eyes out and then in a subtle manner, shifts into a bout of joyous mood where a sense of freedom is instilled inside her being. The last sentence which describes the cause of Mrs. Mallard’s death to be excessive joy is actually due to the shock of realization that she no longer is free or rather she never was eligible to embrace freedom. This story emphasizes upon the reality of the era in which the story was set where women were given very few rights and where marriage used to be oppressive institution. Also, the events mirror the true innate feelings of Mrs. Mallard which is contrasting to the notion that she loves being married.( Literature (Fiction)( Google.co.in) Topic 1- Conflict 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. ...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...Ortigas, Pasig City 11th Grade World Literature Course Syllabus Mr. Jonathan Jay F. Baniaga 2015- 2016 I.Subject Code: English 101a II. Subject Description: Afro-Asian Literature III. Credit Units: 3 IV. Pre-Requisite: none V. Duration: 18 weeks (54 hours) – 1 meeting per week (3 hours per class session) VI. Course Overview: Afro-Asian Literature is a survey course in reading and writing. The text focuses on selected works of Afro -Asian literature ranging from 3,000 B.C. to the present and is augmented with a wide array of novels and other supplemental materials. All literary genres will be covered. Students are expected to critically read all genres of literature and write cohesive, clear, and well-structured analyses/critiques about what they have read. Students will write a variety of rhetorical modes and for a variety of purposes including narration, information, and persuasion. Students’ papers will reflect a sophisticated level of original analysis and include references to the read text or to outside sources where appropriate. VII. Course Objectives: Students will: * develop an ability to write about problems from historical, philosophical, rhetorical and/or cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspectives; * engage in group discussions and activities to develop critical perspectives, a clear sense of audience, and a fluent...
Words: 1741 - Pages: 7
...The Necklace vs. The Story of an Hour Pamela Richard ENG 125 Lesa Hadley May 11, 2012 The Necklace vs. The Story of an Hour A short story, “The Necklace” (“La parure”) written by Guy de Maupassant in 1884 and a poem, ‘The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin in 1894 are literary works that are very comparable yet are different. The two women, Madame Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard, portrayed in these literary works are protagonists who have trouble because of conflicting expectations imposed on them by society. Both Mathilde Loisel and Louise Mallard want something more than what their lifestyle offers them. During the time when the authors wrote these pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. This essay will compare and contrast elements of content, form, and style between two different literary works. Both authors chose the theme of gender roles in marriage. During the time when the authors wrote theses pieces, the social behaviors showed gender suppression/oppression. The nineteenth century was impacted by the industrial revolution which caused a gap in gender roles, especially in the upper and middle classes (Radek, 2001). Men and women were thought to have completely different natures. Men were considered to be powerful, brave, rational and independent. Women were considered weak, timid, emotional, and dependent. Those differences separated their functions in society. "Men were thought to have natures suited to the public...
Words: 3460 - Pages: 14
...of Peace ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Course Title Course Code Pre- requisite Credits : : : : World Literature Lit 02 Lit 01 3 Units Vision-Mission Statement : Instructor : Email : Office : Consultation Hours: MWF Venue : Consultation Rm. I. Course Description: Socorro D. De Jesus, Ph.D. Associate Professor 1 socorro_dejesus@hotmail.com General Education Faculty Rm, 2 nd floor, St. Anselm's Building 1 The course will introduce students to the writings of persons from selected countries across the different continents of the world. Students will gain an understanding of literary concepts to be able to interpret, analyze and evaluate various genres. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to learn and appreciate the cultural heritage that is articulated from each literary text. II. Course Objectives: At the end of the semester, the students should be able to : 1. read and understand representative literary texts from various continents in the world. 2. analyze literary texts using the various approaches in literature. 3. employ critical thinking skills. 4. appreciate the...
Words: 1595 - Pages: 7
...final and pivotal line in Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” written in 1894. The story tells a tale of a woman named Louise realizing her husband had died in a railroad accident. She goes to her room only to find a new found freedom she now has without her husband. “She began to weep again and then she was young, she was new, she was somehow reborn” (Fatima). This freedom is crushed when she finally emerges to see her husband alive. The sight kills her where she stood. “When she sees him she dies instantly … she has to continue living a depressing life that has no meaning or excitement included” (Fatima). I am going to show how through the use of such literary devices as irony and connotation Chopin added a depth to the story that moves the reader. The story has one of the best examples of irony you can find. The very last line of the story states that Louise had died of heart disease—of joy that kills. The tragic irony is that it was both joy and sadness that killed her. She dies from the sadness of knowing the joy see realized through looking out her window has been crushed. This joy of freedom and independence is what killed her. Without filling herself with this joy she would not have anything to be destroyed when she realized her husband was alive. So the joy killed her because without it there would be no shock when her husband returned, yet the sadness of loosing this joy caused her death just as well. There was even more literary devises at work in this short yet powerful...
Words: 951 - Pages: 4
...The Story of an Hour Analysis Kate Chopin’s short story called The Story of an Hour fits its title because the whole story happens in literally an hour or less. In the story the first character we hear about is Mrs. Mallard a wife of a man who works at a railroad; it is also known that she has a heart disease. We also hear about her sister, Josephine who had to break the news to Mrs. Mallard about her husband’s supposed death, the last character is Mr. Mallards friend named Richards, who seems to be with Josephine just for moral support and to be there if anything were to happen. The setting took place in Mr. and Mrs. Mallards house when Josephine went to break the news “in broken sentences” to her about the railroad accident that happened and seemed to cause the life of Mr. Mallard. The story is told in third person, and it only takes an hour or less to find out what really happened at the railroads. After she had heard of the disaster that had happened back at the railroads she started to cry on her sisters shoulders. She was paralyzed at the fact that her husband had died she was in a huge shock and did not expect such news. The story then goes on talking about depression “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know” I believe that what was coming to her was a depression that she had never felt before. Mrs. Mallard’s felt guilt mostly because she realized that she had taken her husband for granted. Also, by taking...
Words: 906 - Pages: 4
...Emily Ivey Dr. Chase The Hours analysis 7 November 2005 The Gay Disease Michael Cunningham’s novel The Hours depicts a day in the life of Mrs. Dalloway author Virginia Woolf, fifties housewife Laura Brown, and nineties publisher Clarissa Vaughn who, along with other complex characters, Woolf’s husband Leonard and Vaughn’s best friend Richard intermingle to create a story with a strong message about the treatment of disease especially among the homosexual community. Only after applying Deconstructionist literary theory does Cunningham’s comment on the plight of the homosexual reveal itself. When examining the story from a Deconstructionist viewpoint, Clarissa Vaughn acts as Richard’s binary opposite. When Clarissa and Richard first meet in the story, Clarissa brings Richard flowers, a traditionally masculine role. Richard, in contrast, is describes as having a mind “eaten to lace,” a decidedly feminine image and Clarissa equates his home to “the hold of a sunken ship” a yonic image further depicting Richard as the female in the scene. If, in the novel, the female Clarissa was a literary genius suffering from AIDS feminist literary critics would have dubbed her “the mad woman in the attic;” however, this “mad woman in the attic” concept applies instead to Richard the homosexual man in the story. By applying this feminist terminology to Richard, Cunningham compares the plight of the artistically repressed woman of the 19th century to the...
Words: 1245 - Pages: 5
...about conflicts in literature, which will contribute to the information required for the Week Three Draft and the Week Five Literary Analysis. Recognizing conflict is essential to understanding the various commentaries literature can provide. In Journal One, you identified conflict as it might appear in our everyday world and from other sources. Now, consider the following definition of conflict and how it relates to literature from the textbook or the story/poetry links provided under the requirements for the Literary Analysis: Conflict is opposing actions, ideas, and decisions that hold a plot together...the struggle that shapes the plot in a story. Chapters 1-7 of our text contain a number of stories and poems, each of which rely on at least one conflict. Choose two of this week’s assigned literary works and write about the conflicts presented in each of them. In 250 to 500 words Individual versus Society --- “Still she had come down the road toward the big white church alone. Just herself, an old forgetful woman, nearly blind with age” (para 3.1,2) --- appears to be the main conflict in Alice Walker’s narrative ironically, yet metaphorically named "The Welcome Table”. The theme coming across is that of racism, correct me if I am wrong, with the imagery/ symbolism of “the big white church” versus the lone black Elder. This is the story of an elderly African-American woman, who on a winter night wonders into a Caucasian church service, is by force removed from...
Words: 2568 - Pages: 11
