Preview

Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
333 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis
In “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin clearly displays a negative perspective of marriage by showing us a married woman who is overjoyed when she thinks her husband has passed away in an accident. Throughout the story, you can see that she doesn’t love her husband and she’s okay with the fact that her husband is dead. On page 762, second to last paragraph, Chopin describes her feelings as “monstrous joy”, which matches her emotions at this point. I find that word choice very interesting because not only that it’s becoming overwhelming for her, but also because she knows that she shouldn’t feel the way she does about her husband’s death. On page 763, Chopin writes “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There are many different tones, themes, characters, and symbolism in the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin explains the story of a negative view of marriage by showing the reader with a woman who is overjoyed that her husband has died, also the characters in the story itself goes through multiply changes from fear to depression to finally freedom. The lone character, who goes through the most change be far throughout the entire story is the main character Mrs. Louise Mallard. This transformation doesn’t just help change the character of Louise Mallard, further the themes of the story and solidify the tones that the author are trying to set for the story.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the main character (Mrs.Mallard) is a married woman. Mrs.Mallard was afflicted with a “heart problem”. The author was not very specific about her troubled heart, which seemed to be a symbol of not just physical, but emotional distress as well. Jaqueline (Ms.Mallards sister) took precaution before announcing her husbands death to her because of that issue. When Jaqueline finally stated that her husband had supposedly died, she weeped momentarily but her grief was gone once she realized a new sense of life that was to be experienced. Ms.Mallard became rather joyful instead. She isolated herself in a room, and as she examined the outside through her window, she discovered a new sense of independence and freedom within her, rather than grief towards her husbands death. “Body and soul free”, she began to say to herself. She was at her highest peak of happiness until later on in the story when it turned out her husband was alive all along. It is ironic that the main character was so ecstatic, that when she saw her husband standing before her, her shock and disappointment at the loss of her new life was so intense that she passed away.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Kate Chopin is an American author from the late 1800’s, who wrote the short story, “The Story of an Hour”. She uses a pathetic appeal to invoke her audience’s emotions. She emphasizes certain emotions to get her readers to actually feel what it is like to be relieved of being trapped in a marriage where you do not have your own free will.…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Can a person die of happiness? That’s what seems to happen in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”. Mrs. Mallard received the horrible news of her husband’s passing due to a train accident. However, as we read further into the story we realized that Mrs. Mallard is not that upset with her newfound freedom. But the narrative comes to a climax when Mrs. Mallard dies upon discovering that her husband is actually alive. Doctors pronounce the cause of death - “joy that kills”. It is debatable if someone could die from hearing good news. Mrs. Mallard believed that her husband died and she finally could be free to live her life, but was rudely awakened by seeing him alive. Her imaginative freedom was taken away from her and that’s what her heart couldn’t take. It was not the joy that killed Mrs. Mallard but rather discovering that her husband is alive and her freedom would be lost again, thus causing her death.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mallard's Awakening

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s,”The Story of an Hour,” is an ironic and symbolic story as it portrays an innuendo of repression through the example married women. Chopin’s short story begins with Mrs. Mallard becoming lurid as she hears of her husband's death. Consequently, Mrs. Mallard underwent changes from depressed to an elated state of emotion. Chopin displayed Mrs. Mallards’ grievances and attitude towards freedom through her diction. Just as Mrs. Mallard perceived that she gained her freedom, news was delivered to her stating Brently Mallard was alive. Without hesitation Mrs. Mallard died not only because her freedom was gone, but because she felt guilty when she happily reflected upon her husband's death. Presumably, the cause of Mrs. Mallard's death was heart disease, thus making Chopin’s…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mrs. Mallard in the “Story of an Hour” and the girl in the “Hills like White Elephants” are tested by their lives. However, they vary in their function range of responses to their situations. Both stories reveals some major similarities in their lives as well as some dissimilarities in their characters. They both share some characteristics in common like they are helpless and worried. They love their partners but they are not much happy in their lives.…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate O’Flaherty Chopin is about a young woman who is told of her husband’s death and how, in one hour, her life was changed forever. Kate’s life was in some ways similar to that of Mrs. Mallard’s, I believe her true feelings were reflected in her many writings.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" teaches us the importance of not repressing who we really are, forsaking our own happiness just to please someone else. "The Story of an Hour" is about a young woman, Louise Mallard, who finds out her husband was killed in an accident. In the story, we follow Louise Mallard in the hour following the receipt of the news of her husband's death, through her period if grief and into her revelation if new found freedom. The story ends with a final twist, Louise Mallard's husband walks in the door, oblivious to the situation, and she dies instantly of " heart disease--of the joy that kills (413)." The hour spent looking into Louise Mallard's life is meant to serve as a warning against giving up one's self completely in love and marriage. Chopin teaches us that in marriage we often repress our own feelings and desires, in the pursuit of pleasing our partner, to the point of losing site of who we really are.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1) Chopin heavily utilizes symbolism in her story. Describe three symbols in detail, making sure you discuss their relevance to the story's themes.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Story Of An Hour Analysis

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The author, Kate Chopin uses marriage to show how powerless women were compared to men during the late eighteen hundreds in her short story entitled, “The Story of An Hour “. At the beginning of the story the main character, Mrs. Louise Mallard has a heart condition. Due to her illness, her sister Josephine and her husband's friend Richards has the hard task to tell Louise that her husband Brently Mallard has died in a train wreck. During this first hour Mrs. Mallard experiences the sorrow of her husband's death and the loneliness she would feel, but also the conflicting and exciting feelings of being able to feel alive and the freedom she will have in the future being alone without her husband.…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    compare and contrast

    • 1189 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Kate Chopin 's “The Story of an Hour represents a negative view of marriage. Every individual…

    • 1189 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin uses characterization, symbols, and conflicts that suggest that in certain situations, the death of a loved one may be a blessing in disguise. Such situations may include an abusive relationship, or an unhappy marriage, as this story suggests. In Chopin’s story although the circumstances might lead the reader to believe that Mrs. Mallard’s husband’s death would cause her great pain, ironically, when she hears the news, she feels a great sense of relief. This suggests that death may not always cause grief.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author uses many literary elements in the short story. Some are personification, imagery, and similes. Personification is stated in the line that follows: "she was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression," This element shows how strongly she is in repression. It makes the reader actually feel how depressing her life with her husband was. 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 some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves." Imagery is portrayed in these sentences. By using imagery, the author can help the reader see and feel the environment the character is in. This helps the reader understand the poem on a next level. "She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory". The author uses simile to describe how calm and happy she is now. She really feels free of all negative vibes now.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story of an hour describes several emotional stages that a woman undergoes after she learns about her husband’s death. The unexpected changes in her emotions lead the authors to view her differently as the story proceeds. Kate Chopin, the author of The Story of an hour, suggests that all human relationships, in this case the marriage, is oppressive, either intentionally or unintentionally, in its nature, and that the idea of freedom is forbidden, though people long for it. Her sophisticated characterization of Louise, along with her detailed explanation of Louise’ feelings, strengthens the author’s message. That Louise has a heart trouble is the first thing that the I learn about her.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Aristotle once wisely said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” However, having to provide for your own happiness is difficult to do, and hard to maintain. Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour introduces a character that shows just that. When the protagonist, Mrs. Louise Mallard learns of her husband’s death, she is devastated at first, but then feels a strange sense of relief. She realizes that she can live the life that she wants for herself, and be who she wants to be. Knowing her aforementioned heart troubles, she visualized her husband, Brently, walking through the front door and died of a heart attack. She thought that she could take advantage of the new opportunity that was presented for her with joy, but the guilt from being…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays