Leslie Knox Ms. Baldwin English 3/ Period 6 2 March 2013 The Story of an Hour Essay In the story, The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, there is a woman with a heart condition that receives bad news. She deals with thenews in a different way than most people would. At first she js sad, but then she realizes she is happy. At the end of the storythere is a major twist. The woman, Mrs. Mallard, is told by her sister Josephine and her husbands friend Richards, that her husband Brently Mallard has been killed in a railroad accodent at work.
Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour” portrays how human’s deal with one of the inevitabilities of life: death. Through the characters, Chopin portrays the different approaches to dealing with grief caused by the death of a loved one. The story revolves around the ailing Mrs. Louise Mallard and the way she deals with the news of the husband’s death. Even though Mrs. Mallard seems like a round character, overall, it seems that the writer portrays Mrs. Mallard as a dynamic character. Through the struggles of this character, the reader experiences the different stages of grieving and the ultimate cost of heartbreak.
Marea Wiggins Personal Journal on “Story of an Hour” While reading “Story of an Hour”, it bought about so many different emotions, such as sadness, disappointment, guilt, hurt, and the feeling of being free. When Mrs. Mallard found out about her husband’s death from her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richard, Mrs. Mallard couldn’t accept the fact that it was actually her husband who had died. If I was in her position, I really don’t believe that I could get over something so shocking just that easy. The hurt and sorrow would be entirely too much for me to handle. The one moment when Mrs. Mallard was alone in her room really stuck out the most.
They both fear that when they tell Louise the news of the wreck that killed her husband, Louise may become very sick. Richard and Josephine feel they need to deliver the news with great care and caution. . At first we think that Louise is very upset over the news that her husband had been killed in a train wreck; however we are told that she realizes the freedom she might have if she is no longer tied down to her husband. Louise keeps repeating to herself “free, free, free.” The very first action we are told about that Louise performs describes as unusual by Chopin.
It wasn’t until the second time I read the story that I realized Mrs. Mallard was relieved when she heard the news of her husband` s death. The actions and words Mrs. Mallard portrayed proved this point. The author leaves the reader to almost make a story of their own by leaving out details and allowing the reader to add their own. To prove this, in the beginning of the short story, the reader gets the impression that this woman is going to be extremely upset that her husband has died in a train accident. Her closest friends and family come to her to easily break the news of her husband` s recent death.
The Story of an Hour Essay "The Story of an Hour" is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It's about a woman named Louise, a sickly wife who briefly believes her husband is dead and imagines a whole new life of freedom for herself. To conclude, people long for freedom after a series of tragic events in their life. With these literal elements, symbolism and Imagery the reader can assume what the feeling was like when Louise was set free. Chopin uses Imagery to contrasts the series of emotions Louise Mallard endures while going through mixed emotions about her husband’s death.
In order to achieve self-fulfillment their lives ended in tragedy. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," a young woman's innermost thoughts about her life and marriage and her perception of the world are expressed through Louise, who reacts in a strange way after receiving news that her husband has been killed in a train wreck. "She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance" and instead of breaking down emotionally she explores the possibilities of what a new life would bring. She realizes that her husband is no longer there to control her or tell her what to do. "There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself".
Rather, her feelings must be managed and controlled by those around her. In this first paragraph Chopin demonstrates the oppressive expectations of the time. In hearing the news of her husband’s death, Louise responds in a way that defies the oppression of her generation. It was expected that she would respond “with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance” and yet she responds with “sudden, wild abandonment” (Chopin 177). This reaction is in conflict with the expectations put upon her as a mourning wife, and it is here that she begins to defy her oppression.
She is a middle aged woman with heart trouble, and bad news was about to come her way of the “possible death of her husband” (Chopin, 1894, para.1). Mrs. Mallard was a lady who was possibly controlled in her life by her husband. “When hearing the news of the death, she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in Josephine’s arms” (Chopin, 1894, para.3). I can feel the attachment that she had with her husband, but wept once also shows maybe some antipathy. Mrs. Mallard made her way to her room and stared out her window to watch her new life take fold.
From these things, I think that the woman's disease results from a psychological cause. Maybe, I think that the chief cause is her husband because she feels joy when she was heard that he was dead. Chopin also uses setting to contrast the news of her husband's death or her longing for freedom. In the text, "the open window and the open square(1,3)" repeat again and again throughout the story. In addition, "the tops of trees, the new spring life, the delicious breath of rain, the notes of distant song and countless sparrows" don't get along with the woman's present situation.