Criticism In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

The story “The Story of An Hour” was written by female writer Kate Chopin in 1894. Kate Chopin was an active feminist of her time. Many stories and books she wrote have profound impact that support feminism, yet “The Story of an Hour” stood out among the other stories. This story a unique masterpiece not only because how deep it describe its main character Mrs. Mallard’s emotional transition but also because of its unique ironic ending. The ironic ending of the story can be interpreted in different ways, which can largely change the meaning of the story in rather the story is supporting feminism. This paper will first examine the text of the story and how the emotion was portrayed in the story. Then, it will examine how readers

When she was around five years old, her parents had sent her to boarding school. Despite the fact that she was in boarding school, she also spent a lot of time with her childhood best friend Kitty. In the book Unveiling Kate Chopin, a biography of Kate Chopin written by Emily Toth, Toth wrote, “With the women at home, and the Sacred Heart nuns, and her best friend Kitty, Kate O’Flaherty was coming of age in a most female world - one that nurtures her creative spirit, and encouraged her generosity and her dreams” when explaining Chopin’s childhood (Toth 21). Chopin attended female school when she was young, and her life and experience in during her school years left a huge impact to her personality development. The Book Unveiling Kate Chopin further explained, “In two all-female school,... Her teachers and role models and student leaders were all women and girls. She shw women doing everything, and not shying away from expressing their opinions. Kate was also, in her last years, something of a school celebrity, both as a scholar and a creative writer” (Toth 34). Her times in female school gave her an impression that male and female are equal. However, things was changed when the war occurred. The book Unveiling Kate Chopin continued wrote, “The contrast between the women’s quiet world of domesticity and care, and the men’s blustery world of power and simmering violence, could not have been clearer in

There were a lot dramatic language used in the story; and each details in the story adds a depth to the story. An academic journal written by Selina Jamil wrote, “When she hears the news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard’s obliviousness to the beauty of life breaks down under the powerful impact of emotion (Jamil 216). When describing her feeling after know the death of her husband’s death, the author wrote, “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arm” (Chopin 193). Later when describing her feeling when she was alone in the room, the author wrote, “She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams” (Chopin 193). In both scenario, the author compared Mrs Mallard with a crying child. This is a way to show the weakness and helplessness of the character which was representing female in general. When in the room, Mrs Mallard looked out to the window, and what she saw was very carefully listed by the author. Each object listed by the author has its hidden meaning. First, there was “a comfortable , roomy armchair” (Chopin 193). Armchair are normally associated with loneliness and old age. This symbolizes that Mrs. Mallard be lonely for the rest of her