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Central idea in the story of an hour
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The story of an hour kate chopin analysis
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The Story of an Hour
The story of the hour is, to me, an interesting short story of the insight into the life thoughts of a woman struggling with a life that is proper and sociably acceptable and her own desires. Upon reading the opening passage “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.” (1) The reader, in this case I, would understand quickly that the main character of the story, Mrs. Mallard, must be treated with tenderness. We also learn that grave news is coming her way in a most careful manner. Reading further the actions of the main character would show shock, confusion, surprise, and other anxiety of a life without someone that is presumed to be her love as indicated by this line. “She did not hear the story as many have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.” (3)
It was with that line I paused to consider that nevertheless, what the actions of anyone would be if informed of such news. Would it be expected for him or her would sit silent and numb as thoughts conflicted in his or her head until reaching a critical point? I recalled my own experience that would be somewhat similar and compared the two thoughts to each other. When I reached the conclusion that yes, it would be expected for someone to be in a state of shock and sit in quiet thought as the information is being processed. This line of thought was confirmed quickly with the following line “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.” (3) it was also this point that purposefully mislead the reader to a red herring thought that perhaps the main character was struck heavily with grief.
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...esent may have thought it of overpowering joy at no longer being a widow. With the final line drawing the close to a story that I found to be a most interesting insight into the quick thoughts of a dreaming mind “ When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease-of joy that kills.” (23) I think this line to portray a double meaning, one that the other characters in the story would say was of the joy of seeing her husband home safe, while the main character the death would have been for daring to dream hopeful and accepting without all knowledge and assurance what ultimately proved to be false.
Chopin, Kate. the Story of an Hour. Boston, MA: The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 2009. Print.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. the Story of an Hour. Boston, MA: The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 2009. Print.
Chopin, Kate. ?The Story of an Hour.? Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. 2nd ed. Ed. John Schlib and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin?s, 2003. 862-63.
Deneau, Daniel P. "Chopin's the Story of an Hour." The Explicator 61.4 (2003): 210-3. ProQuest. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Heritage of American Literature. Ed. James E. Miller. Vol. 2. Austin: Harcourt Brace Jovanich, 1991. 487. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston:
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. A Norton Critical Edition: Kate Chopin: The Awakening. Ed. Margo Culley. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. 3-109.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. 535-625. Print.
Unfortunately, her hope for long years and many beautiful spring days was abruptly ended in an ironic twist. Unbeknownst to herself and her company, Mr. Mallard had survived, and within an hour the promises of a bright future for Mrs. Mallard had both began and came to an end. Her grievous death was misconstrued as joy to the others: "they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills" (Chopin 471). This statement embodies the distorted misconception that a woman lives only for her man. The audience, in fact, sees just the opposite. To Louise her life was elongated at the news of her husband's death, not cut short. Throughout the story, one hopes Louise will gain her freedom. Ironically, she is granted freedom, but only in death.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing.2nd ed.
Chopin, Kate. Complete Novels and Stories. Ed. Sandra M. Gilbert. New York: Library of America, 2002. Print.
Chopin, Kate. A. “The Story of an Hour.” Baym 1609-1611.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Perrine's Literature: Structure Sound & Sense. 11th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2010. 541. Print.
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 4th ed. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: St. Martins, 1997. 12-15.
In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived. The shock of seeing him alive is too much for her bear and she dies. The meaning of life and death take on opposite meaning for Mrs. Mallard in her marriage because she lacked the courage to stand up for herself.
...egaining her husband and all of the loss of freedom her marriage entails. The line establishes that Louise's heart condition is more of a metaphor for her emotional state than a medical reality.” (Koloski) It is ironic that she accepts the death of her husband and is joyous and free, and then he ends up being alive after she walks out of the room with a sense of power. The ending of The Story of an hour by Kate Chopin implies that maybe the only true resolution of conflict is in death.
Key Elements:The story of an hour · Plot: Standard plot. A woman who receive the notice of her husband's death, and when she begins to felt freedom her husband appear again and she can't accept it and fall died. · Characterization: Few characters a. Mrs. Mallard or Louise: Mallard's wife. Was afflicted with hearth trouble.