Joy of Marriage - Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour

Because she was “afflicted with a heart trouble,” when she receives notification of her husband’s passing, “great care was taken” to break the news “as gently as possible” (1). Josephine, her sister, and Richards, her husband’s friend, expect her to be devastated over this news, and they fear that the depression could kill her because of her weak heart. Richards was “in the newspaper office when the intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of killed” (1). He therefore is one of the first people to know about his death. Knowing about Mrs. Mallard’s heart, he realizes that they need to take caution in letting Mrs. Mallard know about it.

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is a brilliant short story of irony and emotion. The story demonstrates conflicts that take us through the character’s emotions as she finds out about the death of her husband. Without the well written series of conflicts and events this story, the reader would not understand the depth of Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflict and the resolution at the end of the story. The conflict allows us to follow the emotions and unfold the irony of the situation in “The Story of an Hour.” The story begins with the 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.” The conflict of the story begins here. Mrs. Mallard must be informed of her husband’s death, but there is worry about the condition of her heart and how she will react to the news.

“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” (Chopin 278). This is the first sentence in Kate Chopin’ s “The Story of an Hour” gives reader a background setting that develops the protagonist-Mrs. Mallard and leads reader to think how does this beginning relate to the theme of the story. The heart trouble may represent the reflection of Mrs. Mallard, symbolized trapped, just like her life is trapped from freedom and full of sickness. The beginning of the story, beside letting the reader knows Mrs. Mallard has heart trouble, moreover, it also brings out a huge turning point to her life from her husband’s death. These two important elements

Mallard was forced to face emotional barriers and conflicts when she was advised of her husband’s death. “She wept at once, with sudden abandonment” (Chopin, par. 3 1984) Mrs. Mallard cried because she loved her husband, but at the same time, Mr. Mallard’s death would mean freedom and independence for Mrs. Mallard. Widows regained “legal recognition and control over their own lives.” (President, & Harvard, F. 2010) Mrs. Mallard’s weeping shows the conflict between grief and happiness. Emotions eventually turn into thoughts and revolution; she begins envisioning the prospects of the path her life could take.

The thoughts of the freedom that our main character Mrs. Mallard feels as she learns the tragic news is definitely not the emotion that would be expected but for her it truly is release. The story and Kate Chopin’s views on the world all surround the tragedy that she experienced in her own life which has led to countless short stories and books that to this day are widely respected and read. Mrs. Mallard suffers from a weak heart so when she finds out about her husband’s death it is done very carefully. “It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing” (Chopin par.... ... middle of paper ... ...r” is no different because when her own husband died she to gained a great freedom. The way that Mrs. Mallard reacts in “The Story of an Hour” is truly disturbing but it is thought provoking and really brings out a lot of points about the way that women during the turn of the century actually saw their husbands.

At her sister’s insistence, she comes out of the room, appearing calm and serene. As they descend the stairs, they hear a lock turning in the door and her husband walks in, very much alive. The shock, combined with the sudden realization that she would never be her own person, Louise dies upon seeing her husband. It was thought by the doctor that it was heart disease that killed Louise, but it was more likely the fact her dreams had died in that moment. The overall mood of this story was melancholy, filled with emotions of sadness, relief and joyful anticipation, shown in the descriptions of life from the bedroom window; spring in the air, the peddler with his ware, birds singing and blue skies showing through the clouds.

The story of an hour by Kate Chopin ​Summary ​The story of an hour narrates the events of the protagonist Louise Ballard at the event of the news of her husband death was broken to her by a friend. It as by a road accident. Josephine the protagonist’s sister tries to break the news in a style of gentleness since her sister suffers heart problems. The protagonist was had mixed feelings about the death of her husband. The death gave her freedom both physically and emotionally.

Mrs. Mallard get excited about the fact that she can now live her life as her own, but then something shocking happens. Her husband walks through the door, and she is beyond shocked, so shocked that her heart actually gives out. The doctor said it was “… of the joy that kills” (Chopin 58). In this story Chopin exhibits symbolism, the spring that represents her new life and her new found happiness, the armchair represents a place of rest and letting go of her old life, and the heart trouble that represents her the emotions of her marriage and the freedom being ripped away when Mr. Mallard returns, to show how Mrs. Mallard had been oppressed and unhappy in her marriage First, the symbol of spring represents new life and new found happiness. To Mrs. Mallard now that her husband has died she sees a new future for herself.

But suddenly, she saw her husband who appears to be alive and walking into the house that she sudden to cried herself and died of heart attack. For another quote of the situation irony in this story. “Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul. When she abandoned herself a little whispered word esc... ... middle of paper ... ...e Chopin. The review of this summary about one character named Mrs. Mallard where at her house with Richard and her sister Josephine heard breaking news that her husband was killed in accident scene.

In the last sentence the doctors represent the undertaker, and the heart disease represents a broken heart due to the loss of her independent life. The irony is very clear “of joy that kills” everyone assumed it was the excitement of seeing her husband that strained her heart, but it was the sudden loss of her new life. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 5th Ed.