Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour
analytical Essay
795 words
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows one to explore many ironic instances throughout the story, the main one in which a woman unpredictably feels free after her husband’s assumed death. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to illustrate the struggles of reaching personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself to reach self-assertion while being a part of something else, like a marriage. In “The Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, celebrates the death of her husband, yet Chopin uses several ironic situations and certain symbols to criticize the behavior of Mrs. Mallard during the time of her “loving” husband’s assumed death. In the “Story of an Hour” we observe many instances in which irony takes place. According to the Urban Dictionary irony is “a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what is expected.” Therefore one of the main ironic situations that happen is upon the central character, Mrs. Mallard, not much is told about her character, but we do know she has a heart disease and she is a dedicated house wife. Mrs. Mallard’s heart trouble is one of many symbols in this story, Chopin does not tell us much about her but we can interpret that Mrs. Mallard’s heart trouble should not be taken literal, it is a sign of her unconsciously surrendering her heart, her identity as an individual, it is a meaning of how she sees herself. She is now told her husband died so she runs to her bedroom to be left alone. While her sister and family friend are downstairs feeling sorry for her and thinking she is destroyed, Mrs. Mallard comes upon an unsuspected feeling that she is now “free.” Since this story was written in 1894, which was a very tough ti... ... middle of paper ... ... her with joy this sense is only experienced while being confined in her bedroom. And as soon as she leaves her room, the freedom she’d just begun to understand is now taken away from her in an instant. She actually died of sorrow and great disappointment of her husband’s return as he waited at the front door. Throughout the story Chopin uses many ironic instances and symbols to illustrate the meaning of several major aspects of the story, we learn a lot more of the main character Mrs. Mallard and we come to an understanding that she did not recognize a world outside of herself. Works Cited Ewell, Barbara. "Kate Chopin." The Role of the Wife and Mother. 19 Dec 2013. "Dream dictionary." Windows. iVillage. 19 Dec 2013. . Urban Dictionary. 18 Dec 2013. .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mrs. mallard's story was written in 1894, which was a tough time for women because they did not have much power or say in anything.
- Analyzes how mrs. mallard feels like a new human being, free of her husband's shadow. an open window symbolizes many opportunities for her future and her freedom.
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" illustrates the struggles of reaching personal freedom and self-assertion while being a part of something else.
- Analyzes how chopin uses ironic instances and symbols to illustrate the meaning of several major aspects of the story.
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- Kate Chopin's View Of The Story Of An Houranalytical essayAmerican author Kate Chopin was born Catherine O'Flaherty on July 12, 1850, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was one of three children born to immigrant Irishman Thomas O'Flaherty and a French-American mother, Eliza Faris. She has written two published novels and over a hundred short stories. Most of her stories are set in her hometown of Louisiana and focus on the lives of women. Based on the literary criticisms researched, a lot Kate Chopin's works focused on female emancipation. The era she grew up in was a contemporary society where women were subjected to acting in a certain manner. Women were to get married, have children, and live a traditional life. Chopin did not grow up in a traditional household, perhaps setting the basis for her view
In this essay, the author
- Explains that kate chopin was born catherine o'flaherty on july 12, 1850, in st. louis, missouri. she has written two published novels and over a hundred short stories.
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" addresses the themes of identity and selfhood and the role of women in marriage.
- Analyzes how chopin reveals that the only escape from the oppression of marriage is in death.
- Analyzes how kate chopin's story "desiree’s baby" exposes the inequities of prejudice and female subjugation.
- Analyzes how the twist in the story comes when armand burns everything that belonged to desiree or the baby. racial injustice is cruel.
- Analyzes how chopin advocates female liberation through the image of a storm with calixta's husband, bobinot, and their son, bibi. however, the narrative technique and language emphasizes male oppression over women.
- Concludes kate representing the different aspects of women in the above mentioned three stories is trying to unfold about their condition and their wants and desire which were usually suppressed at her time.
1633 wordsRead More - Freedom and Kate Chopin's Story of an Houranalytical essayWhen I first read Kate Chopin's "The Story Of An Hour", my instinctual response was to sympathize with the character of Mrs. Mallard. This seemed to me to have been intended by the author because the story follows her emotional path from the original shock upon hearing of her husband's supposed death to her gradual acceptance of the joy she feels in anticipating her new freedom to the irony of her own sudden death. However, one fact cannot be overlooked when judging my personal reaction to this piece. Because this story's theme is basically an issue of what a woman has the right to expect from her life, the fact that I am a woman living in a society where freedom and independence are valued above all else weighs heavily on the way I look upon the actions of Mrs. Mallard and also on the way I judge Chopin's message.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how their instinctual reaction to kate chopin's "the story of an hour" was to sympathize with the character of mrs. mallard.
- Analyzes how mrs. mallard's reaction to the news of the accident which is presumed to have killed her husband is already being contrasted with the one which society would deem appropriate.
- Analyzes how chopin counteracted the word "repression" with the phrase "a certain strength" to evoke a sense of pity.
- Analyzes how the novel fear of flying, by erica jong, represents perfectly the ideas which their mind had been incubating.
- Analyzes how kate chopin created a brave female protagonist desirous of freedom and the only way she saw fit to grant her this freedom was through her own death.
- Explains chopin's "the story of an hour." the norton anthology of short fiction. r.v. cassill and richard bausch.
- Explains that cixous, helene, "laugh of the medusa." feminisms: an anthology of literary theory and criticism.
- Explains that their vehement defense of her character comes from the fact that they are a feminist and anti-marriage.
1672 wordsRead More - Happiness Is a Warm Gunanalytical essayIn Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour” one hour seems like an eternity according to Mrs. Mallard. A life can change in less than a minute. This story really gives a good example of this idea. Around the 1890s when the story takes place, women were oppressed by society. Unfortunately women did not have as many rights as men did, unless they were a widow. Also it was common to see arranged marriages due to the economic situation during those times. Mrs. Louise Mallard has been diagnosed with heart problems; therefore any bad news can be extremely dangerous for her health. Her husband’s death could be too much for her health to bear. Josephine Mrs. Mallard’s sister try find the best way to tell her about Mr. Mallard’s death without her passing out as well. According to the news an accident happen, it was a rail road accident in which Mr. Mallard was aboard. Mysterious feelings, reactions and expressions come out of Mrs. Mallard as soon as she hears the news. Throughout the story Mrs. Mallards becomes a new person, one that not even herself recognizes. But everything changes in less than one second when the door starts to open. Chopin uses characterization, symbolism and irony to show how happiness can also be dangerous.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" shows how happiness can also be dangerous.
- Analyzes how chopin uses special suspense, the excitement that the woman feels about the news of her husband's death.
- Analyzes how the symbols in the story represent danger for mrs. mallard.
- Analyzes how irony surprises the reader with mrs. mallard's death. the story unexpectedly takes a different way when suddenly someone start to open the front door.
- Analyzes how irony, characterization, and symbolism surprises readers by showing how happiness can also be dangerous.
714 wordsRead More - The Woman of an Houranalytical essayIf any other characters in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” were to read Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts, they would surely be horrified. What sort of sane, caring woman would feel joy and relief at the death of her husband? She must be a terrible person, despite her reasoning for those feelings. How could Mr. Mallard have chosen such a woman for his bride? She’s a gem, truly; note the sarcasm. Though, one does have to consider what else there is to Mrs. Mallard. She is a human and there is much more to her than her seemingly ill feelings toward her late husband, such as her desire for freedom, her genuine care for Mr. Mallard, and her capacity to exhibit strong emotions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" portrays mrs. mallard as a sane, caring woman who feels joy and relief at the death of her husband.
- Describes louise mallard as a woman who enjoys freedom and independence. she fantasizes of her days ahead, living for herself and only herself.
- Analyzes how brently and louise mallard's marriage isn't glaringly wrong, and they're swept up in the moment by overwhelming liberation.
- Analyzes how mrs. mallard is an emotional woman who feels with every fiber of her being. she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms.
- Analyzes how the suffocating weight of what her husband's return meant is what killed mrs. mallard. the loss of freedom and her surging disappointment were too much for her heart.
- Analyzes how louise mallard's feelings are different from those of any other person. she wants freedom from oppression and freedom to be her own woman.
720 wordsRead More - How Does Kate Chopin Use Dramatic Irony In The Story Of An Houranalytical essayKate Chopin uses symbolism in weather in The Story of an Hour, to reflect Ms.Mallard's opinions and emotional state. Chopin also uses dramatic irony to let the reader experience the real truth behind Ms.Mallard’s death. These aspects of literature helps to create chopin’s distinctive writing
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kate chopin's the story of an hour is written in a past period where women didn't obtain any rights. she uses both weather symbolism and dramatic irony to produce her writing style.
- Analyzes how ms.mallard accepts positivity when she realizes that something wonderful has come out of her husband's death.
- Analyzes how chopin uses dramatic irony to let the reader be the only one who knows the truth about ms.mallard's death.
- Analyzes how kate chopin uses symbolism in weather in the story of an hour, to reflect ms.mallard's opinions and emotional state, and dramatic irony to let the reader experience the real truth behind her death.
525 wordsRead More - Kate Chopin's The Story of an Houranalytical essayIn Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, the author shows us the response of a young woman to her husband’s presumed death. Before the news, the widow, Mrs. Mallard, felt trapped in a situation she found to be inescapable. Her marriage made her feel as though her will wasn’t really her own, that she wasn’t really free. However, when the news of her husband’s death reaches her, she finally begins to feel that she has a chance to be free.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" shows us the response of a young woman to her husband’s presumed death.
- Analyzes the character of brently mallard through the reaction of his wife to his apparent death.
- Analyzes how the supporting characters of josephine and richards seem to have no idea what really is going on with mrs. mallard. they see her as a widow grieving herself to the point of illness.
- Analyzes how josephine expects her sister to make herself sick with grief over the loss of her husband.
- Analyzes how hoppin uses false hope to identify the character of mrs. mallard.
547 wordsRead More - Story Of An Hour Setting Analysisanalytical essayIn analyzing Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour” it is unquestionably an ironic, satirical, fiction abundantly filled with literary imagery and raw emotions. Chopin commences the narrative focusing on the frailty of Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition and the extent at which her sister, Josephine and husband’s friend Richards take measures to inform her of her husband’s passing. Mrs. Mallard comes to an emotional impasse grieving over her husband’s sudden accidental death and realizes her newly found emotional freedom that altogether overwhelms her in pure jubilation that is shortly lived.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes kate chopin's "the story of an hour" as an ironic, satirical, fiction abundant with literary imagery and raw emotions.
- Analyzes how the only round and dynamic character in "the story of an hour" is mrs. louise mallard.
- Analyzes how the setting of the story is in the late 1800's when the railroads were being built and telegrams still in use. the plot takes place in mrs. mallard’s bedroom from which her window overlooks the trees and street.
- Analyzes how the imagery portrayed in the first half of the story is solemn, melancholy and grim depicting the protagonist, mrs. mallard, is effortlessly flabbergasted at the harsh news of brently’s disastrous death.
- Analyzes how chopin employs personification towards a feeling that was creeping, approaching, and even trying to possess mrs. mallard to the point she was unable to fight it off.
- Analyzes how the irony and satire set in when josephine and mrs. mallard descend the stairs towards richards when mr.
583 wordsRead More - Freedom In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Houranalytical essayChopin uses “The Story of an Hour” to demonstrate her belief not only in the shackles of marriage in that time, but also the cruelty of warping someone to suit your needs. When Mrs. Mallard’s husband dies she is overcome with joy rather than grief and is instilled with a sense of freedom. However, when all that seemed too good to be true is taken from her she cannot handle it and dies under the weight of this discouragement. Chopin’s theme of liberation achieved through her clever use of language drives home her idea that people should be more independent and less constrained by
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" alludes to the lack of freedom women had in her lifetime, especially those who were married.
- Analyzes how the story opens with an incredibly layered sentence: "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."
- Analyzes how freedom becomes a recurring theme throughout the remainder of the story. she weeps with "wild abandonment" in front of her sister, and finally heads off to her room alone.
- Analyzes how mrs. mallard sees the merry in the melancholy of her husband's death.
- Analyzes how chopin personifies the freedom that is coming to mrs. mallard, and stresses how out of the norm suffrage is for a woman.
- Analyzes how chopin contrasts the life mrs. mallard had and was dreading with the one she now has and welcomes.
- Analyzes how louise mallard has a taste of freedom, but when she descends the stairs with her sister and discovers that her husband is still alive, it kills her.
- Analyzes how chopin uses "the story of an hour" to demonstrate her belief in the shackles of marriage and the cruelty of warping someone to suit your needs.
1055 wordsRead More - Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Houranalytical essayKate Chopin's The Story of an Hour Question #1 Compare and contrast women's roles and marriage in "The Story of an Hour" and "The Yellow Wallpaper." Mrs. Mallard had heart trouble and is very sick. After the news of her husbands death she locked herself in her room and all she could think was she was finally free. She knew she would weep again when she saw her husband with his hands folded in death, but all she could think as she sat in the room all alone was of the many years she would have ahead of her to only live for herself: " But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely" (Danticat 138).
In this essay, the author
- Compares kate chopin's the story of an hour and "the yellow wallpaper." mrs. mallard had heart trouble and was very sick. she locked herself in her room and thought she was finally free.
- Analyzes how the narrator of "yellow wallpaper" is sick. her husband is a physician and he keeps telling her that she's not sick; she hates being stuck in the ugly yellow wallpaper.
- Analyzes how the narrator tear off the wallpaper to let the woman that is behind it out.
- Analyzes how irony plays a major role in "the story of an hour" because mrs. mallard was afflicted with heart trouble and comes to learn that her husband died.
- Analyzes how irony is portrayed in "gertrude talks back." the narrator is talking to her son, hamlet, who doesn't like claudius.
- Analyzes how the narrator tells her son he should find a new girlfriend and experience these things for himself. claudius murdered his dad.
- Explains that they chose to characterize the narrator in "sonny's blues." one of the characteristics that he displays is being very self-observant.
- Analyzes how the narrator is only thinking about himself, when sonny is telling him what he wants to do with his life.
- Analyzes the narrators demeanor towards sonny's friends. he never liked any of his brothers' friends, but after a conversation he didn't hate him anymore.
- Analyzes how the narrator's demeanor changed toward his brother over time. he finally realized that he had to open up and start listening.
- Analyzes the poem "the colonel" and gives 4 specific examples. the wealthy family lives well to the naked eye, with daily papers, pet dogs, and a pistol.
- Analyzes how the poem is effective because it makes you realize that life comes with consequences no matter what kind of life you live.
- Analyzes how the end of the poem shows how living the life of politics can really make you go crazy.
- Analyzes the meaning of the poem "dream deferred" by langston hughes.
1629 wordsRead More - the story of an houranalytical essay“The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, is a story that has been controversial since its publication in 1894, with reviews ranging from highly critical to great acclaim. The story follows Chopin’s character Mrs. Mallard who is introduced at the same time she is receiving news of her husband’s death. The story is largely a mixture of radical views for its time, subtle meanings, and symbolism. While modern day readers read this story with an open mind, many men - of the 1890’s and much of the 1900’s - would have been outraged at its surface meaning. However, even today Chopin’s story receives criticism for being a gross portrayal of a woman's loss. This is due to the fact that many individuals continue to view the story at face value. Nevertheless, readers of Chopin’s story will find themselves reacting either one extreme or the other. But it is this reader participation that is crucial in determining what the story will be. Despite all beliefs, Mrs. Mallard is a woman who is stuck in her time trying to escape society’s constraints, develop her own identity, all while “coping” with the loss of her husband.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kate chopin's "the story of an hour" has been controversial since its publication in 1894, with reviews ranging from highly critical to great acclaim.
- Analyzes how chopin's story begins with the introduction of its protagonist, mrs. mallard, with her first name withheld, while her husband is introduced as brentley.
- Analyzes how chopin is strategic in her story telling, and the reader must continue to read in order to learn that brentley mallard was not abusive, unloving, or even unkind.
- Analyzes how louise sees the things to come and fantasizes about the life ahead of her with the death of brentley mallard.
713 wordsRead More