Symbolism

In this story by Kate Chopin, the heart trouble is both a symbolic and physical malady that stands for her ambivalence towards her unhappiness and marriage conjoined inability to be free. The first thing we qauire in the book is that Louise is suffering from a heart problem;additionally we learn that her heart problem is also the reason why the announcement of the death of Brently seems so threatening now. It is also clear that an individual with a heart problem would certainly not deal with such terrible news. In any instance where Louise tries to go through the idea of her renewed independence, her heart races as the blood in her veins pumps to the extremes. As the story ends, Louise dies. The diagnosis of her heart disease looks appropriate to her disease but it seems even more appropriate since she experienced shock once she saw Brently. Surely, such shock is enough to drive her to her deathbed. It is however ironic that the doctor concludes that the main reason as to the death of Louiseis overwhelming joy. It is ironic because it is not joy that had led to her death but rather loss of joy, which had killed her. Louise had certainly died because of a broken heart that was caused by the idea of suddenly losing her much loved independence (Chopin, The Story of an Hour)
An Open window
The window in the story that Louise kept staring much of the time in the story represents the opportunities and the freedom that stood in the way of her life once her husband was dead. Through the window,Louise can see fluffy clouds, blue skies, and treetops. She smells a coming rainstorm; she can hear people and singing birds through the window. All she goesthrough her renewed life suggests new life and a spring of rebound joy. Indulged in this new...

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...t act on its own programming. The house cannot therefore make any decisions to stop working from the humans who are already dead. The house therefore represents order in the midst of chaos; the house is the only thing that is functioning with all the things around it destroyed. It is the only thing that bears meaning despite there being total destruction after nuclearwar; it is the only place that holds to purpose despite the meaningless things happening. The house tries to fight entropy but does not win, it rubble just falls into the larger rubble of the city that is now destroyed. This symbolizes the pessimistic view of determination of humans in the search for meaning in the world (Chopin, There Will Come Soft Rains).

Work Cited
Chopin, Kate, and Per Seyersted. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1970. Print.