Story Of An Hour Title Analysis Essay

Engraved in Stone Every person wants his or her life to be more than just a dash between two numbers, so the title that marks the headstone needs to symbolize something much greater. The name carved into the stone once made that individual whom he or she was. A name is the first thing given at birth and the word(s) used to remember and locate someone after death. In life and in death, names are everything. Names define things, and they define Louise Mallard. Woven into “The Story of an Hour,” the qualities and importance of a name are associated with Mrs. Mallard, Louise, and a wife. Although all three of these names belong to a single person, the identity of Louise Mallard is viewed much differently with each title. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin asserts that identity is defined by independence through the changes of Mrs. Mallard’s name throughout the story.

Being known as Mrs. Mallard is accustomed to Louise, but the desire for that seems to be missing. After hearing of her husband’s death, she feels a “possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being” (14). She believes that freedom can finally stand as her first name. Bondage and oppression are lifted from her shoulders, or so she thinks. Louise thinks she is free from the binding of her marriage, but the whole time her life remains constant, despite her unawareness. Reguardless of the way society tries to exalt the identity found within a name, no social convention should have a say in Louise’s identity. Because of the uniqueness and the time that she has owned her name, it is still important to her. In spite of the importance, what defines Louise Mallard is what she would do with her life if ever given the chance to be independent. Her identity, as well as all of society, is not recognized by what will be carved into stone when placed six feet under but by what was done with that