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Comparing The Secret Life Of Walter Mity And The Story Of An Hour

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The analysis of literary techniques allows for connections. In the short stories, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber and The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin, the protagonists Walter Mitty and Louise Mallard are trapped in a marriage that does not allow them to express their true identities. While Walter realizes this throughout the story and has daydreams to escape his unsatisfied life, Mrs. Mallard has a cathartic moment when she realizes the freedom she would have after her husband’s death. Connections between the short stories can be made by considering the protagonists' common character traits and the development of their characters. Viewing Walter and Mrs.Mallard through a psychoanalytic lens reveals a theme of oppression. …show more content…

In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter’s mental state is implied by a storm. As a commander, he states, “We’re going through!”. This represents his desire to escape the troubles of his marriage. Furthermore, Thurber describes Walter when stating, “The Commander’s voice was like thin ice breaking. He wore his full dress uniform, with a heavily braided white cap pulled down rakishly over one cold grey eye” (Thurber, 1). Walter’s association with thin ice, and cold and grey may lead the reader to infer that he is uncaring. In contrast, “The Story of an Hour” uses the spring season to parallel with Mrs. Mallard’s new life and rebirth that she anticipates with excitement. An example of this is when the narrator describes, “the tips of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin, 1). This represents Mallard’s initial feeling of freedom. Mallard had a revelation that there were better days to come. This is represented by the disappearing clouds and the appearing blue sky. Mrs. Mallard is overjoyed by this realization and repeats “over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin, …show more content…

Situational irony is also evident in both stories. Walter’s mundane life contrasts with his adventurous daydreams as his real life of weakness contrasts with his daydreams of dominance. The most ironic conclusion is witnessed in The Story of an Hour when Mrs. Mallard dies, just as she is about to live an autonomous life. The concluding sentence states, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills.” (Chopin, 3). Ending the story with this pun leaves the reader to question if the joy she died from was from seeing her husband or a way to escape the life she did not want to

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Throughout the short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber and the movie based on that short story, the main character, Walter Mitty, faces daydreams to counter his boring reality. He struggles to understand the difference between who he is and what he wants to be. Both the outer world and his mind affect his personality using his relationships with others, his views along with emotions towards the world, and conflicts whether internal or external. For instance, the short story introduces Walter as a middle aged man with a pushy wife and a forgetful tendency.

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In both The Story of an Hour and Hills Like White Elephants, the authors Kate Chopin and Ernest Hemingway describe women and the desire to express themselves and be free and how men influence their decision making. Women strive for a sense of freedom and independence and have the yearning to convey themselves freely. In Kate Chopin’s and Ernest Hemmingway’s stories, the authors suggest the two female main characters in their stories feel suppressed for liberty. Louise Mallard in The Story of an Hour is sick and very lonely. She is

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“I try to live instinctively. And I guess I've always enjoyed living in a fantasy world, daydreaming,” is what American actor, James Duval, once said. In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber, a middle-aged man who lives a boring life retreats to his imagination which allows him to experience glory and success. Thurber uses third person limited omniscient to portray Mitty in a way that shows the oppression and disappointment nearly all humans feel at some point in their lives, validating that fantasies can be used to cope with reality.

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In this story, Mrs Mallard, a woman with heart issues, learned that her husband had passed away. After hearing this information, Mrs. Mallard spent some time alone in her room, soaking up the feeling of finally being set free from him. Instead of crying she was happy at the chance of a new start (Chopin 644-645). It appeared to her sister and Richard that she was upset about her husband’s death but ironically she was happy. She finally had the chance to be free from her husband as well as the expectations of society in the 1800s.

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In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates the personal growth of the dynamic protagonist Louise Mallard, after hearing news of her husband’s death. The third-person narrator telling the story uses deep insight into Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions as she sorts through her feelings after her sister informs her of her husband’s death. During a Character analysis of Louise Mallard, a reader will understand that the delicate Mrs. Mallard transforms her grief into excitement over her newly discovered freedom that leads to her death. As Mrs. Mallard sorts through her grief she realizes the importance of this freedom and the strength that she will be able to do it alone.

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Every person has the right to be and feel free. They have the right to be independent and live happily. Kate Chopin’s, “The Story of an Hour,” focuses on sixty minutes in the life of a young Mrs. Mallard. Upon learning of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard experiences a revelation about her future without a husband. Her life, due to heart problems, suddenly ends after she unexpectedly finds out her husband is actually alive.

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The Contrast of The Story of an Hour While Mrs. Mallard is just starting a new life, so to say, for herself, her life she has known comes to an end. She is just able to become “free, free, free!” (57) when she loses her life. Kate Chopin uses contrast with the news Richard’s gave, the way Mrs. Mallard felt in the room and the doctor’s news to show how women perceived marriage in the 19th century in her story The Story of an Hour.

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Literary Analysis “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to the sudden death of her husband. Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as sad, yet happy that her husband has been killed. Kate Chopin’s “ The Story of an Hour” argues that when a person is controlled and made to live under another person their mental state of mind is affected. The story also argues that when that person is freed from the controlling person their true self can finally be achieved. Kate Chopin portrays these themes by the use of character development; plot control, and irony throughout the story.

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In Story of an Hour, there is a constant theme about Springtime. Not only does Springtime have warm weather and animals, it also portrays happiness and freedom. In this short story, Chopin discusses springtime as a relief that Mrs. Mallard’s husband has died. Springtime shows Mrs. Mallard being “set free” in a time of despair. Dark and gloomy weather usually represents death and pain while springtime portrays the new life that Mrs. Mallard will soon encounter after her husband 's death.

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Mallard reaches a sense of exuberant liberation. She is overwhelmed with feelings of a newfound freedom. Chopin illustrates this burst of hope once again through nature imagery when she writes, “But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air”(Chopin 237). Though Mrs. Mallard tries, she cannot fight the growing sense of freedom that overtakes her. Chopin writes this change as a powerful realization that Mrs. Mallard cannot help but accept.

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The irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” enhances the protagonist’s situation by revealing a deeper meaning. The quote, “She had loved him - sometimes. Often she did not. What did it matter!”

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The Short Story The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin explores the emotions of Louise Mallard a woman with a heart disease. In the hour that the story is told, it ranges from showing Mrs. Mallard different reactions to learning of her husbands death to him surprisingly showing up alive and eventually her untimely death from a heart disease. Although only a brief period of time is shown, many emotions are revealed through the third person omniscient point of view. This point of view shows more than just the protagonists thoughts and is not limited to one person. It allows the readers to know something about Mrs. Mallard that she does not as the story ends after Mrs. Mallard has already died.

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Self-Identity and Freedom The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s story argues that an individual discovers their self-identity only after being freed from confinement.

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The title of the story is ironic because the story is very short and happens so fast which is in 60 minutes. In addition, after Louse or Mrs. Mallard loses her husband, instead of her grieving and feeling lonely, she feels relieved. This is evident when she murmurs “Free, free, free!” (Chopin 70). When one loses a husband, it is expected of her to mourn but in this case, it is ironical because Mrs. Mallard feels relieved and free from her husband’s desires.

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