Irony In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

Irony and its Effects in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a story about Louise Mallard–a woman who lived through the Victorian Era in the eighteenth century when women had no voice, rights, or self-sufficiency. Mrs. Mallard experiences a rollercoaster of emotions after the death of her husband: ranging from grief to joy. The irony stimulates a shocking–unexpected reaction from the audience towards the end of the story. Situational and dramatic irony is effective and major techniques the writer has used to manipulate the audience’s emotions, and perspectives–it also enables the sharing of obscure and secretive moments with the reader. Irony first occurs when Louise’s husband passes away from a freaky railroad accident. At first, Louise experiences grief for a period of time–until she has an epiphany and celebrates his death–which was NOT what the audience intended.

Instead of feeling optimistic, she literally dies from disappointment. This is displayed in the last few sentences: “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.” (Chopin 2). The dramatic irony is the audience knows that Louise dropped dead because she was in shock and disappointed her husband came back because she realizes her freedom was very short-lasting, and she will, unfortunately, have to return to her submissive self. Everyone else seems to assume she dropped dead because she is so happy to see her husband. The dramatic irony is displayed as it enables the reader to feel empathy or pity for Louise, especially because of the time period–the readers understand why Louise reacted the way she did when her husband died. This alludes back to the Victorian Era In addition to manipulating the readers’ emotions, the story also stimulates a bond that makes the audience feel closer to Louise and her