Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

249 Words1 Pages
In Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour the particular quote, “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills” (Chopin) stands out among the rest. The pure irony and contrasting word choice allow for an affective final quote to finish the story and impact the reader. The specific words in, “of the joy that kills,” nearly cancel each other out. There is no joy in death, especially when the death is caused by an ailment of the heart as stated earlier in the quote. The words are straightforward and plain, unlike the rest of the story. They stick right to the point without having the added distraction of description. In addition to this, there is an extreme amount of irony in the quote. The