Most of the action takes place in the house, in various rooms but the time is specific to an hour of one day. No state or country is specifically mentioned by Kate Chopin in ‘The Story of an Hour” but the period of the piece is turn of the century America based on her own background. The story is set in the late nineteenth century when woman were trapped in marriages and did not have rights. They were considered the property of their spouse and often lead lives where they were trapped. Mrs. Mallard is typical of wives of the period. Also from the description by Ms. Chopin of where Richard was when he received the news of his friend’s death. He was in ‘the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received’ and confirmed …show more content…
Mallard and the sister of the protagonist, Josephine. Josephine more than Richard uses euphemisms to tell her sister, Mrs. Mallard, that her husband is dead. Mrs. Mallard from all descriptions is fragile and in poor health and has a bad heart. The heart problem is not just a physical ailment but an emotional problem as well. It is from the actions of the supporting characters that we obtain the impression of the fragility of Mrs. Mallard. The rising action is the progression of Mrs. Mallards emotional journey after being told that her husband is dead, the initial reaction when according to the story, “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (Chopin) to the seemingly melancholy while she reflects alone in her room and the struggle she has to remain sad when the knowledge that she is now free to be herself is bubbling up inside and make her jump with joy and abandon of a brighter future. The crisis and climax occur simultaneously because unbeknownst to Mrs. Mallard or the reader, Mr. Mallard is on his way home. In Mrs. Mallard’s moment of happiness and triumph, Mr. Mallard walks in the door and in an instant everything changes. In an ironic twist it is Mrs. Mallard who dies. While Mrs. Mallard sits alone in her room the author states, “There was something coming to her and she was