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Story Of An Hour Identity Essay

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“The identity of one changes with how one perceives reality” -Vithu Jeyaloganathan In philosophy, identity is a relationship between something and only itself. Such a description is accurate within The Story of an Hour, a tale that follows the actions of Louise Mallard as she learns of her husband's supposed “death” (1).¹ The sudden news of such a tragedy leaves Louise to grieve, realizing that she is now alone. However, this loneliness is also freedom, something Louise has possibly never felt and allows Louise to discover a new identity. The Story of an Hour exemplifies a theme of personal identity and emphasizes how mindset plays a huge role in the discovery, and even loss, of self. Themes of personal identity are seen consistently throughout …show more content…

One must understand that identity is not something created, it is discovered, and it’s discovered as people’s mindsets change and evolve. The understanding of oneself relies greatly on the understanding and perception of everything around. The change in mindset is a frequent occurrence throughout The Story of an Hour. For one, the concept of freedom is itself a change in mindset as it indicates Louise has originally only thought of herself as trapped but gains her freedom once Mr. Mallard dies. Additionally, Louise’s mindset of grief quickly turns to one of joy as “she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (2). Louise begins to think of the future and all she can do with her freedom, something she has never done before. Her outlook becomes one of excitement and determination to enjoy her freedom. “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (2). Louise’s mindset changes rapidly and drastically throughout the story, but none so more than her sudden despair and shock as she realizes her husband is alive. The doctors even say her mindset played a factor in her death. Louise “die[s] of heart disease--of the joy that kills” (2). This statement, exemplifying the magnitude of the role of mindset in the story, is partially true. Yes, Louise dies of joy, but not the joy of her husband returning. She dies of the joy she experienced upstairs, primarily her sudden loss of her newfound

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01.05 Prompt 2 The short story, “The Story of an Hour”, is about a woman being told about her husband’s death. Her sister and her husband’s friend came to tell her the news the best they can, because Louise Mallard had heart trouble. When she was told the news of her husband, Brently’s death in a railroad accident she screamed and wept. Mrs. Mallard experienced many emotions.

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In addition, she has countless dreams where she is somewhere else in gardens and greenhouses, somewhere angelic and somewhere she feels free of pain and somewhere she can roam as she pleases. In the story "The Story of an Hour" the reader takes a look into the thoughts of a woman named Louise who has heart troubles and just found out her husband died in a railroad accident.

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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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This shows a balance between gender roles, as well as the embracing progressive changes within culture and society. In the story “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, a third-person omniscient narrator, relates how Mrs. Louise Mallard, the protagonist, experiences the euphoria of freedom rather than the grief of loneliness after hearing about her husband’s death. Later, when Mrs. Mallard discovers that her husband, Mr. Brently Mallard, still lives, she realizes that all her aspiration for freedom has gone. The shock and disappointment kills Mrs. Mallard.

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Another theme that is present is the theme of freedom. At first, she does not have much freedom at all and throughout the duration of they story she is confined in her home. Her newfound freedom gave her much joy but as she left her room, it was cut much too short due to her untimely death. The Story of an Hour has many structural, stylistic, and literary approaches that make it a very powerful

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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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