ipl-logo

Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis Essay

1420 Words6 Pages

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Louise Mallard moves from hearing the word of her husband Brently’s alleged and mistaken death, to her own premature death. A literal and symbolic demise of a woman with a troubled heart. Amid both incidents, Louise contemplates and embraces the rewarding opportunities of a husband-free life. Primarily, the story’s emphasis is on Louise’s reactions, alone. An apt choice for a character portrayed as egocentric or self-centered. Images in “The Story of an Hour” convey Louise’s new revelation of the possibly of her release from being a wife. As though, she’d been in a captive marriage. An outlook which appears unjustified, and warped. Generally, “The Story of an Hour” reveals that Louise has completely opposing ideas of what her life means as a wife and who she now, as a widow. The key …show more content…

Primarily, the central symbol in the story is Louises’ heart condition which represents her physical and emotional weakness, and her unhealthy view of love. At first, it can be understood how Louise’s losing a husband she loves would be a devastating shock for a woman with a heart condition, but her unexpected reaction to the news brings doubt to the authenticity of her love. It’s not the usual grief-stricken reaction a reader would anticipate a new widow to exhibit. The concern to tenderly inform Louise of Brentley’s passing, indicates her heart condition is also seen by others as making her emotionally and physically delicate. In fact, her first reaction is an excessively emotional outburst of swift and intense crying. Contrary, to how countless other wives are initially too numb to react to the news of the loss of a loved one.

Show More
Related

Similarities Between The Yellow Wallpaper And The Story Of An Hour

1275 Words | 6 Pages

The topic of the story is The Forbidden Joy of Independence. " The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is about Louise Mallard, a woman in a traditional Victorian marriage, who receives the news that her husband was killed in an accident. After her grief subsides, she begins to see opportunity and freedom in her future. Later in ther story Mrs. Mallard dies just when she is beginning to live. On first reading, the ending seems almost too ironic for belief.

Read More

Who Is Louise Mallard A Dynamic Character

1191 Words | 5 Pages

In this character analysis I’ve chosen to review Mrs. Louise Mallard from Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”. Louise is the protagonist in this story and even though the story covers a short span of time, we can see that she is a dynamic character. The story begins with Louise being told of the death of her husband, shown how she processes this information and through it finds a new joy, and then she suddenly dies after discovering realizing that Mr. Mallard was still alive. Throughout the story she’s seen by other characters as frail, but the narrator shows her inner strength. Some readers might view her as callous while others might see her as an abused woman redeemed.

Read More

Story Of An Hour Psychoanalytic Lens

469 Words | 2 Pages

The Story of The Story of an Hour The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin plays into Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychology that the Id, Ego and the Superego control the unconscious, desires, and the defenses of the individual. Through the psychoanalytic lens of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin we perceive her emotional journey and how that is initially driven by the Id, Ego, and Superego creating quite the ironic revelation. As Louise Mallard moves from learning of her husband’s death to learning of his survival, her id, superego, and ego all make an appearance through her actions and thoughts. The ego is how an individual copes with their unconscious desires. The ego can be seen taking power in Louise’s thoughts as she sits thinking in a chair “…there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder…

Read More

Societal Restraints In Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour

699 Words | 3 Pages

In Kate Chopin's "Story of An Hour," the readers are taken on a journey of the mixed, scattered emotions of the main character, Louise. Louise battle between accepting her true emotion, happiness, and feeling grief as society expects her to once she learns that her husband has died. Since the story is told in third person limited point of view, the readers are clearly able to see this fight of emotions and the changes within the story's protagonist. Not only does this show the complexity of the issue, but it also illustrates Chopin's view on societal restraints. An analysis of character, setting, and rhetorical devices in Chopin's "Story of An Hour" shows that society's expectations can be damaging.

Read More

Irony In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

739 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Gender Norms In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

632 Words | 3 Pages

Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour” is set in the late 1800s – a time when women were considered inferior to men. Women had traditional roles as wives and mothers. In this 19th century patriarchal society, Chopin shows us Louise Mallard, the main character, who does not comply with the female gender norms of the Victorian period. When Louise learns about the death of her husband, her reaction and the reaction of her sister and the doctor tell us a great deal about gender stereotyping during this time. Louise Mallard is described to us as “firm” and “fair.

Read More

Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

454 Words | 2 Pages

In the story of the hour, theirs many symbols throughout the story that helps understand the character point of view. After Louise finds out about her husband’s accident, she shows of grief of her partner. After realizing her true feelings, most people would think differently of her showing no remorse of her husband. The independence and freedom she now has excites her, makes her feel like a new person. In the story there three main symbols that show meaning and emotion, which helps the reader understand the character point.

Read More

Story Of An Hour Character Analysis Essay

940 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

1096 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

507 Words | 3 Pages

In “The Story of an Hour”, the main character is Mrs. Louise Mallard, married to Mr. Brently Mallard. Louise had heart problems, therefore her sister and husband’s friend were very careful about how they would tell Louise of her husband’s death. They had feared that she might have a heart attack from the terrible news. As described in the story, “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone.”

Read More

The Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

828 Words | 4 Pages

Louise’s victory in accepting her husband’s death is a feeling that she now cannot live without. The ultimate death of Louise Mallard is one that represents physical and emotional defeat. In this dramatic short story, Chopin uses imagery to sew together a tapestry of emotions all encompassed in an ill-stricken widow. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.”

Read More

Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

1369 Words | 6 Pages

Using the 1890’s time period, which we know by the use of a telegram, and the description of Louise Mallard, the reader is able to fill in the gaps left by the lack of detail about Louise’s marriage. The word usage and previous knowledge about women’s rights in other eras uncover the reason for Louise’s emotional state. For a woman who lives in a world with “equal rights” between men and women, I find myself unable to imagine life repressed by men as Louise had to endure. Death is a double-edged sword that can be both bitter and sweet. In the case of Louise, her death was bitter because of her lack of a free and full life; her death was sweet because it was a better alternative to being alive without truly living.

Read More

Story Of An Hour Relationships

1204 Words | 5 Pages

She thought to herself “ there would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin). We can tell that she is happy about the situation because “she had been freed from a constricting marriage” in which she followed who and what her husband allowed her to do (Foote 85). Louise would be described as a modern woman in an olden age. Louise “was among that kind of women who were different from the traditional ones,” she wanted to be equal like man (Wan 167). In “The Story of an Hour” we are reminded that “women should attach themselves to their husbands,” in this case Louise did not do this with her husband ( Wan 167).

Read More

Story Of An Hour Title Analysis Essay

804 Words | 4 Pages

Names define things, and they define Louise Mallard. Woven into “The Story of an Hour,” the qualities and importance of a name are associated with Mrs. Mallard, Louise, and a wife. Although all three of these names belong to a single person, the identity of Louise Mallard is viewed much differently with each title. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin asserts that identity is defined by independence through the changes of Mrs. Mallard’s name throughout the story.

Read More

Emotions In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

953 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis Essay

Related Topics

Open Document