The Everlasting Symbols of Irony “When the Doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - - of the joy that kills.” (Chopin 4). The Story of an Hour is a short story published by Kate Chopin that consists of a woman who was diagnosed with a heart disease and appears to present a rather complex relationship with her husband who was presumed to be killed in a work-based accident. Throughout the story, there are symbols that significantly expressed the setting and the primary characters involved. Examples of the symbols could include: a heart as it represents Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition as well as her variant emotions; the window, whether it be opened or closed, could represent Mrs. Mallard’s freedom and life in a sense that she wanted to pass before she found new hope through the observance of the sky, and lastly, the chair which could represent Mrs. Mallard’s freedom and newfound independence after being oppressed within her relationship and society’s expectations of women in that period of time. References to the symbolism of the heart could be found throughout the story …show more content…
It is their prominence, by that; it means that all three symbols hold a more than significant meaning for the process of the story. The heart, window, and chair might seem to be a rather absurd piece of significance, however, they are the sole coordinators of the story and to not feature those symbols would more than likely not set the pace of the story and without a suitable replacement would more than likely feature the story as being less compelling and would leave blank spaces within key events in the story. Thankfully, those symbols are present and the story is and will be etched into short-story history as a riveting tale of peculiar irony. As mentioned before, many symbols are significantly represented within the this story, but those few truly summarize the story in its