Symbolism In Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour

1. I think the setting of the story is so limited to symbolize that Louise is in her own prison. After her husband died, she exclaimed that she was free (1). This means that while she was with her husband, she must have felt trapped, most likely because he oppressed her. The door to the house might also symbolize prison. Once her husband died, Louise was free from her prison, but once her husband returned through the door (2), she was thrown back into her prison because she had to live a life of being oppressed by him. The limitation of the setting conveys to the broader them of being trapped and having no way out. Since the house represented prison, Louise was essentially trapped in her own home. This relates to how Louise felt about her own sense of power. While she was

I think Josephine represents compassion in “Story of an Hour.” Josephine spoke in half-truths when telling Louise about the death of her husband to prevent her from having a heart attack from the emotional impact (1). Josephine could also be considered to be a protector, since she was trying to protect her sister from illness. Richard, on the other hand, represents facts. When Richard discovered that Brently had died, he waited until he had more evidence before deciding to tell Josephine. This means that Richard was an analytical person who checked their facts and made sure that they were correct before sharing their results. The two also represent the stereotypical roles of males and females. Females are stereotypically more emotional and compassionate, just like Josephine was, while men are stereotypically more cold-hearted and not as emotional, just like Richard was.
7. I think Chopin stated that Louise descended the stairs “like a goddess of victory” (2), because she had finally been victorious. She is victorious because she was finally a free woman. She no longer had to deal with the oppression from her husband, meaning that she was free to make her own decisions and live her own