He story of an hour. Literary Analysis: The Story Of An Hour 2022-11-05
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"The Story of an Hour" is a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894. It tells the story of Louise Mallard, a woman who receives the news that her husband has died in a train accident. Initially, Louise is devastated by the news and retreats to her bedroom to be alone. However, as she sits and contemplates her future, she begins to feel a sense of freedom and liberation.
As Louise contemplates her newfound freedom, she realizes that she has been living a life of oppression and domesticity, trapped in a loveless marriage. She begins to see the possibility of a life filled with independence and self-fulfillment. She imagines herself being able to travel and enjoy the simple pleasures of life without the constraints of a husband.
However, just as Louise is starting to embrace this new sense of self, her husband returns home, having miraculously survived the accident. Louise is shocked and overwhelmed by the turn of events, and she collapses and dies of a heart attack.
The story of an hour is a poignant tale about the complexities of marriage and the struggle for self-discovery and autonomy. It speaks to the experiences of many women who have felt trapped in oppressive and unfulfilling relationships. Through the character of Louise Mallard, Kate Chopin deftly illustrates the importance of having the freedom to determine one's own path in life and the dangers of letting societal expectations dictate one's choices.
The Story of an Hour Themes
Last but not least, we will have a look at the symbols that Chopin used. Because the reader doesn't know anything about any part of the story, every sentence gains importance and have to be read and interpreted carefully. When she was informed that her husband is dead, she acts accordingly, thinking how every woman would act. She also disagrees with the marriage institution. It was later reprinted in St. This realization of possibility is the source of her joy and "she breathed a quick prayer that life might be long".
In this moment, Louise recognizes the rare opportunity she now has to escape this patriarchal dynamic. Meanwhile, Louise only loved him "sometimes" and "often she had not loved him". Although Louise tells us that they loved each other and Brent always cared for her, his marriage institution position makes him an "oppressor" for her. But it also works to show you that during that time women should be passive, subservient and unexcitable. She thought Harry loves her so much.
Therefore, women had to try to mold themselves into this role, leading many times to depression and other issues. In a 2004 article, author Mark Cunningham explores the reason behind Mrs. She thinks that all women and men oppress one another even if they do it out of kindness. After emerging from her room following the news of her husband, "she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. Her grief is in line with the traditional ethics and morality of society.
A Psychoanalytical Reading of Chopin's "Story of an Hour"
Her heart beats quickly, and she feels very warm. The references to the sky, the sounds, the scents, and the color of the air harken back to the springtime imagery from a couple paragraphs earlier. The Story of an Hour: Conclusion In conclusion, Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour tells the story of an oppressed woman under the marriage constitution. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her.
She would have no one follow her. Louise realizes that she will no longer be subjected to the powerful rules and norms of marriage, which cause humans to blindly and stubbornly impose themselves on one another. She begins repeating the word Free! From the perspective of ordinary people, the death of her husband must be a great blow, and Mrs. Lastly, Richards, a friend of Brent, also first saw the news about the train accident. She is very sad. Read Chopin's allegory about freedom from a cage, her short-short story, Essay Prompt: Tell the same story from Josephine's point of view remember, Louisa keeps her door shut most of the time. Her physical excitement has now been reframed as an indication of her happiness regarding her new independent life.
The Story of an Hour Analysis: Introduction This is the story of a woman who appears lively than ever when she thinks her husband is dead and dies when she learns that he is alive. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom. Death of Freedom Louise begins to revel in what this new freedom can bring her and embrace it. She keeps her joy to herself and revels in the idea that her new life—which will be full of freedom—is totally and completely her own. The story's falling action is the point where Mr Maillard is back from his trip, thinking how strange everyone looks so shocked. Mallard faces as a wife.
Most of the readers think that Louise will cry and be devastated, Chopin shows the story's climax. It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. But Richards was too late. I am not making myself ill. Having just attained her sense of self possession, she immediately knows that the presence of her husband means going back to the confined life she knew. Chopin's story is a great example of the literary device called Historical Context Feminist literature, both fiction and non-fiction, supports feminist goals for the equal rights of women in their economic, social, civic, and political status relative to men. Mallard died from the shock created by the mere idea that her new found freedom and self possession was to be stolen from her.
Alone, she falls into a chair placed before an open window. Discuss the concept of repression and Chopin's assertion of her real cause of death: "the joy that kills. The heart is often used to symbolize a loving relationship, but here her troubled heart symbolizes her troubled marriage. Retrieved November 13, 2017. Therefore, people who have been deprived of a possibility to address their deep-seated sexual urges for a considerable period of time, tend to sublimate their mental insecurities into specifics of how they perceive surrounding reality.
She hears someone singing as well as the sounds of sparrows, and there are fluffy white clouds in the sky. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long. Although she is upset and grieves him at first, she comes to realize that she now has her freedom to live her life only for herself. Order custom essay Story of an Hour: Symbolism with free plagiarism report The shackles placed on her by her husband were as real as her troubled heart, and with his passing these shackles were unlocked and she had been set free. Mallard also celebrates how her remaining time is her own. She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name.
