Story Of An Hour Tone
There are many different tones, themes, characters, and symbolism in the short story "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin explains the story of a negative view of marriage by showing the reader with a woman who is overjoyed that her husband has died, also the characters in the story itself goes through multiply changes from fear to depression to finally freedom. The lone character, who goes through the most change be far throughout the entire story is the main character Mrs. Louise Mallard. This transformation doesn't just help change the character of Louise Mallard, further the themes of the story and solidify the tones that the author are trying to set for the story. Of the many themes that are displayed at one point in the "The Story...show more content...
This use of irony is not used up until the conclusion of the story. Once Louise comes out of her room at last to be with her family and be consulted she receives the shock of her life and sees her Brently walk through the front door. When the doctors reveal that Louise had died due to overwhelming joy of see her husband alive, but in reality Louise had died from the utter disappointment of she seeing Brently walk through the door and seeing that she would not be free her bitter marriage. As Mark Cunningham writes "... it makes the irony of the doctors' statement that Louise dies of "joy that kills" resounds in ways that are more complex than the common understanding..." The other tone that most people tend to gather around is a dramatic tone. Chopin establishes the dramatic tone by describing the scene in which Louise runs to her room to be alone. The amount of detail that Chopin put into describing the room and the actions of Louise, Chopin wanted the readers to feel what Louise was experiencing when she is alone in her
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Essay
Interpatation
What Does It Really Mean?
"The Story of an hour" a complex piece of literature by Kate Chopin, has various interpretations to it. This story has, one definite interpretation, which is the following: life has to go on no matter what is happened in the past. In this story, Chopin implies Ms. Mallard's husband has been very cruel to her in her lifetime. However, she never lets her husband get in the way, finally he dies, and, she thinks she is free although she really is not.
To prove that Chopin implies Ms. Mallard's husband was cruel to her. Chopin states, "When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: free, free, free!"...show more content...
So now, she is ready to live life the way she wanted to in the first place. Unlike other wives who were still crying, she knew life must go on so she was over the fact that her husband was dead. For her it was better, he is dead because she was going on about being free, free, free.
To support what Chopin is trying to say here is a description of what Ms. Mallard is feeling like at the time of her husbands death: "They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body" (para, 11). Now if your significant other passed away would your body be relaxed? In this case, it seems like she is feeling a feeling she has never felt before, very relaxed and calm. In addition, al though out the story Ms. Mallard is caught stating "Free Body and soul free!"(para, 16). This only shows that Ms. Mallard's is more satisfied that her husband has died, than she is upset.
The end to this story enhances Chopin's explanation because once she finds out that her husband is not dead it puts her in so big of a shock that she dies herself. The story gives a reason for her death which said, "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease – of joy that kills"( para, 23).
This means she knew that she was going to loose all the freedom she dreamt about as her husband strutted in through the doors, so she passed away. However,
The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin Essay
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin is very intriguing, not only because of the emotional change Louise Mallard goes through the hour after her husband's tragic death but also the way Chopin uses irony in the story. During this analysis of "The Story of an Hour" we will discuss the summary, plot, setting, tone, theme, point of view, emotions of Louise Mallard and other characters involved in the story. Chopin's story uses the feelings of a married woman in the late 1890's and feminine identities, to help the reader better understand married life of a woman during that period in time. In the story, Louise Mallard is a young woman with a heart condition who recently is informed of her husband's...show more content...
I believe the story is very effective with the methods Chopin used to write with. "We are told of the joy she feels with the freedom she finds in her husband's death, but we are not specifically told that she is skeptical of marriage in general" (Hicks 1).The setting for this story is based in the spring of 1984 in Louisiana, "the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life" (Chopin 2). In the story, Chopin does not describe many things with detail, she describes the only furniture as being "comfortable, roomy armchair" (Chopin 2). Chopin also describes Mrs. Mallard as being, "young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even certain strength" (Chopin 2). The only method of transportation that is mentioned in the story is railroad and the only reason that method of transportation is mentioned is because that is how they believed Mr. Mallard died in a horrible railroad disaster.
Chopin portrayed all of the characters very well throughout the story, which helped the story read better. Louise Mallard is the protagonist in this story and the antagonist is the bandage she has on in her role as a wife in the 1800's. There are only a few characters in this story and the main character is Louise Mallard, she is very well developed and changes throughout the story. After finding out about her husband's death she runs to her room and goes through many emotional changes. At first Louise is sad and then she
An Hour Story
The Story of an Hour: Story Analysis "The Story of an Hour" is a great portrayal of how married women felt during the 1870s. This story is a serious representation of how difficult it was to get divorced during that time. Throughout this short story, a woman by the name of Louise Mallard rejoices at the news of her husband's death. Due to her disappointment of seeing that her husband had not actually passed, Mrs. Mallard dies. One might question why she was overjoyed by that upsetting news; however, she was justified in feeling cheerful. In this story, Mrs. Mallard states numerous times how she felt "free". Having this mindset after hearing her husband had passed one has reason to believe Mrs. Mallard and her husband's marriage was not a
Essay The Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin's impressive literary piece, The Story of an Hour, encompasses the story of an hour of life, an hour of freedom. We must seize the day and live our lives to the fullest without any constraints. This very rich and complete short story carries a lot of meaning and touches a readers feelings as well as mind. Throughout this piece much symbolism is brought about, which only helps us to understand the meaning and success of Kate Chopin's work. Kate allows her reader to think and allows us to understand the meaning of her story with the different uses of symbols such as heart troubles, the armchair, the open window, springtime, and the calm face and goddess of victory. We eventually realize little by little that Mrs. Mallard...show more content...
This is where the story takes a positive turn and where Mrs. Mallard begins to recognize her freedom for the first time. The open window is symbolically Mrs. Mallard's connection to the world and fresh start at life. Sometimes we open windows to let new fresh air in and let the old air out. She was getting rid of her old life and was finally accepting and loving her freedom and the new opportunities to come after the death of Mr. Mallard.
As her tears fade sitting in her comfortable armchair adjacent from the open window, she stares out into the new spring life. The four seasons spring, summer, fall, and winter are symbolic of the stages of our life. Chopin chooses spring as the season for this story to symbolize the new life that Mrs. Mallard thinks is awaiting her. Her husband's death is no longer a burden to the life she will be living, but is key to the life she had been missing. "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life." She first weeps at the thought of living life without her husband, but when she stares out into the world she sees all that she has to offer and that the entire time her husband was holding her back. Now she has the opportunity to live her life to her fullest and is excited with
Story of an Hour
Story of an Hour Kate Chopin 's the "Story of an Hour" includes a vast amount of literary devices. Irony, foreshadowing, personification, imagery, symbolism, metaphor and repetition are some of the major literary techniques used by Chopin within this short story about a woman named Mrs. Mallard. Although the story covers only one hour in the life of the main character, the use of these various literary techniques present the theme of the story to the reader in a very entertaining manner. The "Story of an Hour" is primarily a story of great irony. Irony is first demonstrated when Mrs. Mallard who has a serious heart condition finds out the news about the sudden death of her husband. Although she appears upset and goes to her room...show more content...
This again shows how depressing her life really was with her husband.
Visual imagery is used in the story by Chopin to help the reader create an image of the words and scenes she is presenting in the story. As an example of this imagery she writes: "there were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window". With imagery, she also helps us feel the miserable world Mrs. Mallard lived in. "She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of victory". Chopin also includes symbolism as a literary device when Mrs. Mallard stares out the window of her room. The view through the window is symbolic of a new world with no restrictions and limitations now that her husband is dead. She also used symbolism when she said, "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds." Her ultimate death due to a heart attack is also symbolic of the loss of her love for her husband.
The basic symbol of the story involves the new life she would be able to live alone. Divorce was rare in Mrs. Mallard 's days, but the news of her husband 's death offers her a chance at a new beginning. "She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of victory." This symbolizes the strength that Mrs. Mallard had during this time period, and shows that she will conquer obstacles in her future.
Chopin uses repetition to emphasize a particular idea. For instance, when she said, "free,
Story Of An Hour Theme
Uncertainty of Life in "Story of an Hour" Becomes a Theme In "Story of an Hour", by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard is the round protagonist, who experiences many different emotions, because of the uncertainty of life marriage has brought her. Mrs. Mallard is unaware of the struggle within herself until changes occur that force her to see it. Mrs. Mallard at last becomes overcome by social battles but the reality of the story is not about winning or losing the battle, but the resolution that originates from the battle. Mrs. Mallard is the round protagonist in the story who is from the late nineteenth–century. In paragraph one of "Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard is described as having "heart trouble" principally meaning she has a health condition....show more content...
Mallard can be considered a dynamic character also, because she goes through a change throughout the story. After hearing the news that her husband has passed from a train accident, she is saddened at first, in the story it declares, "She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms" (para. 3). However, Mrs. Mallard does not stay sad for long, because once she gets to her room and she's alone, a sense of relief comes over her. Was Chopin trying to hint to us that relationships in the nineteenth–century meant the wives were trapped to their husbands legally by control? Widows back then didn't have the obligation to follow a husband, their legal credit came after their husband passed. Once their husband passed, then they were able to regain control over their lives. Mrs. Mallard's excitement of "Free! Body and soul free!" (para. 16) tells the reader exactly how she feels in that moment of realization. There is a specific part in the story where Mrs. Mallard has an epiphany, realizing she now possesses freedom. Marriage can be a big adjustment for a young woman who feels like her life is over. She admits she loves her husband but only sometimes, so what they were going through in their house is a mystery. Mrs. Mallard's dynamic character shows the changes she goes through when dealing with her husband's death to a sense of peace in her new found
The Story Of An Hour
In "The Story of an Hour" we are taken through a journey. The journey is the thoughts and emotions going through Mrs. Mallards (Louise) mind. The journey only takes an hour, so everything moves at a fast pace. Louise seemed to process the news of her husband's death without an initial element of disbelief and shock. She goes right into the reaction of grieving for her husband. She quickly begins to feel other emotions. At first she does not understand them. The journey is a way that Louise comes to her final thoughts of freedom. She looks into the future and looks forward to living a long life on her own terms.
The beginning of the story sets the theme for the whole story. We are told about the heart condition that inflicts Louise. This is significant throughout the story. The heart condition is a symbolic way of describing her thoughts of oppression she felt about her marriage. She was trapped and isolated by the marriage. She felt the need to hide these feelings. Women of her era were supposed to be home and under their husbands command. The story has her going through this journey privately. That is significant in the fact that now in her husband's passing, she will be alone. She will need to work through things by herself. She will be able to go through the whole process on her own, without being judged and persuaded to feel differently.
She grieves for her husband a very short time. She then begins to feel a sense of freedom. This initially makes her feel guilty and
The Story Of An Hour Essay
In "The Story of an Hour," I can relate to so many different things that go on in this short tragic story. After reading the story I almost felt like Louise Mallard and I were living the same life with different events and a different outcome. Everything about the two of us comes down to being always misunderstood and just wanting to be free.
In the beginning of the story, we look at Louise Mallard from a bird's eye point of view. Louise is introduced as a devoted young wife who has been told the news of her husband's unfortunate death. When Chopin goes deeper into Louise's thoughts and feelings, they surprisingly contradict her initial description of her. I grew up in New Jersey my whole life. I lived in a huge house and everyone in...show more content...
That's why I understand Louise so much. We were not what people expected us to be. We were just living our life how we had to.
Louise Mallard is seen by the reader as dependent and helpless because of how she is treated by others, even her own sister. When the news comes about her husband being killed, she tells her like one would tell a child that their dog just died. You can just sense how Louise has dealt with being hovered over her whole life by her sister. A good example of this is when her sister is pleading with her to come out of the room that she has locked herself into saying, " Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door you will make yourself ill (16, paragraph 17.)" Being able to read Louise's thoughts, you discover that she is not weak in her mind and spirit, she is just highly confined.
In my life, being hovered over is an everyday, every hour, and every minute kind of thing for me. Since I was a baby, my parents have been highly overprotective. Like Louise, I am looked at by my parents as dependent and helpless. I am very much independent, but I am some what confined. Though I live by myself in a whole different state than my parents; it sometimes feels like they live right next door. The fact that my parents pay all of my bills, and on top of that pay me an allowance of someone with a full time job every Friday, seems to give them a right to barge in on my life. Having no complaints about any of this, I
Story of an Hour
The Story of an Hour
1. There are many themes in The Story of An Hour; 'heart trouble' – which describes not only the physical affliction of Mrs Mallard but also the emotional suffering in her marriage. Three other themes that are prominent within this story are; death, freedom and oppression. Though, the themes of freedom and oppression can be seen as the main themes within this story, as we see the character of Mrs Mallard – a Mallard is a type of wild duck, which can be seen as being symbolic of her need to be free and to live for herself – struggle to cope with the apparent death of her husband. 'She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment', until she was alone in her room where she began to come to the realisation that she had...show more content...
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3. The story begins by introducing Mrs Mallard as a woman afflicted with 'heart trouble', 'and this meant that great care had to be taken while she was informed of her husband's death'.
The writer choosing to use the words heart trouble in place of illness or disease, which would have been more precisely descriptive, alludes to the fact that the heart trouble is much more than a physical misfortune, but also the source of emotional turmoil in Mrs Mallard's life – specifically relating to her husband – as the heart is seen as a symbol for love and the epicentre of emotion in the human body.
After hearing of the news of her husband's apparent death, Mrs Mallard is stricken by grief and hastily retires to her bedroom. Here she finds a chair 'facing the window' and as she is in an extremely emotional state the chair becomes a symbol of consolation and safety for the newly found widow. The words 'comfortable' and 'roomy' are used to describe the chair, which is the first sign of any positive emotive language within this story and a complete contrast to phrases previously used, such as 'storm of grief' and 'disaster'. The writer shows us that Mrs Mallard is now battling with her emotions and as she sinks into the chair 'pushed down by physical exhaustion' the chair becomes not only a physical rest, but a symbol of the emotional support that she otherwise
Story Of An Hour
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin 1. Describe your experience in reading "The Story of an Hour." Did the story surprise you, annoy you, entertain you? Why? Did it hold your interest? Why or why not? In reading "The Story of an Hour" for the first time in high school, it was very confusing for me. It was not until I read the story in the literature textbook in this class that the story was made very clear to me because the text has many side comments that explains the story in a more modern English. This time reading the story, I was very interested in knowing of the thoughts that Mrs. Mallard had in her mind. Her point of view was much clearer and I was able to make connections to the rest of the story because of this clarity. It was very intriguing to me because it held me in suspense throughout the story, which is always interesting in reading literary work....show more content...
What is the narrator's attitude toward Mrs. Mallard? Where do you find this attitude most clearly suggested? The narrator was showing throughout the story a sense of sympathy but mostly was understanding of Mrs. Mallard. This is shown in the way that the author was portraying to the reader of what was going on in the head of Mrs. Mallard, as if the author was agreeing and understanding of the thoughts of Mrs. Mallard. Indeed, this could be proven by looking at the texts and seeing that Mrs. Mallard did not say much during the time that she was in her room. In fact, most of the text comes from the words of the author, who is clearly stating their