...American author, Kate Chopin, in her narrative short story, "The Story of an Hour," recounts the story of an hour in the life of Mrs. Louise Mallard, a young woman "with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength" (Chopin, 605). Chopin's purpose for writing this short story is to address the lack of independence and social status that was an everyday part of life for married women living in the Victorian era. She adopts a sympathetic tone in order to appeal to similar feelings and experiences in her female readers. In 1870, Kate married Oscar Chopin, a Louisiana businessman of French-Creole descent. In New Orleans, where Chopin and her husband lived until 1879, she was among Southern high society. Proper Southern women of this time were expected to be submissive, compliant and stoic. Coming from a long line of Southern females, I know this to be true. The society of this era viewed the altruistic wife, reliant on her husband and devoted to her children, as the feminine ideal. Chopin's forward-thinking literary works of the late nineteenth century were not considered socially acceptable, so it wasn't until the 1960s or 1970s that she became "an integral part of the evolution of feminism" (katechopin.org). Chopin begins "The Story of an Hour" with an instant, essential revelation of the story's pinnacle. Readers learn in the first sentence that the story's main character, Mrs. Mallard, is "afflicted with a heart trouble" (Chopin 605) and she...
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...Found in Kate Chopin's Short Stories Kimberley J. Dorsey Stevenson University English 152, Writing About Literature 152-OME1 Charlotte Wulf November 14, 2010 Abstract Many of Kate Chopin’s short stories share the common themes of female oppression. The females in her stories are trying to find a way to escape their oppression and have a sense freedom and individuality. They either commit adultery or fantasize about it as a way to explore their feminine sexuality and obtain a sense of freedom. Common Themes Found in Kate Chopin's Short Stories Kate Chopin, an American novelist and short story writer. Born in 1851 and died in 1904 (cerebral hemorrhage). Chopin lived in Louisiana during her marriage to a Louisiana businessman and began writing after her husband’s death; being left to raise six children alone. Many of her stories are based on her knowledge of Creole and Cajun life during the time she lived there. She is best known for her novel “The Awakening,” considered Chopin’s masterpiece was subject to harsh criticism at the time criticism for its frank approach to sexual themes (Toth, 1988-1999, p. 1). Her attitude seen throughout her writing’s are about a woman’s place as being in the home and her purpose in life is to nurture her husband and children. Being against oppression Chopin chose to write about these issues through fiction, expressing real women. Kate Chopin is considered...
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...In “The Story of an Hour” published in Vogue in 1894 author Kate Chopin wrote about a woman named Mrs. Mallard who is given bad news that her husband has been killed in a railroad disaster. In a second story by Kate Chopin “The Storm” published in Louisiana State University, in 1969 Chopin writes about a woman named ‘Calixte’ who had an affair on her husband with a past lover during a storm. The last story by Kate Chopin “Desiree Baby’s” is about an orphan who got married and had a baby by a well-known and respected man whose attitude towards her changed due to the skin color of their son. These three stories have many similarities and differences in the type of male dominated oppression and relieve each woman felt in their marriage. For instance,...
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...Kate Chopin is one of the most famous writers in 19th century. Her short story “ The Story of An Hour” is one of the most outstanding works in her numerous novels. Although the length of this story is short, and it has less than two-thousands words, it wins the favor of many critics because its exquisite language, dramatic plot, changing creative skills, and deep themes. This story tells readers a one hour story in Mrs. Mallard’s life. Mrs. Mallard has heart disease, so her sister and her husband’s friend tell the news of Mr. Mallard’s death very carefully. They both think when Louise hears the news, she will get sick. However, Mrs. Mallard feels very excited, even looks like a goddess of Victory. Though the news makes her sad, she finally...
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...The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin analysis In the following I will analyse the short story “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin. The short story is written on April 19 1894. In the short story we are introduced to 4 characters: Louise Mallard, Josephine, Richard and Brently Mallard. Louise Mallard is the main character in the story. Louise Mallard is married to Brently Mallard. She was afflicted with a heart trouble. Louise lived in an unhappy marriage. “And yet she had loved him- sometimes. Often she had not”. At first when she hears that her husband has been killed in a railroad accident she is miserable, but then she turns out fine. She becomes happy and feels free. “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.” She has a dull stare in her eyes. Josephine is Louise Mallards sister. Her husband is Richard. She is the one telling her sister about Brently’s death. Richard is a friend of Brently Mallard and he is also married to Josephine. He is the one seeing Brently’s name leading the list of killed persons in the railroad accident. Brently Mallard is Louise Mallards husband. First he is assumed dead but in the end of the story it reveals that the news about his death was a mistake. The story is set in the home of Louise and Brently Mallard. When Louise is informed about her husband’s death she went into her own room to be alone where she sits down in a comfortable roomy armchair facing the window...
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...Analytic Review of “Story of an Hour” ENG125: Introduction to Literature Instructor: Rozlyn Truss-Linder 12/3/2012 2 When reading “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, I found myself very intrigued by both the author and the story. This short story is full of instances and characters the mirror Kate’s own life and tell volumes about the kind of woman she was. There was also quite a bit of the character development that really pointed to the historical movements of the time. I am impressed that the imagery is so complete and clear that the story really seems to come alive as you read. After careful consideration I decided that the best method to analyze this story and all of its components is through a Biographical/Historical approach. The Story of An Hour is a short story that describes a scene involving a woman whose sister has informed her that her husband was killed in a railroad accident. In this story, the young woman who suffers from a heart condition, immediately goes into hysterical weeping and retires to her bedroom where after a short time she comes to a realization that she is free to live her own life and that this could be a positive turning point for her and emerges a new woman, strong and ready to face whatever awaits her. It is only a short time later that she leaves her room and goes out to experience this new existence when to her surprise her husband shows up at the door unharmed and she falls dead. In the beginning of the story we meet a character...
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...husband death involving a train accident. Richards, a close friend of Mr. Mallard, knows that Louise does have heart trouble. So when relaying the information, they “ break to her as gently as possible the news of her husbands death (Kate Chopin IP1).” Going to her room, Louise locks herself in. Now standing there she’s finds a “roomy armchair” facing an open window. The sadness she’s feeling is gradually turning into joy. Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour” Louise Mallard experiences rare emotions when grieving, which leads to her ironical death. To begin Mrs. Louise Mallard suffers from a heart condition and when asked to believe the story of her husband’s departure, “she did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept significants (Kate Chopin IP3)." Her response was one-off; Mrs. Mallard sobs once and then locking herself in her room. Once sitting in her room she lets her mind run crazy, thinking of what she will do without Mr. Mallard? Could she ever do anything without him? However "There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it fearfully..creeping out of the sky, reaching Puhlmann 2 towards her through sounds, scents, and colors that filled the air(Kate Chopin IP9)." Louise originally shattered, but thinking she begins to like what her future might be like without Mr. Mallard. In this time period society thinks that women cannot do as much as men. At this time her mind is running a hundred miles an hour with...
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...6th, 2014 Abstract The following paper discusses and analyzes the work “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. The story uses the irony of life to show that marriage can be full of undisclosed hatred, suppression, and unpleasantness between partners – a point that remains concealed from the outside world. “The Story of an Hour” is a story about a married couple. The story begins with the wife hearing the news of the death of her husband. The news, instead of sending her into a shock, sends her into a state of excitement. Her excitement remains concealed from the people around her, who assume that she is under great shock. However, her excitement does not last too long, and she again faces news. This time, the news arrives with the arrival of her husband in front of her. Unable to control her feelings of sadness, she falls and dies on the spot. The paper takes into account multiple readings of various authors, compares their stance, and studies their views of the story. The paper establishes the point that time is running very quickly, and the story also revolves around the importance of time. It concludes with the outcome that if married couples trust each other, interconnect well, and resolve their problems, instead of thinking evil of each other, their relation is likely to remain flourishing. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin The background of “The Story of an Hour” sets its foundations on the moralities of marriage. Marriage is a respected commitment...
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...“The Story of an Hour” is a short story, written by Kate Chopin, which conveys the heavy use of irony and symbolism to express the feelings of the main character, Louise Mallard, as she deals with the sudden loss of her husband. Published in 1894, “The Story of an Hour” portrays a young woman who has learned of the death of her husband and is then overcome with a series of different emotions as the story progresses (Chopin). Evident in the story, the symbols portray a wide array of meaning as it describes the feeling of freedom that overcomes Louise as she begins to realize that the death of her husband is more of a blessing than a tragedy. Furthermore, the feelings that Louise begins to feel after she has come to her realization are apparent through the...
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...free time with socializing, instead of taking care of family related things. In the lights of these circumstances, the feminist approach has revealed itself in literature. One of the good examples of feminist literature is Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour”, which exposes the lack of freedom of women in the 1800s. In her story, Chopin estimates the situation of women in marriage and she looks at the life from a female perspective. Mrs. Mallard, the heroine of the story, is a cardiac patient, who had been told what to do by her husband and could not make choices for herself. In a way, Chopin portrays what it is like to be a woman in the late nineteenth century through an ill protagonist. In the story Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband is dead, even though she is emotional at first, she leaps for joy with the recognition of freedom. However, when Mrs. Mallard learns her husband is alive, which means she will lose her moment of freedom all over again, she dies. “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.” (Chopin 3) Analyzing of “The Story of an Hour” through the historical and feminist lenses, it can interpreted as an illustrating of a woman’s lack of freedom in a male-dominated society. “The Story of an Hour” was written in the Victorian Era, when a wife was responsible for all household chores without...
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...Hannah Radney Professor Andrew J. DiNicola English 1102 July 22, 2014 Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”: Character Analysis of Louise Mallard Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” (1894) is a fictional short story presumably set in America in the late 19th century. Chopin’s story is a description of an hour in the life of Louise Mallard, the protagonist in the story. The subject of the story is the transformation of Louise Mallard after she learns about the supposed death of her husband, Brently Mallard; what she thinks and how she feels as she is alone and contemplates self-assertion for the first time. (Koloski) Chopin first introduces the reader to the main character as only Mrs. Mallard. Given the time period of the story, Chopin directs the reader to the conclusion that Mrs. Mallard has no identity of her own. This reference to her as only by her husband’s last name foreshadows how marriage represses Mrs. Mallard and realistically like many women of this time in history. The virtuous wife, in Mrs. Mallard’s world, accepts the idea that her husband has a right to impose a private will upon her. (Jamil) During the time period in which the story takes place, married women are in a subservient role to their husbands under the “femme covert laws.” “Covert refers to a woman’s legal status after marriage: legally upon marriage, the husband and wife were treated as one entity. In essence, the wife’s separate legal existence disappeared as far as property.” (Lewis 1) A married...
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...March 8th,2016 A very dull and boring story can be made into a great story simply by adding in something that is unexpected to happen. When the unexpected is used in literature it is known as irony. An author uses irony to shock the reader by adding a twist to the story. In “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm” both by Kate Chopin and her use of irony in the story is incredibly done more than once. Kate Chopin does a great job in placing irony into this short story and makes the reader understand that the unexpected happens in life. Kate's story is based on the idea that marriage in the late 19th century was viewed as oppressive. This was based on the fact that in the late 19th century woman had few rights in the public eye and their duties revolved around household chores and raising children. Feminism was not the only theme Kate used in this short story to entertain her readers, she also strategically placed literary ironies to keep the readers interest. In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour,” there is so much irony. Louise Mallard is about to be told about the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. This is for sure to take a toll on an old woman with a bad heart condition. One can start to feel the irony right after she is told of her husband’s death. She retreats to her room alone where she sits in a comfortable chair and stares out the window. It is what she sees out the window that shows some irony of the story. Through the window, Louise sees “the tops...
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...Marriage and Women’s Roles in the Late Nineteenth Century: Kate Copin’s Commentary on Women’s Lives in the Late 1800s Every human being deserves the right to choose how his or her own life is lived. As women in the late nineteenth century began to disassociate with cultural norms of the time period, writers began to reflect this historical shift. In Kate Chopin’s didactic short story, “The Story of an Hour,” the author demonstrates the way many women felt about their marriages during that time: trapped in a meaningless life. Chopin’s story works as a cautionary and informative commentary substantiating how women felt about divorce and marriage in the late nineteenth century, and the author attempts to educate her audience in order to show that women deserve better than a life of servitude to a husband. The circumstances surrounding Louise Mallard’s reaction to the death of her husband are at first predictable but then quickly shift to a surprising response: Louise is elated as she realizes that "there would be no one to live for during these coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin 353). This realization deontes Chopin’s main argument in this...
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... “The story of an hour” is a short story written by Kate Chopin. According to Wikipedia, she was born Katherine O’Flaherty on February 8, 1850, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. “The story of an hour” was written on April 19, 1894 but was originally published in Vogue on December 6, 1894 as “The Dream of an Hour”. It was first reprinted in St. Louis Life on January 5, 1895 as “The story of an Hour”. The reason behind the title of the short story is because the whole story is within an hour. The structure Chopin chose for the story fits the subject perfectly. The story is short, made up of a series of short paragraphs, many of which consist of just two or three sentences. Likewise, the story only covers only an hour of in Louise’s life. It starts with the wife Louise Mallard finding about the death of her husband Mr. Brently Mallard. She reacts with obvious grieving stages, but what’s odd about her reaction is once she’s upstairs by herself and she starts thinking, Louise Mallard begins to feel an unexpected sense of exhilaration. She felt a sense of freedom, a sense of Independence. At the end of the story Mr. Brently Mallard walks in and she dies. Doctors said she died because of the happiness she felt by seeing him. Kate Chopins’ short story, “The story of an hour,” makes the statement that humans...
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...Running head: ESSAY 6.1: THE STORY OF AN HOUR Essay 6.1: The Story of an Hour Jeremy Todd Macy ITT Technical Institute Essay 6.1: The Story of an Hour Freedom!!! Liberation!!! The idea of living your life for yourself, not others; it is something that we all dream of at some point in our lives, but how many of us actually achieve that? Whether we feel trapped in a job that we hate, a bad friendship, or a bad marriage, there is something inside us that yearns to be free. We long for that weight to be taken off of our shoulders. Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour takes us through these emotions, only to find out at the end that these emotions are fleeting, and then reality sets in. What will be discussed in this paper is the plot of the story and those feelings that are experienced, Kate Chopin’s life experiences and how that experience influenced this story, as well as my reaction to the story. The story starts off with Mrs. Mallard( we don’t know her first name) being told some distressing news. Josephine, her sister, is trying to relay this horrible news in the most delicate matter. Mrs. Mallard has severe heart problems, although she is young. Brentley, her husband, was killed in a train accident. She weeps, with “sudden, wild abandonment”, at the news (Woodlief, Study Text). She then sinks into an armchair, and begins to ponder the future. The sky opens up, showing the calming blue. Her horizons seem to broaden, she gets a feeling of starting over, fresh. She is still...
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