Analysis of "The Story od an Hour"
Archana Thapa
Professor Credito
ENG 115-550
October 31, 2013
Paper # 3 “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a very interesting story about a young married women and her response to the news of her husband’s death in a train accident. Though the story is short, it touches the reader’s feelings and seems complete to depict the hidden feelings of a widow who discovers freedom rather than despair after her husband’s death. Chopin dramatizes the story in a very fascinating manner with all the details of the feelings and expressions depicted by a young widow. Chopin has even reflected complex issues of female independence, love, and marriage through short yet very effective characterization of the supposedly widowed women.
The serious events and losses in Chopin’s life seem reflected in her views and writing. And this particular story exhibits resemblance to the life of Chopin’s mother, Eliza O’Flaherty whose husband also died in a train accident. The set-up here in the story could be the imagined effect Chopin thought that might have happened to her mother whose marriage was an arranged one and there could be a possibility that Eliza enjoyed the freedom after he husband’s death.
Imagine how a widow would react to the news of her husband’s death. By contrast, Mrs. Mallard, who is the central character as young widow shows sadness at first but later feels a sense of freedom from her inner heart. The emotions she felt are not overcome by despair or by sadness; rather she was more relieved and almost felt rejoiced in the thought that she is no longer in boundary. As in the story, on hearing the news, Mrs. Mallard weeps suddenly and rushes through the stairs and locks herself to her room. She does not even stop back to respond to her sister, Josephine, who is worried on any undesired step that could be taken by her. As Mrs. Mallard enters the room she sits on the comfortable chair and gazes through the window after which she anticipates the pleasure of
Professor Credito
ENG 115-550
October 31, 2013
Paper # 3 “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a very interesting story about a young married women and her response to the news of her husband’s death in a train accident. Though the story is short, it touches the reader’s feelings and seems complete to depict the hidden feelings of a widow who discovers freedom rather than despair after her husband’s death. Chopin dramatizes the story in a very fascinating manner with all the details of the feelings and expressions depicted by a young widow. Chopin has even reflected complex issues of female independence, love, and marriage through short yet very effective characterization of the supposedly widowed women.
The serious events and losses in Chopin’s life seem reflected in her views and writing. And this particular story exhibits resemblance to the life of Chopin’s mother, Eliza O’Flaherty whose husband also died in a train accident. The set-up here in the story could be the imagined effect Chopin thought that might have happened to her mother whose marriage was an arranged one and there could be a possibility that Eliza enjoyed the freedom after he husband’s death.
Imagine how a widow would react to the news of her husband’s death. By contrast, Mrs. Mallard, who is the central character as young widow shows sadness at first but later feels a sense of freedom from her inner heart. The emotions she felt are not overcome by despair or by sadness; rather she was more relieved and almost felt rejoiced in the thought that she is no longer in boundary. As in the story, on hearing the news, Mrs. Mallard weeps suddenly and rushes through the stairs and locks herself to her room. She does not even stop back to respond to her sister, Josephine, who is worried on any undesired step that could be taken by her. As Mrs. Mallard enters the room she sits on the comfortable chair and gazes through the window after which she anticipates the pleasure of