Preview

Kate Chopin's Short Story Of An Hour

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
255 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Kate Chopin's Short Story Of An Hour
The argument that Kate Chopin makes within this story is that women during this particular time period did not have many of the rights women have today. In fact, this story is set during 1894 where it was very common to see women married living in the shadows of their husbands. Women did not even receive the right to vote until the year of 1920. Louise Mallard is the main character, she is a white middle class women married to Brently Mallard. When Louise first receives the news of the recent death of her husband due to a tragic train accident, she instantly feels free. A feeling that most married women today might not feel when they receive this devastating news. My response to this argument is that in order for Louise to feel free, she
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    How Does Kate Chopin Use Imagery In The Story Of An Hour
    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages

    How Does Kate Chopin Use Imagery In The Story Of An Hour

    Chopin uses imagery and descriptive detail to contrast the rich possibilities for which Mrs. Mallard yearns with the drab reality of her everyday life. Chopin uses specific words to give the reader a background on Mrs. Mallard’s position. Chopin uses “Fearfully” to describe what Mrs. Mallard’s reaction is when she finds out her husband is dead and realized that she is on her own. The word “Fearfully” shows that Mrs. Mallard did in fact love her husband. It does this by giving the reader the implication that she was worried about how she would live without him to be there for her. She was afraid to go on without having him there for her. Later on in the story the use of the word “Unwittingly” describes Mrs. Mallard’s mood. This shows that Mrs. Mallard had made peace with her husband’s death, and she is doing what she has to do. Mrs. Mallard is not going to worry about her husband’s death because she has…

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Multiple Emotions In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page

    Multiple Emotions In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    In Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallord experiences multiple emotions. After hearing of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallord goes through different stages of grieving. She experiences grief, relief, and remorse. The first emotion she experiences is grief. “ She wept with sudden abandonment in her sister’s arms” is an example of her sorrow ( Chopin 223). The next emotion she feels is relief. After being married to Mr. Mallord for so long she is relieved to be a free women. She whispers “free, free, free” repeatedly to herself in her bedroom ( 224). She also states “ Free! Body and soul, free” showing her relief of finally being an independent woman(224). After feeling joy of being a free woman, she starts to feel remorse. Mrs. Mallord…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Irony In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Irony In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin gives us a very interesting look at how an hour can be such a long time. This story is filled with irony. Every time that you think that you have the plot figured out, Chopin tosses in another twist that throws our minds for a loop. As I read this story the first time I thought how strange, but as I read it again and again I started pick up bits and pieces of what the author was trying to convey.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Oppressive: Oppression and Mrs. Mallard
    • 1315 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Oppressive: Oppression and Mrs. Mallard

    Mrs. Mallard has heart problems, and she hears the news that her husband, Brently, has died in a train accident from her sister, Josephine, and her husband's friend, Richards. At first she starts crying thinking about abandonment, but that ceased when Mrs. Mallard goes to her room. She becomes filled with joy when she realizes that she is free. Louise and Brently love each other, but Louise still feels oppressed. Louise feels oppressed because Chopin lived from 1851-1904 and during those times women's rights weren't a priority. The wives were supposed to listen to their husbands and do as they said. The story never talks about Brently forcing Louise to do anything, but when Louise is being described, it states: "She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength" ( 516). Mrs. Mallard's lines on her face are caused by repression. She has a strength of being a woman and is able to handle being in a marriage. When Louise is sitting in her room staring out the window at the sky, she realizes she has regained her independence and is excited about it. She is free! She thinks about the future and feels a joy about living for herself and says a quick prayer that her life will be long. On page 517 it states, "There would be no powerful will bending hers…

    • 1315 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Perspective In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Perspective In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” - Frederick Douglass.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Story Of An Hour' By Kate Chopin
    • 153 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Story Of An Hour' By Kate Chopin

    “In the blink of an eye everything can change.” These words perfectly describe the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. In this short story, Mrs.Mallard’s world is turned upside down when she finds out that her husband has died. Within that hour Mrs.Mallard’s life continues to drastically change as she comes to realize that she is free to live her life how she wants. Mrs.Mallard only grieves the loss of her husband for a little while then she can’t help but say over and over that she is free. Although Mrs.Mallard was going to be sad at Mr.Mallard’s funeral she was looking forward to the coming years where her years would belong to only her. Despite the fact that Mrs.Mallard quickly got over her husband’s death her life changed…

    • 153 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin - Character
    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages

    "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin - Character

    A dynamic character is a major character in a work of fiction that encounters conflict and is changed by it. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the emotional pattern and thought process of Louise Mallard after she is informed of her husband’s death are explored. Over the course of the hour in which the story takes place Louise has a realization about the constraints she feels in her life and in her marriage. By delineating Louise as a flat and dynamic character, Chopin is able to convey her theme that real freedom is found in death.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Female Oppression In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Female Oppression In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    During the nineteenth century a woman's job usually consisted of cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. In the story Kate Chopin gives examples of how the main character Mrs. Mallard feels about gender roles. A good example from the story, “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair, into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach her soul”(Chopin…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin's 'Story Of An Hour'
    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin's 'Story Of An Hour'

    In the short story, Story of an Hour, Chopin illustrates that societal expectations will subdue and repress one’s identity. Firstly, in the very first paragraph it is noted that Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with heart trouble; naturally, one would presume that she is of quite some age, however, in the eighth paragraph it reads, “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.” (Chopin, 8th paragraph) This comes as a surprise to the reader as it was originally inferred that she was much older but now that the reader becomes aware of her age, they are able to deduce how much psychological and emotional strain must have been pressed upon her to have lines that “bespoke repression” at such a young age. As well, Mrs. Mallard may have been inclined to enjoy those first few moments of newfound freedom in solitude, as she would not like anyone to see her in peace after her husband’s death. This sentence accurately illustrates how societal norms have repressed her identity, causing her to even hide from her sister to avoid questioning.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    How Did Kate Chopin Write A Literary Response To The Story Of An Hour
    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages

    How Did Kate Chopin Write A Literary Response To The Story Of An Hour

    In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin begins her short story from the terrifying experience in which the bearer of bad news weighs between outcomes of relaying bad news to the intended recipient – Mrs. Mallard. Louise Mallard is reported to be a highly vulnerable human being. This forces her sister Josephine to take great precaution in relaying the news of her husband’s death. In the true spirit of good winning against evil, Chopin, although a feminist, equates the ending of the story to the desired ending of a comedy by killing Mrs. Mallard thus proving her immature ego and self-victimization. Berkove dismissed any suggestion that Mrs. Mallard was a heroine and promoted her as a…

    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mrs Mallard Oppression
    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Mrs Mallard Oppression

    Author Kate Chopin paints the picture of Mrs. Mallard, a woman of the late 19th century, trapped in an unwanted marriage. In the story, Mrs. Mallard is comforted by her sister Josephine and Richard, her husband's close friend. Richard and Josephine must break the news of Mr. Brently Mallard's death very delicately to Louise, for she is "afflicted with a heart trouble" (362) and any distress may worsen her pre-existing condition. However, after hearing of her husband‘s tragic death, Louise spends time in her room basking in illustrious liberation; "spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days…would be her own" (363). To show the oppression Mrs. Mallard experiences, the…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Story Of An Hour Feminist Analysis
    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Story Of An Hour Feminist Analysis

    We are first introduced to Mrs. Mallard, but the reader is not given a first name until closer to the end due to it is not considered important. Louise Mallard suffers from a heart problem and by reading the story seems very delicate. . They are considered a working class couple where Mr. Mallard is a railroad worker and Mrs. Mallard is a housewife. When looking at the Mallards they seem to be a pretty normal married couple in the nineteenth century. Mrs. Mallard was told that her husband was in a dreadful accident by the railroad. When Josephine, her sister, broke the news to her along with her husband’s friend Richard, at first Louise shut down. She cried in her sister’s arms and then grieved alone in her bedroom. Chopin was very descriptive when she says that Mallard was sitting looking out into the blue sky, then leaning her head back into the cushion falling asleep until a sob came up into her throat and shook her. All of…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Precis of "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A Precis of "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

    Mrs. Loise Mallard husband, Brently Mallard, has died in a train accident, according to a report received at a newspaper office.…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mrs. Mallard In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin
    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mrs. Mallard In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    In “The Story of an Hour”, written by Kate Chopin, one of the forerunners of American feminist literature, patches of dark sky clear to reveal a spring day to Louise Mallard as she realizes she is free from the oppression of her husband and reclaims the right to live a life that is all her own; her husband’s death possibly symbolizes the ruse that is the end of female oppression in the late nineteenth-century. Mrs. Mallard’s lament lasted only a short while after hearing the news of her husband’s supposed demise at the hands of a locomotive, only to be enveloped by an overwhelming joy once she realizes she no longer will fall prey to the implied despotism of her husband. Louise’s death at the end of the short story would be rendered purposeless if there were no subtext to be discussed. As…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour, Happiness Or Tragedy?
    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour, Happiness Or Tragedy?

    Kate Chopin, an American writer born in 1850, is best recognized for her short, but meaningful stories for children and adults. Although Chopin was way ahead of her time, her work was well criticized for the experts across the country. Chopin was considered a leader writer with “a native aptitude for narration amounting almost to genius.” (Garrett) Chopin was married, and after her husband passed away, she was into a deep debt. The implications and consequences of being married impacted Chopin’s life, leading her into writing to avoid the depression that was taking power over her. In “Story of an hour,” first published in Vogue in 1894, Chopin suggests that a person’s happiness should not depend on…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More