Story of an Hour

Kyona Stephens
1/16/14
Period 6- English IV Honors
Dr.Freeman

The story of an hour by Kate Chopin is about how a woman feels about her husband's death.

The death of her husband makes her happy because marriage confined her and she wasn't

able to be free.

In this short story, the main character Mrs.Mallard shows emotions and support about what

has just happened in her life. When she finds out in the beginning about her husband's death

It's natural for her to be upset with the death of her husband, but it was her sister who broke

the news to her. From the beginning of the story, Kate makes it clear that Mrs.Mallard has

heart problems which is some ways makes her weak, adding to the news of her husband.

Another way that Mrs.Mallard is seen as the "weaker" sex is because she goes to her room

alone to continue her grief. When she goes in the room, in the story it says that "into

this she sank, pressed down by a a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed

to reach her soul". (Kate Chopin 145) In this scene, this shows that her strong emotions

caused her physical exhaustion. Once her emotions are no longer present within her,

Mrs.Mallard begins to appear as a stronger woman which is where the feminist cristism

takes effect. Later on as shes's in her room, she looks through the large open window

which signifies the open opportunities available for her now. She begins to see that her

marriage had made her into a lesser person. She realizes that she had been living

through limitations caused from being married.

The story says "there would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistance with which

men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature".

This quote shows the feminist critism was assumed women were oppressed and shows the

patriarchal idelogy. Mrs.Mallard was bending her will and freedom to a white man that

held all the control in the relationship. To question your husband at this period in time means

that you were being an out of control wife. As the story goes on, Mrs.Mallard develops her

own identity. She has no identity because her title is really just the name given to her by

her husband's last name. After she realizes how free she is; you can begin to see her as an

actual person. Her emotions and thoughts aren't about her dead husband anymore; instead

it's about her living without limits. She comes into her own individual person.

This story shows how the thoughts of a woman can change without limitations. The death of

herhusband gave her a new look of life in the future. Now that she could live for herself, she

wanted nothing more than to have a long time to enjoy it. With this freedom came the irony

of the story. I think the shock and disappointment in not bieng allowed the new life is what

killed her. For many years women have tried finding their place in society, which is hard

when males are usually perceived as the leaders or ones who control their wives.

In “The Story of an Hour” Chopin explains the freedom of a once married woman, and

how much she enjoys her freedom from being married, this story is based on the role of

women in marriage and relationships.