Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis Essay
The short story “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin was about a lady named Louise Mallard finding out her husband has died. Mrs. Mallards reaction to hearing her husband death wasn’t your typical reaction. What I mean by that was when Louise got the news she just locked herself in her room alone saying to herself free at last. She loved her husband but wanted nothing more than to be free from him being controlling. Mrs. Mallard suffered from a heart condition which is why in the story her sister Josephine is very much worried that she is in a room alone after hearing the news. Her heart condition is another reason why she was always being watched and couldn’t do things for herself.
In class we worked on different elements of literary analysis.
The element I chose was character because it helped me develop the story and get all the details of the events occurring. The protagonist in the story was Louise Mallard. She’s the protagonist because the story is about her, the main conflict revolved around her. The antagonist in the story is Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition. I say that’s the antagonist because that is the reason she died in the end and that is one of the reasons she was never able to do things on her own. Through out the whole story we are looking at things from Mrs. Mallards point of view. We know exactly what she’s thinking and why she is having those feelings.
Louise has an epiphany in the story. On paragraphs 14-16 it is said that Mrs. Mallard “feels that no one can live for her anymore, she would live for herself.” (525) She loved her husband most times, but she didn’t want to be trapped anymore, love didn’t even matter to her. In paragraph 16 she stated to herself “Free! Body and soul free!” She felt happier knowing her husband wouldn’t return home and she can fend for herself. What Louise didn’t know was that actually her husband was in fact alive and returned home right when she was pronounced dead from “heart disease.”
In class we worked on different elements of literary analysis.
The element I chose was character because it helped me develop the story and get all the details of the events occurring. The protagonist in the story was Louise Mallard. She’s the protagonist because the story is about her, the main conflict revolved around her. The antagonist in the story is Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition. I say that’s the antagonist because that is the reason she died in the end and that is one of the reasons she was never able to do things on her own. Through out the whole story we are looking at things from Mrs. Mallards point of view. We know exactly what she’s thinking and why she is having those feelings.
Louise has an epiphany in the story. On paragraphs 14-16 it is said that Mrs. Mallard “feels that no one can live for her anymore, she would live for herself.” (525) She loved her husband most times, but she didn’t want to be trapped anymore, love didn’t even matter to her. In paragraph 16 she stated to herself “Free! Body and soul free!” She felt happier knowing her husband wouldn’t return home and she can fend for herself. What Louise didn’t know was that actually her husband was in fact alive and returned home right when she was pronounced dead from “heart disease.”