Story Of An Hour Symbolism Essay

The Story of An Hour is a fiction story written by the legendary writer Kate Chopin in 1894. The story narrates the life and times of a ‘widow’ soon after receiving news of her husband’s demise through a railroad accident. The fiction is rich with literary styles and spoiled especially with symbolism and theme. Symbolism is defined as an artistic skill where a writer uses symbols and images to represent ideas, facts or natural objects. Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant (Literary Devices, 2016). The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin shows a negative view in marriage in the 1800’s. This paper is about the use of symbolism and themes in the story, and its importance to the plot development.
One of the places where symbolism was used is when
One of the most dominant themes is the role of women in marriage. Women are considered objects of subjection and control in a marriage. When a woman gets married, she seems to take orders from their male partner. The role of women then becomes as an underdog who has no freedom. The other theme that is explored in details is the cruelty or oppression associated with marriages. The writer notes with concern that the marriage institution is marred with oppression, regardless of the amount of love the couples have. This idea is developed in Louise who seems to be very sad that her husband has died, while at the same time seems to be very excited at learning that her husband is truly dead. This is interpreted as the joy that came with knowing that she had finally been freed from the oppression she has experienced all through her marriage life. After marrying her husband, she feels she lost control of her life and had to give in to Brentley’s will. This joy is showed by how she walks after realizing her husband was dead, like a goddess of