The Story of an Hour

Setup: Mrs. Mallard is to be informed by her sister Josephine of the tragedy of her husband's sudden death. Initiating Incident: Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine and friend Richard reveal to her that her husband was killed in a train wreck. Protagonist's Objective: Mrs. Mallard rushes upstairs to her bedroom alone to weep and reflect on the situation. Development: After having thought of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard becomes aware of the fact that she has been set free from her unhappy marriage of so many years. Climax: The moment Brently Mallard enters through the front door, revealing he was alive and well. Resolution or Denouement: Mrs. Mallard was pronounced dead of heart disease. She was finally set free from her husband. Irony: Mrs. Mallard was set free from by her own death, and not the death of her husband.

Literary Analysis
Setting: Late 1800’s Characters: Protagonist: Mrs. Mallard
Minor: Josephine, Richard, Brently Mallard Point of View: Third person omniscient Conflict: Man vs. himself. Mrs. Mallard cannot allow anyone to know how she truly feels of her husband’s death.
Theme: The desire of freedom one longs for. Other Elements: (Symbols, dialect, stream of consciousness, imagery, etc.)
When Mrs. Mallard sat in her chair as she gazed out the window she was able to see blue vivid skies and the colors of the air even though she had received news of her husband passing. Biographical Relevance: The story relates to the author because she was raised in a time era when divorce was absolutely unacceptable. Husbands and wives were to remain married although they may have felt they had a dull and unsatisfying marriage. Thesis Statement: “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin exposes Mrs. Mallard’s true emotions as she was finally set free from the unhappiness of her marriage. Comments: I enjoyed the story. Reminds me of the saying “be careful what you wish