Story Of An Hour Critical Analysis - 824 Words

Kate Chopins 1894 short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† shows the main character Louise Mallards emotional roller coaster with the incorrect knowledge of her husbands untimely demise from a train wreck. This short story dives deep into the gender inequality of the time using the gingerly way the family informs her of her husbands demise due to what the writer refers to as heart trouble, to her sister’s reaction to Louise exclaiming â€Å"Free! Body and soul free!† (151). Kate Chopin places you in in Louise’s chair, forcing the reader to empathize and interpret her feelings rather than explicitly stating what the woman is going through. Leaving the information ambiguous about who or what is her oppressor allows the reader to infer as to what†¦show more content†¦Kate goes into great detail about Louise’s hands, â€Å"as powerless as her two white slender hands† (151) eluding the reader that she had no ability to stop herself from r eacting to this knowledge of the situation giving her a dainty feel until her great awaking. When she starts looking out the open window it allows her to think more than just about the now, a but about the pull of freedom that up to this point she never has. This idea leads to the reader to believe that there isn’t so much of an issue of the husband oppressing her but of self-suppression. Her instant reaction of weeping rather than the pose as other woman of the time would have done by wondering how she would carry on shows may \be more of an emotional reaction to her marriage. As I read this short story there is definite tones of self-oppression and or societal pressures on this woman more than her husband that has placed this on her. Kate’s personal life becomes prevalent in this story because of her strong female role models in her mother and grandmother acted allowed her to break away from held beliefs of the day. The writer left husbandless with young children but also left fatherless left her to not only to grow up learning that women can support themselves that it can lead to a for filing life. This shows when Louise is â€Å"drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window† (151) dreaming about the future unencumbered by the man at that point she saw as a weight on herShow MoreRelatedStory Of An Hour Critical Analysis1083 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† Everyone has lost a loved one or has seen and experienced a situation in which another person has lost their loved one. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, published in 1894, details that moment in a womans life when her world is shattered and the process of self-consciousness begins. Louise Mallard, wife of Richard Mallard, a successful businessman. Louise Mallard is a woman ahead of her time, by the standards of the 1890’s she should be happy. Her husband loves her;Read MoreStory Of An Hour Critical Analysis797 Words   |  4 PagesChopin’s goes in depth on several complex issues involving the females role in marriage. The story was originally published in 1894 a time when marriage was define by the man. A female transitioned from being a daughter into an arranged marriage, this was a normal routine for most young women at the time. Leaving women with a lack of independence and much confusion regarding their marriage. The main character faces confl icting emotions at the reveal of her husbands death. She is then overtakenRead MoreStory Of An Hour Critical Analysis1651 Words   |  7 Pagescontext clues so readers can establish where the story is taken place. Literatures can give away great pieces of information where readers are able to connect the past time periods to the current time period. The nineteenth- century is all about the controversial standards for women. Author Kate Chopin writes literatures about women during the nineteenth century. One of her stories show a glimpse of the modern-day standards for women. â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is about a woman name Ms. MallardRead MoreStory Of An Hour Critical Analysis1123 Words   |  5 Pagesfeminist author who, composing a plethora of short stories, poems, and novels, played a large role in revolutionizing how society views and treats women in relation to men. Although she did not live to experience women’s suffrage or many of the other laws th at protect women’s rights today, her role in realizing them was invaluable (Harris 461). When viewed through a feminist lens, one of Chopin’s most famous short stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† provides insight into how women of the nineteenthRead MoreStory Of An Hour Critical Analysis770 Words   |  4 PagesChopin’s short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour (1894),† portrays that the confinements placed on women due to gender roles was unjust. Chopin illustrates this through the progression of Mrs. Mallards emotions and thoughts after learning of her husbands supposed death, as well as alluding to their form of marriage. Chopins purpose is to point out how unjust woman were treated in society in order to bring about change on such treatment. Given the time period, Chopin dedicated her short story to women andRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour Critical Analysis Essay1184 Words   |  5 PagesThe Story of an hour written by Kate Chopin is the best s hort-story because theme, characters, point of view, and style show the attitude that some women felt or may feel regarding marriage being repressive in their life and a longing for freedom. The story opens with Mrs. Mallard’s sister Josephine informing her that her husband has been killed. Because of Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition Josephine and Richards, who is a friend of the family and there to help deliver the news, are concerned with howRead More Critical Analysis of Mrs. Mallards Emotions in The Story of an Hour679 Words   |  3 PagesWrite a critical analysis of any aspect of The Story of an Hour which you found of interest and significance. Kate Chopins `The Story of an Hour is a short yet complex piece describing the feelings of Mrs Mallard. This story is overflowing with symbolism and imagery. The most prominent theme here is the longing for freedom. Chopin focuses on unfolding the emotional state of Mrs Mallard which can be separated into three stages: quickly moving to grief, through a sense of newfound freedom, andRead MoreKate Chopin The Story of an Hour Critical Analysis Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesSelf-Identity, Freedom, and Death in Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† argues that an individual discover their self-identity only after being freed from confinement. The story also argues that freedom is a very powerful force thatRead MoreKate Chopin s The Hour1361 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the greatest concerns of critics who have analyzed â€Å"The Story of the Hour† has been whether or not Mrs. Mallard was oppressed in her marriage or if she was depressed due to the lack of time she and her husband spent together. Time plays a crucial role in the story, from the time they have spent together, to the period of the story, and to the short time in which the story takes place. â€Å"The Story of the Hour,† is a story written by feminist aut hor, Kate Chopin in 1894 that deals with maritalRead MoreLiterary Perspectives1379 Words   |  6 Pagesconfines of the text itself. Poetry, in particular, as well as drama and fiction lend themselves well as genres to the â€Å"close reading† involved in the formalist technique. Formalists might approach Kate Chopin’s â€Å" The Story of an Hour†(15) by analyzing the ironic ending of the story. Mrs. Mallard suddenly dies of a heart attack, not because her husband has died in a horrific train crash but because she has learned that he is very much alive. The disparate nature between what is expected to transpire