An Analysis of Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour is a perfect example of literature that glorifies the commonplace event: the story depicts a gigantic event in the life of its protagonist by using a minimalist economy of means. The opening sentence of The Story of an Hour carefully sets up the conclusion of the story. Chopin is working with such limited space here that it resembles more the crafting of a poem than a fictional narrative. We are told that Mrs Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble so great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husbands death. Of course Chopin is performing a number of different functions with this opening besides the mere set-up for her final plot twist: we will note the ambiguity in the euphemism heart trouble which may indicate that Louise Mallards affliction is possibly related not merely to her circulatory system, but her emotional life. The use of the word break in such close proximity within the same sentence (when the next sent ence immediately refers to broken sentences) summons to the readers ear the echo of the phrase heartbreak. To a certain extent, The Story of an Hour is a tale of love and loss, although it performs complicated reversals of the readers expectations about what such a story might entail. In fact, these hints of heartbreak at the outset suggest the deeper emotional currents of the story which Chopin, in carefully depicting the stifling milieu of the late 19th centuryShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis of Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour850 Words   |  4 PagesThe short story â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a famous piece of literature widely recognized throughout the entire literary world. It is about how a wife, Louise Mallard, hears the news of her husbands horrible train accident which ultimately led to his untimely death. The plot twist of this short story is that, in fact, her husband, Brently Mallard, is very much alive and comes home as if nothing happened. Mr . Mallard was not around the area of the accident or even knows of its occurrenceRead More Analysis of Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour Essay1336 Words   |  6 Pages Back in 1894, the American writer Kate Chopin wrote the short-story The Story of an Hour. Chopin, born OFlaherty, wasnt renowned as a writer during her time, but she has achieved recognition in the 20th century especially with her 1899 novel The Awakening. Her stories about strong women have really been paid attention to in relation to this centurys sexual liberation debate. This short-story revolves around what goes through a persons head when informed that a close family member has perishedRead MoreKate Chopins Short Story The Story of an Hour: An Analysis974 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Free At Last? Kate Chopins short story, The Story of an Hour is largely about the forms of repression that women were forced to endure during the epoch in which the story was written (1894) and during much of the time that preceded it. During this time period, women quite frequently had to subjugate themselves to the will of their husbands, or to some other man who had a significant amount of control over their lives. Chopin chooses to address this phenomenon in an indirect manner with thisRead MoreEssay on Literary Analysis on Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour 657 Words   |  3 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of An Hour† focuses on a woman named Louise Mallard and her reaction to finding out about her husband’s death. The descriptions that the author uses in the story have significance in the plot because they foreshadow the ending. This story mainly follows a woman with heart trouble. Her husband’s name appears at the top of a list of people killed in a railroad accident. The story than explains her reaction upon finding out about his death. At the end of the story, her husbandRead MoreWhether It Was a Joy That Killed Louise: Analysis of Kate Chopin’s the Story of an Hour937 Words   |  4 Pageslose his or her loved one. And if someone told me a story about a woman who bewailed her deceased husband and then died of overwhelming happiness after she saw him safe and sound, I would definitely believe in reliability of this story. Especially, if I was told that the women had heart problems. It is known that not only a sorrow but and an excessive joy can cause a fatal heart attack. However, after reading Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, I felt puzzled about doctors’ conclusion that Mrs. MallardRead MoreThe Life and Works of Kate Chopin1569 Words   |  6 PagesKate wrote two novels and hundreds of short stories. Few of her stories were â€Å"Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Awakening†. One of Kate Chopins most famous stories is the Story of an Hour. In the story Chopin was brave enough to challenge the society in which she lived because in the first half of the 19th century, women were not allowed the freedoms men enjoyed in the judgments of the law, the church or the government. This famous short story showed the conflict between the social traditional requirementsRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography Of The Yellow Wallpaper1086 Words   |  5 PagesPerkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† and Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour†. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, vol. 2, no. 2, 1 Jan. 2013, pp. 221-234, Database: MLA International Bibliography -- Publications. kutaksam.karabuk.edu.tr/index.php. Accessed 18 Nov. 2017. The short story written by Fahimeh Q. Basenji, he shares in his writings about â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper and Story of an Hour†. In the journal, he discusses how the two stories are similar but have different narrator experiencesRead MoreAn Examination Of How Kate Chopin s Work1298 Words   |  6 PagesENGL 1102 – Comp/Lit Essay 2 (Mulry) Sellers, James R – 920022413 Due Date: April 20, 2015 An Examination of How Kate Chopin’s Works Taken Together Contribute to our Understanding of Her Time and the Place of Women in Society Looking at themes present in his short stories and novels, Kate Chopin presents examples of female strength and an assertive rebellion to the social norms during the late 1800s. By seeking to transparently and boldly portray the risquà © behavior of her lead characters, whichRead MoreDesirees Baby Literary Analysis1989 Words   |  8 PagesKate Chopin’s stories Desirees Baby, The Story of an Hour, At the Cadian Ball, and A Pair of Silk Stockings, were written in the 19th century in times when women had no rights, and had to portray an image of a loving wife. They were considered selfish if they thought otherwise, and their job was to make their husbands happy at all times. This was the century of a turning point for women, in which they had desires test their limits imposed on their sex. Critics of her stories list the analysisRead MoreEssay on Structural Technique in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin861 Words   |  4 Pagesshort story. Kate Chopin uses structural techni ques to enhance â€Å"The Story of an Hour† from beginning to end. She follows formal structure to a certain degree, but occasionally strays to actual structure. Upon analysis of the organization of Chopin’s story, the reader understands the powerful meaning that is expressed in such a short piece. Initially, a short story begins with an exposition. This is the laying out of important background information, characters, and setting. Chopin’s story is only