Ironically Reality of “The Story of an Hour” In Kate Chopin’s story “The Story of an Hour”, describe after Mrs. Marllard hear her sister told her that her husband’s death, her psychological changes in an hour. Instead of becomes extreme sadness, she experiences the joyful of the life. This character is struggling with herself, whether or not accept the new life. The detail where “her bosom rose and fell tumultuously” (par.9), is more than just a feeling, this establish the outcome, which is the death of Mrs. Mallard. This story use ironic writing technique to describe Mrs. Mallard’s mental change.
For example, heart trouble is symbolic for love pain. This “pain” was a result from her controlling marriage and the overwhelming amount of energy that was required for her to keep the marriage functioning. However, after Louise reflects over the death of her husband and her new direction in life, the symbolism changes from dark to positive and light. One instance is the “open window” which faced her in her chair when she went into her room. The “open window” is mentioned multiple times throughout the short story and is present to refresh the idea of being free and having options.
Jennifer Dennen-McGee Dennen-McGee 1 Evangeline Alexander English 1213 02 Sept. 2011 Essay 1 The Crazy Lady (1899) “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a women who has a mental illness (Nervous condition) , but her husband does not believe it. She is kept in a room by her husband so that she can feel better, but instead seems to get worse as she looks further into the wallpaper and starts to see things. The First reason why she has a illness is, her husband would not let her pick out her own room. Its explained how big the house was and how many rooms there was yet her husband made her stay in the room with the yellow wallpaper. The room on the bottom
Compare and Contrast: Calixta and Mrs. Mallard Both women from “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour” have very intriguing personalities. In the case of Calixta, she is alone in her house, awaiting the return of her husband Bobinot and her son Bibi from their trip to Friedheimer’s store. A fierce storm keeps the two from coming sooner and at the same time; Calixta rekindled a relationship with her past lover Alcee until the storm had passed over. Mrs. Mallard, on the other hand, is told by her sister and her husband’s friend Richard, of her husband’s untimely demise in a railroad disaster. She mourned of her husband’s passing but as she went up the flight of stairs into her room, Mrs. Mallard came to realize of her newfound freedom.
Through the window Louise notes the nature “aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin). The “new spring life” is referring to the rebirth of her own life that her husband’s supposed death has brought and her new found freedom from the suppressed marriage (“Critical Analysis of ‘The Story of an Hour’”). The fact that it is spring shows the reawakening of her soul and the winter is in the past and so is her marriage. Also, at the window, she notices the patches of clear blue sky that is shining through gray clouds. The sky represents her new life without the dependency of a man and the clouds are her marriage (Rosenblum).
Is marriage a prison? According to Kate Chopin, the answer is – yes; marriage is a prison in which freedom does not exist. In 1894, Kate Chopin wrote and published “Story of an Hour.” The story takes place in the late nineteenth century in an American home, where Mrs. Mallard, the protagonist, heard about the news of her husband’s death from her sister. In the beginning, Mrs. Mallards felt sad about her husband’s death. The feeling, however, shifts because she begins to be happy about her husband’s death.
Kate Chopin Todd Darby Themes and Symbols in The Story of an Hour From the beginning of the story, the narrator gives us notice that Louise has a heart condition and has to be told gently about her husbands death. Her sister Josephine break it to her about husbands demise, Brently Mallard. Louise would go off to mourn by herself alone in her room sitting in a chair at the window. As Louise sat there to meditate on Brently’s death, she sat quiet. Looking out of her window, she would see certain symbols just as any other day.
Symbols play a significant part in the stories suggesting meanings that grab the reader’s attention and make these wonderful stories. “The Story of an Hour” begin after Mrs. Mallard is told of her husband’s death. Mrs. Mallard finds herself in her room and in an armchair after grieving with her sister. “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair.” (Chopin, 15). Warmth, embracing and even security are the thoughts that come to mind from the description of the chair; comfortable, roomy and open window facing outside.
Next, when Mrs. Mallard was There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.” “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it.” Those thing coming to her I think it was her deepest feelings coming out. She talks about the “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” which I think is a symbol for their good memories that she is remembering. After that the feelings seem to change into something not as good. Finally, Mrs. Mallard starts talking about a “In the street below a peddler was crying his wares.” I think it symbolizes the bad times they had.
This story was half fiction, but in a way half true. In 1887 Gilman went to see a specialist in hopes of curing her reoccurring nervous breakdowns. The physician prescribed her to a “rest-cure”. This meant for her to lie in bed all day and engage in no more than two hours of intellectual activity. In her short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, Gilman describes the physician office as a hotel which she is staying in while her husband and herself are on vacation and while her husband, a physician, is at work her sister-in-law tends to Gilman’s needs and checks in on her every day.