The Story of An Hour
In 1894, Kate Chopin wrote, "The Story of an Hour." In this fictional tale the author describes the experience of Louise Mallard, a woman with heart trouble, immediately after receiving news of her husbands death. Unlike the expected reaction, Louise actually has a moment of relief realizing the freedoms she now has, which were taken from her by an unhappy marriage. All the events of the story take place within an hour in Louise's home. In the final minutes of the hour, Mrs. Mallard is shocked to see that her husband walks through the front door alive and well, which causes her to have a heart attack and die. While her family believes she had a heart attack because she was overjoyed, the author leads us to conclude the heart attack was actually caused by her realization that the freedoms she looked forward too were no longer a reality. Kate Chopin's description of what the main character feels and sees shows us how this is possible. The story is very well written as it flows from one paragraph to another each presenting a new idea or information for the reader. The story begins by informing us that Louise's husband, Brently Mallard, was killed in a railroad disaster. Being that Louise has a heart condition, her family was conce
There may be several explanations given as to why Mrs. Mallard reaction caused her death. What was the real reason she had a heart attack? The "obvious" and probably the easiest answer is simply that she was shocked as if she had seen a ghost. We can go a simple step beyond that and say that a wife who realizes her husband is alive after the thought of his death is filled with such a joy that a troubled heart could not handle. Both of these reasons are very possible, yet the details of this hour suggest there is a different reason for Louise's heart attack. The narrative reveals in several ways that her husband's death was a positive turn in her life that she was actually excited about. Once she saw her husband alive, it destroyed her future of freedom and happiness she had looked so forward to, which her heart could not handle. Compare this to an inmate serving life in prison who is told he will be released, not having to finish his sentence. An hour later the prisoner is put in handcuffs and taken back to his cell where he is reminded he will be for life. Imagine the mental strain that would cause the prisoner. I believe Mrs. Mallard's situation to be very similar. This is why after careful review of the text I am convinced that Louise's reaction to seeing her husband was still alive, was complete disappointment rather than joy. It was all her newfound hopes and dreams of a future of happiness destroyed due to the fact she would still be a wife. Just as Josephine was wrong about what Louise was going through in the bedroom, the doctors were wrong by saying she died of "a joy that kills."(pg.14) "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. The notes of a distant song which som
Some common words found in the essay are:
Richard Brently's, Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard, Brently Mallard, Kate Chopin's, Eventually Louise, heart attack, husband alive, husband's death, , main character feels, front door, heart handle, main character, loved husband, character feels, unhappy marriage, seeing husband alive, brently mallard,
Approximate Word count = 1219
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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