Preview

Story of an Hour Essay Paper

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1168 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Story of an Hour Essay Paper
Story Of An Hour Essay Paper

The short story entitled “Story Of An Hour” written by Kate Chopin is a powerful story about a woman, Mrs. Mallard who is given the horrible news that her husband has just passed away in a train wreck. Devastated by her husband’s sudden death she excuses herself and immediately rushes to her bedroom where we see a different side of Mrs. Mallard’s attitude. She has taken on a different angle of life now, she is upset about her husband’s sudden death, however; she has something to be happy about it. Now that her husband has passed away is Mrs. Mallard happy because she is now her own person? Or is Mrs. Mallard truly upset that her husband has passed?

“Story Of An Hour” was written in 1894, which was in a time period where women did not really have much power or say in anything that went on. Women were really the ones that stayed home and took care of the family and tended to the house, while the husbands went out and worked. Women really stayed out of the lime light and their opinions were never heard or considered. Even though women had desires and feelings, those feelings were never heard of. Women did not dare speak out about their feelings or their rights, it was just not heard of in that time period. Women really lived a life of silence then because they had no voice and they dared not once speak out.

Kate Chopin lived in this type of time period where women really did not have any rights. Chopin wrote stories where the characters were women who were dealt with these types of issues head on. Chopin was well known for writing short stories that centered around women who are faced with these types of society blocks. However in her stories the women usually take on different side. The women in her stories normally choose their own path rather then what is excepted of them in the eyes of the society. In the end it is the women who gets what they truly want our of life.

One major theme in Kate Chopin’s story is freedom. In the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There are many different tones, themes, characters, and symbolism in the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin explains the story of a negative view of marriage by showing the reader with a woman who is overjoyed that her husband has died, also the characters in the story itself goes through multiply changes from fear to depression to finally freedom. The lone character, who goes through the most change be far throughout the entire story is the main character Mrs. Louise Mallard. This transformation doesn’t just help change the character of Louise Mallard, further the themes of the story and solidify the tones that the author are trying to set for the story.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Are men and women today more liberated then they were a century ago? While reading a critical essay about women authors and in particularly the author of “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin, it described the struggles Chopin faced getting people to read her feminist stories “Chopin seems less atypical in her censure of scribbling women” (Thomas) thus concluding that women were less liberated back then than they are currently. My group and I unanimously believe that yes, men and women are much more liberated than they were a century ago. This is true because men and women have more opportunities. Men and women can also fill non-traditional roles. Women can now have jobs instead of being the typical housewife. Also, men are now not required to work, and can be the spouse that stays at home. Most of the boundaries that were in place a century ago no longer apply to either gender. Some examples from “The Story of an Hour” that support the idea that men and women are currently more liberated is when Louis Mallardwas yelled “Free! Body and soul free!” This statement by Louis shows two things. The first one is that when she was married she felt trapped and controlled by her husband. The second one is now that her husband is dead, she realizes how confined she was, and now she feels completely liberated. “Few other stories say so much in so few words” (Berkove). Another example of this from “The Story of an Hour” is when Louis Mallardwas said “No; She was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window.” Again, this quote shows that Louis’s husband’s death has released her, and this window is used to symbolize that. Often in literature when a person is looking through a closed window it typically means that the person is, or feels like a spectator to the real world. Oppositely, when Louis is looking through an open window, it shows that she is no longer an observer of the real world, and is now a part of it. In the…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character of "The story of an hour" is Louise Mallard. The story is from the time when women have no right and had to say nothing after marriage. She was fully dependent on her husband.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Published in 1894, “The Story of an Hour,” has endured longer than the title would indicate and is a declaration of the support of independence for women from its author Kate Chopin. Having read this story before in other courses, and having spoken at length about how Chopin was in support of the idea of woman’s suffrage even before the suffrage movement caught hold, this story leaves a lasting impression and resonates deeper with me every time I read it. Chopin uses her work to illuminate the joy of independence and the oppression that marriage can bring. Whether intentional or unintentional, her message is not only meant for women but, extends to men as well. It is a timeless theme that anyone can learn from in every age. By her use of various literary elements such as, structure, and style, and the use of rhetorical devises such as pathos Chopin creates a work that provokes deeper though and asks a reader to delve into the emotional struggle of her character Mrs. Louise…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "The Story of an Hour" was written in 1894. From the story, what can you deduce about the role of women in late 19th century society. In your response, consider the character of Mrs. Mallard but also her sister Josephine and the behavior of male characters towards the female characters.…

    • 282 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard who “was afflicted with a heart trouble” goes through a lot of mixed emotions after hearing that her husband died in a railroad accident. Kate Chopin uses symbolism, figurative language and irony properly to describe Mrs. Mallard’s feelings and emotions through the story. Mrs. Mallard also feels that she has been trapped in a marriage where she was prisoner of her husband and realizes that it is time for her to live for herself without repression.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine a person desiring to have their own personal freedom; however, they are stuck due to the beliefs in their society. Gender roles and stereotypes were very common in the earlier time periods. In the 1900s women were restricted on doing things for themselves. Women were supposed to devote their lives to their husbands. "…

    • 722 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever stopped and thought about how the views and roles of women have changed throughout several generations? I certainly have. Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is very powerful short story about a woman, Louise Mallard, who becomes very independent and calmed when she hears some terrible news about her husband, Brently.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many women who fought for their rights at the turn of the century, such as Alice Paul, Margret Sanger, and Susan B. Anthony. Kate Chopin didn’t really fight women’s rights; she brought out to light the gender issues that were occurring at the time. Chopin also believed that women should have the same rights as men and used her literature to convey her purpose, which made her a key component to the fight against women’s suffrage. What influenced her work so deeply was the fact that she lived around women most of her life, so she saw many generations of women going through a sexist period of time. Chopin’s works, from books to short stories, gave women a new perspective as strong, confident, and independent, which contradicted the thought of men being superior, which is why many of her books were rejected. Chopin changed the perspective of women at the time by the portrayal of women in her work, the dilemmas each woman had to face, and how women really felt about society.…

    • 920 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Story Of An Hour” by Kate Chopin is a telling story about a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who’s given the horrible news that her husband has passed away in a train wreck. Devastated by her husband’s sudden death, she excuses herself and immediately rushes to her bedroom; this is where readers see a different side of Mrs. Mallard. In time she has taken on a different angle of life. Although obviously upset about her husband’s sudden death, Mrs.Mallard has something to be happy about. In 1894 when the “Story Of An Hour” was written, women didn’t have a say over anything and because of her husband 's death; Mrs.Mallard learns the cost of both freedom gained, and freedom lost.…

    • 990 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. When and where was the story written or told? What historical, social, or cultural background might be needed to understand or explain what the story is about?…

    • 2180 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Story On An Hour

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “The story on an hour”, A short story published by Kate Chopin In 1894. From the beginning, we as the readers are introduced to the protagonist’s health problem with her heart. Subsequently, her husband has just “passed away” in a railroad accident, and her sister wants to break to her the news as gently they can. So then, right after hearing that, Mrs. Mallard proceeds to feel “wild abandonment” (Chopin 428). That feeling quickly changed as she now began to feel a sense of…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Story of an Hour analysis

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin tells the story of a woman named Mrs. Mallard, whose mood changes from mournful to delighted after she thinks her husband has died from a tragic train wreck. The woman stays faithful and mourns her husband’s death, and then she realizes that she is free because marriage is supposed to be until death do the people part. She realized that she went from being in a relationship where marriage was seen from a sexist point of view of the woman is the man’s property. Her mood changes when she realizes she is now free.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oppression Of Women Essay

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As an illustration of this, in “The Story of an Hour,” writes about a character who faces marital oppression reflective of the time period the story was written in. Chopin's stories are renowned in feminist literature, and show how society denies female independence and sensuality. ("Katherine…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the 1800’s prior to the Women’s rights movement gaining momentum, conventional family life which did not allow women individual rights was still in the mainstream. Kate Chopin who was living a conventional life, had taken on a new role after the death of her husband. As a widow and mother of six, Chopin returned to her home town of St. Louis where she was raised as by 3 generations of very intelligent and strong-willed women. Not only was Chopin influenced by those very women, but her observations of the world lead her to begin writing.…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays