Preview

Story Of An Hour Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
930 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Story Of An Hour Essay
Farah Khawar
Professor Brown
English 131- Section 12
24 November 2014

“The Story of an Hour” Literary Analysis Essay Kate Chopin had many great works that many readers enjoyed reading because of her distinctive use of literary elements that would capture her reader’s attention instantly throughout the story. Amongst many of Kate Chopin’s most impressive works is the short story titled “The Story of an Hour”. Her short story portrays the importance of using literary affects to convey an overall astonishing effect to the readers. The use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, in her short story helps the reader get a better understanding of the overall affect that the author wanted to convey to people. These literary elements are essential to help portray, and create an artistic affect to the readers.
The imagery that aids in the plot and meaning of the story is that of nature. There is a direct correlation between the time of renewal and rebirth in nature and the reawakening of the woman’s freedom. The death of a person is typically associated with seasons of death; Brently Mallard’s unknown death takes place in the spring. As Ms. Mallard looks out the window, she is confronted by the wet fresh rain, and the bright new grown trees, which all symbolize her new-sprung freedom. The clouds, which portrayed a metaphor for the shadows that drifted over her marriage, begin to split apart, and make way for a fresh beginning. The symbols shown in the Mallard house are further demonstrations of the struggle between authority and modesty. Different from the outside world, the interior of the house is like a prison, which is meant to keep Mrs. Mallard, separated from the world she lives in. The doors are also symbols of her captivity and restrictions that she faces. In her private room, Mrs. Mallard does what she wants without the disturbance of other people. She can lock and unlock her door, with this as her only means of controlling her own life. Once she opens the door, she

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
  • Good Essays

    Story of an Hour

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin 's the "Story of an Hour" includes a vast amount of literary devices. Irony, foreshadowing, personification, imagery, symbolism, metaphor and repetition are some of the major literary techniques used by Chopin within this short story about a woman named Mrs. Mallard. Although the story covers only one hour in the life of the main character, the use of these various literary techniques present the theme of the story to the reader in a very entertaining manner.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin gives us a very interesting look at how an hour can be such a long time. This story is filled with irony. Every time that you think that you have the plot figured out, Chopin tosses in another twist that throws our minds for a loop. As I read this story the first time I thought how strange, but as I read it again and again I started pick up bits and pieces of what the author was trying to convey.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    No Name Woman Analysis

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In “The Story of An Hour,” Kate Chopin uses imagery and irony to show a wife’s newfound freedom and joy upon hearing the news of her husband’s death. At first, Mrs. Mallard…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Story of an Hour” is a two page short story written by Kate Chopin (born February 8, 1851 died August 22, 1904) (Larsson Donald, and Erskine Thomas 1), but despite its small size, it is filled with conflicting emotions and symbolism. The amount of well-hidden symbolism can make it very confusing, but it also gives the story an unlimited amount of meaning. At first glance, many may not realize that the sky is a symbol, or understand a kind “of joy that kills” (Chopin 128), and cannot comprehend the mental state someone must be in to fell “free” (129) from hearing of death of her spouse.…

    • 2338 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mallard's Freedom

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “The Story of an Hour” presents the wonderful idea of freedom to readers to further enhance their knowledge of the history and time period the story was written in and to create a great theme for the tale. The author Kate Chopin also uses techniques like point of view and irony to keep the readers engaged and on the edge of their seat. Chopin uses these concepts to magnify the story and the reader’s attention. Her impeccable narration and storytelling creates an enjoyable read for…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” has been used countless of times to represent and sometimes even define the very essence of the element of fiction that is irony. As I closely examine Chopin’s thousand word short story though, I find faults in its plotline that make me question whether the story truly revolves around the story’s irony or if the irony is in the narrator’s tone after all and that there is a deeper tale in this literary piece.…

    • 1574 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    story of an hour poem

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cited: Kate Chopin . “ The Story of an Hour”. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X. J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia. 12th ed. N.D, 2005.2082-2099. Print…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is filled with Irony. Irony, in this story, is defined by something other than the expected happening. From the beginning, things are not what they seem. The author makes the reader believe that the main character will react in one way, but to our surprise something different happens. She creates, in our minds, an idea that there will be sorrow and mourning over death. After reading the first paragraph I thought the main character might even die because she was so saddened by the news of her late husband. Much to my surprise, the story take a whole different turn.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Story of an Hour

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Story of an Hour is a story about a woman who does not grieve, but is overjoyed by having no more husband to hold her back. The author shows throughout the story the feeling and the projected path by using various literary devices such as metaphors and the way they are dictated, as well as tone. These present the story in the way the author meant to, and are present to describe certain emotions, and create different scenes.…

    • 403 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

    3tgr5jki8u

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin was a very important author during the nineteenth century. Her writing was criticized for much of her lifetime; it emphasized women’s rights, freedom from servitude, and need for independence. Her work, “The Story of an Hour”, like many others supports these ideals. In Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, the author uses irony, tone, imagery, and characterization effectively to help support a theme of the importance of independence.…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The armchair in the story in which Mrs. Mallard sits after secluding herself in her room upon hearing of her husbands' death is described as "comfortable" and "roomy." The chairs' location is also important, it is facing an open window, this symbolizes being open to change, and the fact that it is open shows that it is somewhat warm out suggesting life rather than the cold of winter symbolizing death. The adjectives "comfortable,"" roomy," and "sank" symbolize a feeling of being embraced by the chair, a feeling of love and warmth.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Story of an Hour

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the story “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin the dominant theme is that women can not live their life to the fullest while married. Throughout the story this idea is reinforced by the use of symbolism, foreshadowing, and a dynamic character, Louise Mallard. When Louise is informed of her husbands death her immediate emotion is sadness. But not long after, that changes drastically. She becomes freed, and feels like her life is just now beginning. This is implied many ways during the story.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Story of an Hour

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In “The Story of an Hour,” independence is a forbidden pleasure that can be imagined only privately. When Louise hears from Josephine and Richards of Brently’s death, she reacts with obvious grief, and although her reaction is perhaps more violent than other women’s, it is an appropriate one. Alone, however, Louise begins to realize that she is now an independent woman, a realization that enlivens and excites her. Even though these are her private thoughts, she at first tries to squelch the joy she feels, to “beat it back with her will.” Such resistance reveals how forbidden this pleasure really is. When she finally does acknowledge the joy, she feels possessed by it and must abandon herself to it as the word free escapes her lips. Louise’s life offers no refuge for this kind of joy, and the rest of society will never accept it or understand it. Extreme circumstances have given Louise a taste of this forbidden fruit, and her thoughts are, in turn, extreme. She sees her life as being absolutely hers and her new independence as the core of her being. Overwhelmed, Louise even turns to prayer, hoping for a long life in which to enjoy this feeling. When Brently returns, he unwittingly yanks Louise’s independence away from her, putting it once again out of her reach. The forbidden joy disappears as quickly as it came, but the taste of it is enough to kill her.…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics