Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis
The Story of an Hour
Janet Murphy
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor Jennifer Thompson
June 16, 2014
The literary work being discussed is The Story of an Hour. It was written by Kate Chopin in 1894. Mrs. Mallard is portrayed as a typical nineteenth-century wife, one who is weak and submissive who changes into an independent, confident person who believes herself freed by her husband 's death. This story deals with the theme of a woman’s loss of identity in marriage and how this affects the individual’s personality and self-esteem.
The theme of a story are the ideas behind the story. The themes are often portrayed by the literary elements found within the story. Setting, tone and symbolism are some of the …show more content…
Symbolism was found throughout the story. One example was found in the statement after she had been told of her husband’s death. Mrs. Mallard had wept in her sister’s arms. It says that “when the storm of grief has spent itself she went away to her room alone.” The storm is indicative of a turmoil of emotions. She was going through a mixture of emotions. On one hand she was devastated at the loss of her husband, but on the other hand she was feeling some excitement at the thought of independence. Another example is the open window from which Mrs. Mallard gazes from. This is representative of freedom and the opportunities that she feels she will now be afforded after the death of her husband. She hears the noises from outside. She hears the birds singing. She sees the blue sky showing and the clouds. She sees a peddler below. These experiences are suggestive of spring which is symbolic for a new beginning which is what she is now looking forward to. According to Jamil, “because her emotions are no longer bottled, Louise Mallard attends to the sounds, the scents, and the color” in the natural world, they teach her of the sounds, the scents, and the color within her own soul …show more content…
Everybody approaches death in different ways. Mrs. Mallard takes an unconventional approach to hearing about her husband’s death. She does grieve for a moment, but is then consumed with joy. She is not joyous about his death, but she is happy about the sudden loss of dependence upon him. She believes her future to be bright and she is happy about the things that she wants to do. She feels as if she will be able to take back control of her life. The Story of an Hour gives insight into a woman feeling stifled under the confines of a marriage during a time when men were in control of woman and had all of the legal authority to do
Janet Murphy
ENG 125 Introduction to Literature
Instructor Jennifer Thompson
June 16, 2014
The literary work being discussed is The Story of an Hour. It was written by Kate Chopin in 1894. Mrs. Mallard is portrayed as a typical nineteenth-century wife, one who is weak and submissive who changes into an independent, confident person who believes herself freed by her husband 's death. This story deals with the theme of a woman’s loss of identity in marriage and how this affects the individual’s personality and self-esteem.
The theme of a story are the ideas behind the story. The themes are often portrayed by the literary elements found within the story. Setting, tone and symbolism are some of the …show more content…
Symbolism was found throughout the story. One example was found in the statement after she had been told of her husband’s death. Mrs. Mallard had wept in her sister’s arms. It says that “when the storm of grief has spent itself she went away to her room alone.” The storm is indicative of a turmoil of emotions. She was going through a mixture of emotions. On one hand she was devastated at the loss of her husband, but on the other hand she was feeling some excitement at the thought of independence. Another example is the open window from which Mrs. Mallard gazes from. This is representative of freedom and the opportunities that she feels she will now be afforded after the death of her husband. She hears the noises from outside. She hears the birds singing. She sees the blue sky showing and the clouds. She sees a peddler below. These experiences are suggestive of spring which is symbolic for a new beginning which is what she is now looking forward to. According to Jamil, “because her emotions are no longer bottled, Louise Mallard attends to the sounds, the scents, and the color” in the natural world, they teach her of the sounds, the scents, and the color within her own soul …show more content…
Everybody approaches death in different ways. Mrs. Mallard takes an unconventional approach to hearing about her husband’s death. She does grieve for a moment, but is then consumed with joy. She is not joyous about his death, but she is happy about the sudden loss of dependence upon him. She believes her future to be bright and she is happy about the things that she wants to do. She feels as if she will be able to take back control of her life. The Story of an Hour gives insight into a woman feeling stifled under the confines of a marriage during a time when men were in control of woman and had all of the legal authority to do