Literary Analysis Essay Story of an Hour PDF

Preview

Summary

Literary analysis for Kate Chopin's Story of an Hour...

Description

1

Literary Analysis Essay: Story of an Hour

Andrea Simon Houston Community College Composition II Professor Arlandis Jones April 28, 2021

2 Abstract This literary analysis essay will explain the dialogue and literary devices that are used in Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour. This essay will also point out literary devices in the short story and elucidate and clarify their usage. Textual evidence will be provided to point out how excerpts resonate with the literary theme of the short story that will be discussed in this essay. Characters from the story will also be introduced, and this essay will also explain how their actions, roles, and dialogue influence the theme. Evidence will be provided by exhibiting background knowledge and context clues. Readers can check for understanding by inferencing and concluding the short story, The Story of an Hour. No research or citations from other sources will be cited in this essay because they will not be used due to the professor’s guidelines. The analysis that will be written in this essay is based on the writer of this essay’s own understanding. Keywords: Literary, Literature, Short story, Analysis

3 Literary Analysis Essay: The Story of an Hour Many people have heard tragic news before, whether it was a family member’s death or a close friend’s demise. People could be happy or sad about hearing about someone’s death. But it’s not about how bad the news is, it’s about how people take it. In The short story, Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard, the wife of Brently Mallard, heard the terrible news of her husband dying in a railroad disaster. She wasn’t, in fact, traumatized by the news like most people who receive distressing news. She was anything but devastated. She grieved for a little while, then she became so overwhelmed with triumph and happiness, she died of pure joy. In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin uses literary devices to illustrate the theme of liberation and elation. Symbolism Symbolism is one of the literary devices that is used in The Story of an Hour. For example, the author, Kate Chopin wrote, “No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin, 1894, para. 18). The word ‘window’ is a symbol of independence and liberty. When the author puts the word ‘open’ in front of the word ‘window’, readers can conclude that Louise Mallard feels like she is being set free. Louise Mallard is joyous; therefore, she sees herself having a future where she doesn’t feel controlled or homebound. Situational Irony Situational Irony is another literary device that was utilized in The Story of an Hour. When Louise Mallard hoped and prayed to live a long life, she passed from a heart attack later in the story. Kate Chopin wrote, “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long” (Chopin, 1894, para. 19). Chopin (1894) continued, “It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.” These statements are ironic because readers might expect Louise to live another day after praying, but unfortunately, she died from being overjoyed. She didn’t get a chance to live a long, lasting life because she died at such a young age.

4 Mrs. Mallard received false news about Brently Mallard, her husband, dying, but she died instead. Her husband was still alive, but she died after receiving news that her husband had died. The story took a huge twist when Chopin (1894) wrote that “He had been far from the accident, and did not even know that there had been one.” Readers may have been boggled when they read, “When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease – of joy that kills” (Chopin, 1894, para. 23). It’s quite ironic because readers wouldn’t expect Mr. Mallard to be alive and Mrs. Mallard eventually dying. Imagery The literary device, imagery, was also used in The Story of an Hour. Kate Chopin wrote, “She was young with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin, 1894, para. 8). The author described Louise Mallard to point out that she is oppressed and feels restrained. Thus, Louise Mallard’s repressed feelings influence the theme because subsequently in the story, Louise feels liberated when she receives news that her husband died in a tragic railroad catastrophe. The author also included Louise Mallard’s feelings to show how she feels in her marriage. Theme Throughout the story, there are some sentences and phrases that influenced the theme of The Story of an Hour. Liberation, victory, and elation are the themes of the Story of an Hour. When Louise Mallard was having an alleged heart attack, she experienced strong feelings of excitement and joy, which, of course, caused her to have a heart attack. People who may have read this short story may think Mrs. Mallard is being possessed by an entity, but if they analyze the story, they’ll soon understand that she is having a heart attack of joy. Repetition

5 Repetition is yet another literary device that is used in The Story of an Hour. Louise Mallard repetitively chanted the word “free” to emphasize her joy of feeling free now that her husband supposedly died in a train accident. The author wrote, “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin, 1894, para. 16). Chopin (1894) also wrote, “She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” Just by reading those exclamatory statements, readers can infer that theme of the story is jubilation and liberation. Characters - Mainly Louise Mallard Louise Mallard The description and the thoughts of the character, Louise, give off the fact that she is in a controlling marriage. The author made some implications that Louise Mallard is an unhealthy marriage, and she is unhappy. The author wrote, “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin, 1894, para. 14). That sentence hints that she no longer had the choice to make decisions on her own, nor could she do what she wants. Since this short story was written in the 18th century, readers can hint that married women had to give up all of their finances and belongings to their husbands, so they had to depend solely on their husbands in order to survive. Louise Mallard plays a large role in The Story of an Hour. Louise is the round character of the story because the author focuses more on her. The author describes most of her feelings and actions throughout the story, so it is safe to say that Louise is a round character. Louise is also the protagonist of the story because she is the leading character of the short story. Louise’s role influences the story’s theme and literary plot a great deal. Louise is also a dynamic character in The Story of an Hour. Dynamic characters undergo a change in a story, which is a characteristic that Louise has. Her emotions changed throughout the story, which leads readers to believe that she is a dynamic character. At the beginning of the

6 story, Louise feels restrained, but when she hears that her husband died, she feels free. There is no reason for readers to believe that Louise is a static character after undergoing strong, positive emotions, which led to her death. Conflict Louise Mallard faces a man vs. society conflict in The Story of an Hour. How, if she’s happy her husband died? Well, if one is familiar with women’s history then they’ll understand. Although readers may think Louise Mallard faces man vs. conflict, she doesn’t, because in the story she admitted she loved her husband and he unconditionally loved her, too; therefore, she has no reason to want him dead. When women are married, they have to place almost everything they have into the hands of their husbands, including their monetary allowances. Women had to be submissive, stay-at-home housewives that provide for their husbands and children, which can seem very oppressive and depressing for women. Although women didn’t like it, they still had to endure sexism because that’s how society was in the 18th century. Conclusion To sum everything up, Louise Mallard felt free when she heard her husband had died because she felt oppressed in her marriage, which is common for married women in the 18th century. The Story of an Hour has historical implications because it gives insights into the life of married women in the 18th century. The author used many literary devices in The Story of an Hour to influence the theme of the story. Although the story has many twists and turns, the theme of the story and its implications came about. In closing, women could love their husbands with tender love but still feel restrained in their marriage due to sexism and society’s expectations, like Louise Mallard in The Story of an Hour.

7

References Chopin, K. (1894). The Story of an Hour. https://eagleonline.hccs.edu/courses/153971/pages/the-story-of-an-hour-3? module_item_id=8168093

8 Basic APA Outline: Story of an Hour I.

II.

III.

Literary Devices A. Symbolism 1. Window – Freedom- “No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin, 1894, para. 18). B. Imagery 1. “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin, 1894). 2. “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin, 1894). C. Situational irony 1. “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long”(Chopin, 1894). a. She didn’t live a long life because she died. 2. Ms. Mallard received false news about Brently Mallard, her husband dying, but she died instead. Her husband is alive, but she died after receiving the news. a. “He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know that had been one” (Chopin, 1894). b. “When the doctors came, they said she had died of heart disease – of joy that kills” (Chopin, 1894 Theme A. Liberation and victory 1. “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin, 1894). 2. “She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin, 1894). 3. “But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely” (Chopin, 1894). a. She sees life ahead of her, now that she has received the news that her husband is deceased. B. Elation 1. “She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her” (Chopin, 1894). Characters A. Josephine 1. Gave Mrs. Mallard the news. B. Louise Mallard/Mrs. Mallard 1. Feel restrained. 2. Has heart trouble C. Richards D. Brently Mallard 1. Mrs. Mallard’s husband 2. He returned home from a trip...