Kate Chopin’s Short Story the Story of an Hour
Ikeh, Cyril
English 102
11 June, 2016
Prof. Bognanni
PART ONE
Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour,” is built on an ironic perception. At the beginning, irony is first detected in the way that Louise reacts to the news of the husband. More so, Before Louise’s reaction is revealed, Chopin alludes to the Louise feels about the sudden news of her husband’s death. She’s said to “not hear the story as many women have heard the same” (Chopin 3) Rather she accepts it and goes to her room to be alone. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death” (Chopin 3), In the highlighted passage, Chopin examines Louise’s health, the corresponding condition of delicacy, and the danger of unexpected news. Ironically, Louise becomes prepared for her husband's death, but not his life or well-being. After the news, the narrator allows the reader to see the world through Louise’s eyes, and understand her ironic feeling on her husband’s death. “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body, and seemed to reach into her soul” (Chopin 5), the passage above doesn’t exactly show or depict the reaction of a woman who just became a widow. The narrator uses “comfortable” to explain how relaxed she was; A critic would question the use of the word “comfortable,” and why Louise isn’t beating the furniture instead. Mrs. Mallard is the main character in Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour”. The narrator focuses hard on the behavior of Louise, right from the beginning. Kate firstly explains Mrs. Mallard’s feelings about the news of her husband’s death as ironic. More so, Louise’s ironic behavior is also reflected at the end of the story on the doctor’s conclusion of her death.
At the end of the Kate Chopin’s story “The story of an hour,” the story takes a different form. This leads to the conclusion of how the story is built on an Ironic base. It is clear how the event that starts the story off – Mr. Mallard's death – is completely lost at the end of the story. The story depicts the irony of a straight life story because Mr. Mallard starts out dying, and end up alive. However, Louise’s life, which her relatives tried so hard to save at the beginning was lost at the end. A reader will begin to imagine the faces of the people in the room as Mr. Mallard walked in alive, and figures out that the story isn’t the usual story he expected; that is the climax of the story. Although, the doctors say she died because of “joy,” and happiness, and couldn’t live under her husband’s law and orders again. She died because she was happy. That shows the reader who just glimpsed through the story or a reader who reads the entire story from top to bottom.
PART TWO
During the 19th Century, one of the questions asked was the “Woman Questions,”, which involves the various roles acceptable for women in a particular area or society. And also, where women were in the society. In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour,” it is examined that Louise’s behavior is ironic. This Ironic behavior of Mrs. Mallard may be due to the time period in which the story took place. During this era, women didn’t really have good jobs; therefore, she is a housewife who doesn’t like her job. Women weren’t really given the option of getting married, instead they were forced. The story didn’t talk about the history of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard marriage or how they got married, but the marriage looks pretty ugly. Many men during this time needs a woman by his side because he needs a Slave (i.e. a wife, chef, butler, gardener), the story also didn’t say if Mrs. Mallard was maltreated during the time she was married to Mr. Mallard, but it’s obvious how this phrase comes out, "free, free, free!" (Chopin 5). Although the story reveals her feeling about the news of her husband’s death, that is not enough to prove that Mr. Mallard didn’t physically maltreat Louise. During those days, Men were also allowed to treat their wives in any manner they desire, and women didn’t really have any opinion in the society. The time period of Kate Chopin’s short story “The story of an Hour,” shows a lot about the behavior of Louise.