"the Story of Hour" Irony Analysis

Gloria D. Davis

Kim Turnage

English 113

February 7th 2005

“The Story of an Hour” Irony Analysis

Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," irony is used as an effective literary device. Situational irony is used to show the reader that what is expected to happen sometimes doesn't (Irony). Dramatic irony is used to clue the reader in on something that is happening that the characters in the story do not know about (Irony). Irony is used throughout Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony (Bernardo).

Situational irony is used in "The Story of an Hour" through Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's death and the description of the settings around her at this time. Upon hearing the news of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard "wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment" (188). It appeared to everyone that as a result of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard was incredibly sad. She insisted upon being alone and retreated to her room. The sort of reaction she had seems like one typical to someone who had just lost a loved one. She experienced grief and shock. However, once she is alone in her room, the reader discovers another side of her emotions. Once she calms down, she whispers "Free, free, free" (189), and the reader realizes that she is not having a typical reaction. Instead of being saddened by the loss of her husband, Mrs. Mallard is relieved. "She saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome" (189). Mrs. Mallard, instead of wondering who will support her in years to come, realizes that she will have no one binding her anymore. She thinks, "What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in face of this possession of self-assertion" (189). Mrs. Mallard is pleased that her husband has died, which certainly is not the reaction that one would expect.

Another case of situational irony is the description of Mrs. Mallard's surroundings after hearing the news of her husband's death. When Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room, she looks out the window. The majority of times when surroundings are described in stories after bad news, everything looks dark and gloomy because of the sadness that the character must be feeling (Irony). However, the surroundings Mrs. Mallard experiences are anything but dark and gloomy. The world was described as warm and friendly. She could hear someone singing and the birds twittering. "There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds" (190). It seems as though her surroundings are a reflection of her feelings. Normally, one would expect her to be feeling sad and depressed, and therefore her surroundings to be depressing as well.

Dramatic irony is also used in Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" through Mrs. Mallard's realization that she is free from her husband and with her death (Bernardo). During the time Mrs. Mallard spent alone in her room, she experienced a revelation that she no longer would be bound to her husband.