Sanchez, 1
Antonio Sanchez
Comp I
Dr. Holmes
October 17, 2002
Irony in “The Blue Hotel” and “The Story of an Hour”
Many writers use irony in their short stories to prove a point, or just to develop a story. Two prime examples of irony use in short stories are Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and Stephen Crane’s “The Blue Hotel.” In these two stories, irony seems to come in a pair with death. Without death, there is not much irony, and without any irony, there is not much of a tragic story.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” the first irony that one notices is that of Louise’s reaction to the news of her husband’s death. For many, the first reaction after such a notice, is the wanting of consolation. Yet, Louise escapes to her room to be alone. It is here that the reader is exposed to another irony. Louise, instead of weeping for her husband, is looking at her new life as a free woman. Any trace of a tragic notice is thrown out the window as she describes, “The delicious breath of rain…the notes of a distant song… countless sparrows twittering…patches of blue sky…” These descriptions of what Louise saw are highlighted more by he whispering, “Free, Free, Free!” Thus meaning she is not mourning, but ironically, joyful of her husband’s death. An hour later, as the story’s title describes, Louise’s husband returns home unharmed. When Louise collapses at the sight of her “dead” husband, the reader understands Louise’s circumstances as having to return to her “freedom-less” life, but the doctors explain the cause of her death as, “Joy that kills.”
