Illya Gryn
«Story of an Hour»
In the short story by Kate Chopin «Story of an Hour» wee see a woman, who finds out about her husband's death. The story takes place in Mallard's house in the end of the nineteenth century. It was the time, when women had not the same rights, as men had. Louise, the main character of the story, has a storm of grief, after hearing the news about her husband's death, but she is not paralyzed of this. She goes upstairs to her room. She understands, that now she can be free. Later on, she tries to fight back this new feeling of freedom. However, when she goes downstairs, she sees her husband and immediately dies. So a possible theme of this story can be that , freedom in marriage is the most important value, and even if someone really loves, but takes away your freedom, there won't be a respond feeling, only desire to escape.
In the beginning of the story we learn the inside world of the main character by the description of the Louise's reaction of her husband's death and it is not a “paralyzed inability to accept its significance”. It means that Louise's reaction is not, what the reader could expect, and it helps us to understand, that Mrs. Mallard is very strong and realistic character. When she heard the news she felt “the storm of grief”, which makes the reader realize, that she loved her husband, but also this storm does not last long. After this, without any word, she goes upstairs in her room. She sits in front of the windows and sees “the tops of the trees that were all aquiver with new spring life. The delicious breath of rain is in the air. The notes of the distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly.” Chopin uses many kinds of symbols and personifications in these lines to show the contrast between the situation in Louise's life and and and a spring nature, that is full of life. Also this lines are used to show that many things are going to change for Louise and happiness is not far from her too. In lines “patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds thad had met and piled above the other in the west facing her window” clouds shows her life now and the blue sky is her life before, but soon it will go in absolutely other way. Now the clear theme of the story is not described, but Chopin uses symbols and personification to prepare the reader, that something in Louise's mind is going to change.
