The Story of an Hour

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The Story of an Hour

Analysis by John Doe

        In 1894, Kate Chopin wrote, ”The Story of an Hour.”  In this fictional tale the author describes the experience of Louise Mallard, a woman with heart trouble, immediately after receiving news of her husbands death.  Unlike the expected reaction, Louise actually has a moment of relief realizing the freedoms she now has, which were taken from her by an unhappy marriage.  All the events of the story take place within an hour in Louise’s home.  In the final minutes of the hour, Mrs. Mallard is shocked to see that her husband walks through the front door alive and well, which causes her to have a heart attack and die.  While her family believes she had a heart attack because she was overjoyed, the author leads us to conclude the heart attack was actually caused by her realization that the freedoms she looked forward too were no longer a reality.  Kate Chopin’s description of what the main character feels and sees shows us how this is possible.

        The story is very well written as it flows from one paragraph to another each presenting a new idea or information for the reader.  The story begins by informing us that Louise’s husband, Brently Mallard, was killed in a railroad disaster.  Being that Louise has a heart condition, her family was concerned with how she would react to the bad news.  Her sister, Josephine, broke the news to her.  She immediately cried as expected but the interesting part of the story is when she goes into her room and locks the door.  While Mrs. Mallard is slouched in a chair her experience doesn’t feel that tragic at all.  The mood is rather peaceful and relaxing.  The reader is reminded more of a sunny day than a gloomy sky.  At this point it is almost confusing but Kate Chopin quickly explains the scenario.  She explains of a feeling the main character feels approaching.  It is then explained that Louise feels “free” (315) as a result of her husband’s death.   We learn that there is no feeling of guilt whatsoever in this moment.

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        As we stroll through the short paragraphs we see how this feeling of joy becomes greater as she expresses it more through her body, mind, and her words.  Her pulse was beating faster and this actually relaxed her.  She envisioned what her life was going to be like in the future now that she was on her own and all the visions were of happiness and freedom.  She whispered words to herself about her freedom in order to embrace the reality through the sounds of her own voice.  Though she came across a couple of moments that suggested she loved ...

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