Eng - XII - Lit-Handout 7-The Story of An Hour

THE STORY OF AN HOUR
- By Kate Chopin
___________________________________________________________________________
The Story of an Hour is written by Kate Chopin, an American feminist writer. It was published in the
year 1894. It is a fast-paced short story that unfolds in an hour and brings about unexpected
changes in the protagonist’s life.
About the Author

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) wrote two published novels and about a hundred short stories in the
1890s. Most of her fiction is set in Louisiana in America and nearly all of her best-known work
focuses on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women. Kate Chopin, according to a famous critic,
“broke new ground in American literature. She was the first woman writer in her country to accept
passion as a legitimate subject for serious, outspoken fiction. Revolting against tradition and
authority; with a daring which we can hardly fathom today; with an uncompromising honesty and
no trace of sensationalism, she undertook to give the unsparing truth about woman’s submerged
life. She was something of a pioneer in the amoral treatment of sexuality, of divorce, and of
woman’s urge for an existential authenticity. She is in many respects a modern writer, particularly
in her awareness of the complexities of truth and the complications of freedom.”
The central character of most of her novels/stories is a female trying to reconcile her “outward
existence” with her “inward life.” At Fault and The Awakening are two famous novels written by
her.
Feminist Literature
Feminist literature, as the name suggests, is literature that portrays the struggles of women in
society and supports their rights. The writers are women who speak about the goals and aspirations
of women. This movement can be traced back to the 15th century. The feminist movement
produced literature which created new interest in women’s writing. Prior to this movement
women's lives and contributions had not been truly depicted in literature.
There has also been a close link between feminist literature and activism, with feminist writing
typically voicing key concerns or ideas of feminism in a particular era. Chopin was an eminent
feminist writer.
The Setting: Late nineteenth century
Mrs. Mallard (Louise Mallard) is the protagonist of the story. The story begins on a dramatic note
and catches the attention of the reader immediately. Louise Mallard is informed of her husband
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Brently's tragic death in a railroad disaster by a close friend of his. Josephine (Mrs. Mallard's sister)
and Richards (a friend of Mr. Mallard's) are very concerned about her as she has a weak heart.
Her Reaction
‘She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment’.
Then she wanted to be alone in a room. She looks out of the window.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the
new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying
his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and
countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.
The view outside seems to be incongruous with the state of mind of a woman who has just been
widowed. Mrs. Mallard experiences strange emotions surging within her.
There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not
know;
… her lips part and a word escapes her mouth, and then she repeats it over and over: “free, free,
free!”
Women like her were often trapped in unhappy marriages. They were controlled both physically
and emotionally by men. They could not voice their opinion, express their emotions freely. Her joy
is the result of the life ahead of her that will be full of freedom and independence.
And yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not
It is not as if there was any serious conflict between the husband and wife. It is just that she was
controlled by her husband and now, for the first time, she could go beyond patriarchy. She could
assert herself and be free in thought and spirit. This is the ‘monstrous joy’ that she experiences.
Josephine, her sister is concerned about her sister. She is a contrast to her sister and believes that
Louise is devastated by her husband’s death. When Josephine calls out to her, Louise says:
"Go away. I am not making myself ill." No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open
window.
Louise is gradually learning to enjoy the feeling of independence and connects it with view of spring
through the open window.
The open window is symbolic of the opening of a new life after her husband’s death. The blue sky
reflects the freedom she now experiences. The blue sky shows “through the clouds that had met
and piled one above the other“, similar to the way in which years of her marriage had subjugated of
her will to that of her husband’s and had suffocated her life so far.

She feels as if she has been reborn. With her new-found confidence, Loise Mallard comes out of the
closed room. She is ready to face the new world, the world that has suddenly opened up to her.
There is a detailed visual imagery in the description of how the two sisters walk down the stairs.
Without warning, Brently Mallard appears in the doorframe…
This was totally unexpected both to the reader and to Mrs. Mallard. Mr. Brently is alive and well.
He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to screen him from the view
of his wife. But Richards was too late.
When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.
‘The joy that kills.’
The statement is filled with dramatic irony.
The death of Louise was not the joy over her husband's survival, but rather the utter
disappointment over losing her cherished, newfound freedom. Louise did briefly experience joy --
the joy of imagining herself in control of her own life; it was the shock of discovering that her
husband was alive and that she was not free, that led to her death.
Theme
The quest for freedom of a woman trapped in a marriage where she is controlled and her intense
desire to be free in mind and spirit is never realised. The story brings to light the sad and bitter
truth that for women in those times (and perhaps even today, for many women), marriage remains
a suffocating arrangement at best and tragically, the only way out of it, for a woman is an
eventuality.
Symbolism
Besides the spring and the open window- the window of opportunity, think of other symbols in the
story. Consider also the symbolism of the ground floor and the first floor. Think about what unfolds
on each floor. The two present the harsh reality and escape or fantasy respectively; confinement
and misery as against freedom.

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THE STORY OF AN HOUR

About the Author

The Setting: Late nineteenth century

The Story of an Hour/XII/005 [CUR/SS/005] Page 1 of 3

The Story of an Hour/XII/005 [CUR/SS/005] Page 2 of 3

Without warning, Brently Mallard appears in the doorframe…

The statement is filled with dramatic irony.

The Story of an Hour/XII/005 [CUR/SS/005] Page 3 of 3

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