The Joy That Kills By Kate Chopin - 942 Words

The Joy that Kills In â€Å"Story of an Hour,† Kate Chopin uses irony to emphasize her theme of the unhappiness of women during this time period. The symbols and imagery give the reader a sense of Mrs. Mallard’s new life, a life filled with new possibilities and endless opportunities. On the surface, the story, told within a few pages and spanning only one hour of time, seems quite simple. It is the story of Louise Mallard, a woman with a history of heart problems, who learns from her sister and friend that her husband, Brently Mallard, has lost his life in a train wreck. On instinct she weeps, before retiring to her room. Later, upon exiting her room and descending the stairs, Louise is greeted by the site of her supposedly dead husband entering the home. Louise immediately falls to her death, which the doctors accredit to heart failure. Although seemingly simple, Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is actually a deeply symbolic work, fraught with d aring irony used to achieve major themes of liberation and self-awareness. The story opens with the major irony of the work. Louise Mallard is described as having â€Å"heart trouble†, and news of her husband’s death is conveyed to her â€Å"in broken sentences† and â€Å"veiled hints†¦ revealed in half concealing.† (547) Louise plays the role in society of the delicate, fragile wife, and consequently any strength or passion she possesses remains buried beneath layers of repression. The figure on which she is supposed to be wholly dependent,Show MoreRelatedTheme Of Independence In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1087 Words   |  5 PagesFreedom and Independence for All Kate Chopin is the author of many short-stories and novels. Her short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† is about a woman named Mrs. Louise Mallard with a fragile heart that suddenly and unexpectedly loses her husband in a train accident. Throughout the story, Mrs. Mallard learns to embrace the accident because for her it meant she finally obtained freedom from her demanding life that she has been wanting to break away from. Freedom and independence is one of the themesRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin886 Words   |  4 Pages In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the reader is presented with the theme of prohibited independence. In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Storm†, the scenery in this story builds the perfect atmosphere for an adulterous affair. The importance of these stories is to understand the era they occurred. Kate Chopin wrote stories with exceptional openness about sexual desires. In â€Å"The Storm†, a short story written by Kate Chopin in a time when women were expected to act a certain way and sexual cravings was consideredRead MoreOppression of Marriage: Chopins The Story of an Hour and Desirees Baby874 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"Desiree’s baby†, Chopin highlights the oppressive nature of marriage. Both short stories illustrate a tale of heartache, regret, and the dangers of instant gratification. Without equality within the bonds that tie us together, death is often the result. Each of the character’s experi ence true renowned joy and just as quickly lose that joy. This joy is similar to a drug addiction and drug withdrawal. During their moments of joy they are enthralled with this new feeling andRead MoreKate Chopin The Story of an Hour Critical Analysis Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesBrandon Dabon Professor Mario Garcia English M01A 11 October 2012 Self-Identity, Freedom, and Death in Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† argues that an individual discover their self-identity only after being freed from confinementRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin919 Words   |  4 PagesAs the title states, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, is a story that takes place in a very brief period of time. The story revolves around a married woman, Louise Mallard, who is troubled both mentally and physically. Several other characters are present, such as Josephine, Mr. Mallard, and Richard, but play a limited role in the story. Mrs. Mallard is used to bring about a feminist theme in a time where women were viewed as invalidated until taking a husband. This story makes an effort toRead MoreKate Chopi n The Story Of An Hour Analysis1137 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin is a wonderful short story bursting with many peculiar twists and turns. Written in 1894, the author tells a tale of a woman who learns of her husband’s death but comes to find pleasure in it. The elements Kate Chopin uses in this story symbolize something more than just the surface meaning. In less than one thousand one hundred words, Kate Chopin illustrates a deeper meaning of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage through many different forms of symbolism such as the openRead MoreAnalysis Of Kate Chopin s Story Of An Hour993 Words   |  4 PagesIrony in â€Å"Story of an Hour† In Kate Chopin’s short story â€Å"Story of an Hour†, Irony, or the expression of meaning that traditionally indicates the contrary of what is expected, plays a huge role in deciphering the theme and underlying motifs of the story that takes the reader through the hour of Mrs. Mallard’s life after her husband supposedly dies. Through Irony, Kate Chopin effectively portrays the forbidden joy of independence (SparkNotes Editors). The theme is portrayed by the author’s emphasisRead MoreThe Concept of Epiphany in Kate Chopins Story of an Hour1262 Words   |  5 PagesEpiphany (Rewrite Order #A2101292) An epiphany is the sudden realization or manifestation of understanding, and in the Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, a woman experienced an epiphany that ultimately had tragic results. The tragedy was foreshadowed in the first line when the narrator informed the reader of Mrs. Mallards heart trouble and the problems it could bring when informing her of her husbands death. But instead of being the cause of tremendous sorrow, the death of her husband broughtRead More Essay on the Death of Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour919 Words   |  4 PagesDeath of Freedom in The Story of an Hour In Kate Chopin’s short story, The Story of an Hour, we are told that Mrs. Mallard, the main character, has a heart condition. Then Mrs. Mallard’s sister, Josephine, tells her Mr. Mallard died in a railroad disaster. At the end of the story, Mrs. Mallard dies when her husband suddenly walks through the door. The doctor says that Mrs. Mallard died of heart disease—of joy that kills (Chopin 27). Some people may agree with the doctor’s diagnosisRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin882 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is a story of the feeling of losing someone with a different twist. Mrs. Mallard, a woman who has heart trouble, receives the news that her husband died in a â€Å"railroad disaster†, by her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend, a newspaper worker, named Richard (Chopin 307). She begins to let it occur to her that her husband is dead and accept the thought of it. Chopin uses the theme of closure to express the feelings of Mrs. Mallard in coping with the thought