Introduction
Death is inevitable in a given society and is often associated with grief among those who lose their loved ones. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a short story that explores the emotional impact of death on members of society. The story signifies how the husbands’ deaths can play an important role in liberating their widows. Kate Chopin employs symbolism, thematic exploration, repetition, foreshadowing, irony, and allegory to underscore female liberation in society.
Story Summary
“The Story of an Hour” is one of the creative short stories by Kate Chopin. The short story involves Louise Mallard, who suffers from heart disease. The protagonist receives the news from her sister Josephine that her husband, Brently Mallard, was killed in a road accident. Her family finds it difficult to break the news to her due to her fragile heart condition. Upon being informed of the news, Louise Mallard undergoes emotional distress and pain. Among her worries is who will give her support in the absence of her diseased husband.
Although the death of Brently Mallard presents possible future challenges to Louise Mallard, she feels liberated. As she reminiscences about the good and bad times she had with her husband, Louise Mallard develops a sense of liberation. The protagonist exhibits the feeling that her husband’s death is key to her freedom. However, there is a sudden change of events when Brently Mallard appears. Louise Mallard is shocked at the appearance of her husband and succumbs to a heart disease. The author explores the theme of female liberation in society through the idea in the short story.
Literary Analysis
Symbolism
Authors can use images and indirect suggestions to express mystical ideas as they explore the central themes of their work. Kate Chopin aesthetically applies symbolism to show how death can be painful and, at times, reliving to those who lose their loved ones. The first instance of symbolism in the short story can be identified from its title, “The Story of an Hour”. The author uses the word “hour” to show the short time taken for the contradicting events to take place. Additionally, an “hour” indicates the short moment within which the protagonist mourned her husband and felt liberated from her possible toxic marriage.
The second instance where Kate Chopin uses symbolism is when she describes the protagonist as suffering from a “heart disease”. In the first paragraph, the author writes, “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble…” (Chopin par.1). Although “heart trouble” used means heart conditions, it symbolizes the love struggles she was experiencing in her marriage. Therefore, although Mrs. Mallard received the news of her husband’s death with a somber mood, her heart’s reaction represents her relief from a toxic marriage.
Lastly, symbolism is evident when Mrs. Mallard goes to her room alone. The author writes, “There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair.” (Chopin par.4). The words “open window” and “comfortable, roomy armchair” are used to symbolize Mrs. Mallard’s freedom upon her husband’s death. The “open window” shows the new opportunities that await her, while the “comfortable, roomy armchair” represents the enjoyment of such opportunities. Symbols allow the author to euphemistically communicate the information, which would be considered blunt and harsh if directly communicated.
Thematic Exploration
Although the short story’s central theme is that of female liberation, Kate Chopin uses other themes to anchor her primary message. The first theme explored in the story is the theme of family relations. In the second paragraph, the author states, “It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences…” (Chopin par.2). By mentioning the relationship between Josephine and Mrs. Mallard, Kate Chopin underscores the importance of family members when faced with emotional difficulties. Moreover, the author writes, “She wept…in her sister’s arms” to show how family can offer support during difficult times (Chopin par.3). Therefore, an exploration of the theme of family relations helps the author to communicate various social dynamics that are central to reaction to the loss of a loved one.
Human suffering is another critical theme explored in the short story to augment the message of female liberation. The theme is exhibited in various instances of the story, beginning with Mrs. Mallard’s poor health condition. Moreover, human suffering is evident when the author writes, “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind…” (Chopin par.12). The latter sentence describes the emotional suffering that Mrs. Mallard experiences at the sight of her husband’s corpse. The themes of family relations and human suffering allow the author to expound on the various social aspects associated with the difficult experiences of women in society.
Repetition
Repetition is a significant literary device used by Kate Chopin in “The Story of an Hour”. The author used the technique to emphasize some of the actions and feelings of the protagonist. In the tenth paragraph of the story, the author writes, “She said over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” (Chopin par.10). The words “over” and “free” are repeated to show how important the feeling of being liberated is to Mrs. Mallard. Additionally, the repeated words indicate how overwhelming the feeling was to the protagonist.
Another instance of repetition can be seen in paragraph fifteen of the text. In particular, Kate Chopin writes, “Free! Body and soul free…” (Chopin par.15). The word “free” is repeated for the second time in the short story. The author uses repetition in this instance to remind the audience of the feeling of liberation that engulfs the protagonist. Moreover, the stylistic device emphasizes a new mood of hope that is associated with freedom from both psychological and physical torture that Mrs. Mallard faced when her husband was alive. Therefore, repetition is used in the text to mark the new beginning and life that Mrs. Mallard was experiencing upon the death of her husband.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a narrative device that allows the author to hint to the audience in advance of what is to be observed later in the story. Kate Chopin uses foreshadowing in the first sentence of the short story. The author makes the audience aware of Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition, preparing them for the unexpected reaction of the protagonist to the news of her husband’s death. The use of foreshadowing increases the tension leading up to the protagonist’s tragic death. Consequently, the readers yearn to understand how Mrs. Mallard’s health condition affected her reception of the sad news.
Personification
Kate Chopin widely uses the attribution of human characteristics to non-livings to bring out various meanings in “The Story of an Hour.” The first illustration of personification in the short story is when the author writes, “…physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul” (Chopin par.4). In the sentence, Kate Chopin personifies physical exhaustion to show the extent to which Mrs. Mallard was suffering. Although the protagonist was emotionally affected by the death of her husband, her experiences in their toxic marriage seemed to have badly affected her emotionally and physically.
The second instance of personification, as used in the story, is when the author describes the new feeling that Mrs. Mallard is experiencing. Kate Chopin states, “But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (Chopin par.9). Although the author does not expressly say what is being described, the audience can easily discern that a sense of liberation is what she personifies. In this illustration, Kate Chopin uses personification to mark the beginning of Mrs. Mallard’s liberation from her oppressive life and the most difficult situation in her life. Therefore, personification is used in “The Story of an Hour” to emphasize the most critical situations and transitions experienced by Mrs. Mallard.
Irony
While there are various types of ironies, Kate Chopin extensively uses situational irony in the narration of her story. The device is used when the author describes how Mrs. Mallard received the news of her husband’s death. The protagonist sobs and reacts with somber, which is a normal feeling for any person who loses a loved one. However, there is a turn of events when she goes to her room alone. In particular, the author writes, “But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long of a procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome” (Chopin par.12). It is ironical that the protagonist feels positive about the coming years without her husband.
Kate Chopin applies the technique to allow the reader to develop a deeper than literal meaning of what is happening to Mrs. Mallard’s life. While it is expected for widows to have various challenges upon the death of their husbands, Mrs. Mallard is expected to be more free and happier. Moreover, it is ironic that the protagonist came to such a conclusion on her own without encouragement from other people. The stylistic device allows the reader to think about how toxic and unhappy the relationship between Mr. And Mrs. Mallard is. Therefore, the use of irony in “The Story of an Hour” helps the audience to focus on both the literal and deeper meanings of the story.
Allegory
Kate Chopin intended to give a hidden meaning to her story other than what she wrote. Consequently, “The Story of an Hour” has another meaning that is told through a hidden story. The second story being narrated is about the relationship between Mrs. and Mr. Mallard. At the beginning of the story, “heart trouble” is an allegory of the emotional distress that Mrs. Mallard was suffering from as a result of her miserable and toxic marriage with Mr. Mallard. Allegory is further illustrated when the author exhibits a feeling of liberation discernible by the protagonist when she is in her room alone. The author uses allegory as a literary device to narrate the story of the toxic marriages in society.
Conclusion
Human death is associated with emotional pain among those who lose their loved ones. “The Story of an Hour” explores the death and sudden appearance of Mr. Brently Mallard and how it affected his wife. The author researches the theme of female liberation to show how relieving the death of a husband can be to the wife if their relationship is miserable. Symbolism, thematic exploration, repetition, foreshadowing, personification, irony, and allegory are the literary devices used by Kate Chopin to show how liberated Mrs. Mallard was upon the demise of Mr. Brently Mallard.
Work Cited
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” The World’s Best Short Stories: Anthology & Criticism, vol. 3: Famous Stories, Roth Publishing.