Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin

Introduction

“The Story of an Hour” is a famous and exciting short story by Kate Chopin. This literary piece describes the thoughts and feelings of Louise Mallard, who is told that her husband, Brently Mallard, tragically died in a railroad accident.

Main body

The author fails to present much information about Mallard’s previous life, but it is possible to make guesses about their relationship. Mrs. Mallard is initially covered by a “storm of grief” and wants to be alone, but she starts experiencing joy later (Chopin 1). This description allows for supposing that their marriage was not happy. The news of her husband’s death provided the protagonist with feelings of relief and freedom because she kept calling her “body and soul free” (Chopin 2). I believe that the apparent contradiction of Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the tragic news was associated with the fact that she was trapped in the marriage. The leading gap in the story relates to the absence of any details regarding what problems were in the family.

Conclusion

That is why readers could only guess why Mrs. Mallard was unhappy in the marriage. It is evident in the short story that her husband’s death was the good news because “her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her” (Chopin 2). One should mention that Lousie was happy not because Mr. Mallard died but because she became free and independent. Since the short story was written in the late 19th century when women did not have so many rights as today, an indeterminacy refers to how oppressed Mrs. Mallard felt in society and at home. That is why readers can find an explanation for the protagonists’ thoughts and behavior.

Work Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” 1894. Web.

Cite this paper

Select style

Reference

StudyCorgi. (2024, May 23). Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. https://studycorgi.com/unveiling-freedom-deciphering-the-story-of-an-hour-by-kate-chopin/

Work Cited

"Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin." StudyCorgi, 23 May 2024, studycorgi.com/unveiling-freedom-deciphering-the-story-of-an-hour-by-kate-chopin/.

* Hyperlink the URL after pasting it to your document

References

StudyCorgi. (2024) 'Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin'. 23 May.

1. StudyCorgi. "Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin." May 23, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/unveiling-freedom-deciphering-the-story-of-an-hour-by-kate-chopin/.


Bibliography


StudyCorgi. "Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin." May 23, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/unveiling-freedom-deciphering-the-story-of-an-hour-by-kate-chopin/.

References

StudyCorgi. 2024. "Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin." May 23, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/unveiling-freedom-deciphering-the-story-of-an-hour-by-kate-chopin/.

This paper, “Unveiling Freedom: Deciphering “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal. Please use the “Donate your paper” form to submit an essay.