Analysis of Chopin's Story of an Hour

Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”

          Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” recounts the transformation and perceptions that take place within an hour in the life of Mrs. Mallard, bringing out the roles of women and the society’s attitudes that existed in the 19^th and early part of 20^th century. Chopin’s short story revolves around this lady Louise who upon receiving the news of her husband’s death reacts like many would. Ironically, a new perception dawns on her of acquired freedom, life without imposed will as previously imposed upon her by her husband. The author through the character of Louise reflects rebellious perceptions that were repressed among women at the time the story was written and in some societies common in marital relationships. Women as depicted in the story had submission roles to the patriarchal society that expected women to be loyal to men; bend their will to accommodate that of men in their lives.

            As the story unfolds to the reader, the life of a young woman, Mrs. Mallard comes to the limelight. Her wrinkles depict ‘strength’ and ‘repression’ implying she does not exercise her space and freedom. The narrator begins by indicating that the protagonist has a “heart trouble” which explains the reason the news of her husband’s death at the railroad disaster has to be delivered with caution. Her husband’s best friend Richard and Josephine, her sister where the close people Louise had and ensured they delivered the bad news cautiously. The first reaction from Mrs. Mallard of her husband’s death is depicted by the narrator as “sudden, wild abandonment.” (Chopin 90). After she locks her bedroom, solitude she enjoys unwraps the fundamental change that is being ushered to her by the new events. Mrs. Louise Mallard sits, crying no more, and looking outside through the open window at the spring flowers that signify “new spring life” implying new found freedom. As the thought of freedom which she suspends begin to dawn on her, she understands she is quite joyous that death has taken her ‘oppressor,’ but tries to suppress the freedom thought. This portrays that marital relationship at the time the story was written showed women were oppressed at will by the men involved in submissive roles whereas society had negative attitude for their position (Toth 85).

            Although Mrs. Mallard is content that her husband at times loved her, a feeling of ecstasy is within her after his death simply because nobody then has the authority bend her will against her wishes. This implies that women then did not have the free will to do as they pleased by according to their husbands’ wishes. Dagenhart (1) points out that the roles of women in marriage then were just entrapment in the face of the society. Women were then bound by cultural norms to serve men unquestioningly. Women were at the time the story was written oppressed and did not have to express their consent, but that her husband is dead, Louise will be free in the ways she had never dreamt of when she was living. Although Louise admits that Mallard loved her at times, but there is that precise acclaim that she is “Free Body and soul free” after his death (Chopin 89). That she begins to long for the life before her rest of life even when the day before had she had feared of the outcome. Freedom from being told what to do and what not to is what is giving Mrs. Mallard hope after her husband’s death. This shows women’s repressed rebellious attitude then reflected by Chopin toward the gender roles the society orchestrated and were considered immoral.

            In the views of Toth (123), the marriage roles of women were like a burden as reflected by the joy Louise inwardly portrays on learning of her husband’s death. Although the story does not diverge on the details of the marriage between Mallard and Louise, it seems to have had suppressed her young life leaving her wrinkled. In a way the way she receives the news of the death, Louise was as if waiting for such chance to be free in her life from dominance of the patriarchal society. Louise inner conflict may not be visible to the reader but is more subtle. The protagonist is not sure of her feelings after the news of tragedy, but later is happy of the new found freedom from male domination. From the reaction of new freedom, Louise was kind of subjugated by her lover and her life was unhappy. Before she could not follow her own opinion or will. What Louise was yearning for was independence and comes in the act of her husband passing away.

            The society then did not accept women, who divorced their abusive husbands, but it did accept widows and therefore Louise relishes that being a widow is the only way to be free woman after all. Although Josephine, her sister is worried that she might make herself ill. She is actually free from the miraculous freedom she had not got the years she had been with her husband. Josephine cannot understand why she feels free (Toth 56).

            However, the climax of the story is in the final paragraph when Mr. Mallard who had been far from the scene of the accident opens the door and composed not knowing of the events that had transpired. The narrator says, Louise died “of joy that kills” where the words figuratively mean the opposite of the literal sense. The doctors are wrong because of their prognosis that Mrs. Mallard died from the joy of seeing Mr. Mallard is quite far removed form the truth. Since the news of Mallards death, Louise had an hour experiencing happiness only to be cut short by his sudden emergent. She chose to die rather than see her life remain under the will of her husband. In some aspects the one hour she had spend on the armchair, looking out at the spring flowers, and being free from imposed will was the best moments of her entire life after all (Dagenhart 3).

            In conclusion, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin depicts the roles of women and the attitudes of the society then where women were dominated by the patriarchal norms that left them repressed in their lives. As seen through the life of Mrs. Louise Mallard, women did not have free will or freedom thus they lived under the tyranny of the patriarchy. She is only free just the one hour of the news of Mr. Mallard’s death but cut short by his sudden appearance. Kate Chopin is a great literary writer who sparred on the feminist literary movement at a time when activists did not know of this unequally in the society.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning, 2001. Print.

Dagenhart, Natalia. Literary analysis: the story of an hour, by Kate Chopin. March 11, 2008. Web. April 19, 2011.

Toth, Emily. Unveiling Kate Chopin. Jackson: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1999. Print.