Epiphany in an Hour
Kate Chopin portrays the internal and external emotions felt by a newly widowed female in the nineteenth century in "The Story of An Hour." The story's first sentence plunges us into an immediate sense of conflict. The mention of Mrs. Mallard's "heart trouble" emphasizes its later importance in the plot, and the pairing of her weak heart with the "news of her husband's death" creates tension that grips the reader and propels the story forward.The openings in the house, the windows and doors, are all significant in this story. Mrs. Mallard's upstairs vantage point, where the "comfortable, roomy armchair" counters her "physical exhaustion," offers a place away from public view where she can explore her individual reaction to her husband's death. Sensory images from the window establish a positive and fertile mood around her. The "delicious breath of rain" can almost be tasted, and Mrs. Mallard hears the peddler, "the notes of a distant song some one was signing" and the twittering sparrows. These vibrant images, which suggest a richness to be noticed in normal, natural life, differ with the expected grief, and the mood around the window is one of development. Mrs. Mallard seems able to reach out through the window with her sens
Mallard shows affection for her husband and his "kind, tender" aspects. 10)Images of stilled hands are used symbolically in the story to indicate powerlessness. This helps the reader identify more strongly with her need for individuality. The image of the hands also echoes the earlier descriptions of Mrs. Despite the tragic death, the story contains triumph and hope too, in the strong social statement it made for its time, and in the portrayal of a strong female character that is able to develop a sense of individuality and freedom despite deep-rooted social codes. Mallard's character, and it also helps to characterize Mr. Mallard powerless and without her own identity. es even though she cannot physically exit. She is clearly a woman of acute sensibilities and great intelligence, making it seem even more of a crime that she has had to live under the imposed "private will" of another, her husband. Mallard's "wife" for so long have created in Mrs. However, in one sense it was the momentous joy that killed her when it suddenly had to stop. I see the cause of death, "joy that kills" as an ironic statement.
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Acceptance Essays
