The Story of an Hour, By Kate Chopin
             "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, is about a woman ironically feeling joy rather than sorrow after hearing the news of her husband's death. The main character, Louise Mallard, retreats to her bedroom after hearing the news, and this is where the majority of the story takes place. The peak of irony usage in the story is when Louise falls to her own death after seeing her husband's revival in the end.
             This story takes place sometime during the early twentieth century. Brently Mallard works for the railroad industry, so a likely time frame is in the mid to late twentieth century when many men worked for the railroads. Another clue about the time frame is the names of the characters in the story. The time of year is the beginning of spring; "she could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life." This information is disclosed at the beginning of the story so that the reader can not only envision the inside of the Mallard's home, but also what the atmosphere is like outside; "she could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life."
             The story takes place inside of the Mallard's home. The time of day is either afternoon or evening, because in the end Brently Mallard is arriving home from his day at work. The description of their home is nonspecific, probably because the focus of the story is more on what is going on inside Louise's mind as she copes with her emotions. The narrator does describe an armchair in the bedroom as being comfortable, roomy, and facing the open window. This is important, because ironically, Louise gets all comfy with death in that chair. The Mallard's home is a two story house and at the end, Louise and Josephine are descending the stairs. The sounds outside Louise's bedroom after ...