Louna Bohbot

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Louna Bohbot
Professor Anthony Granato
English 603-101-MC
29 November 2018
A Life Changing Death
During the 19 th century, American society was oriented towards male dominance while
women were always expected to take subordinate roles and never question the quality of their
lives. Chopin conveys the message that these women are usually the repressed and dominant
ones in a relationship. It is not too surprising that she delivered us this message. After all, she
was raised in “a female centered household’’ (Tolentino 6) after the death of her father. Hence,
she used her “upbringing” and personal struggles to “embody her feminist views” in many of her
stories. In her short story, “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin portrays marriage in this era as a
heavy burden that deprived women of their selfhood and their appetite for life. Through the use
of imagery and irony, Chopin subtly transmits this vital message.
This story reveals a lot about the role of women and their rights in society at the time of
writing. We can see this through the author’s use of literary techniques such as the limited view
from the “keyhole” (Chopin 57) in which Josephine surveils Louise which symbolizes society’s
restricted view of women at the time. Likewise, the imagery in Chopin’s story reflects Louise
Mallard feelings and the shifting psycho-emotional experience she goes through. After news of
her husband’s accidental death arrives by way of family friend Richards, Mrs. Mallard retreats to
her room and sits before the window. At first, she feels only grief and unhappiness. She has been
in the throes of a ‘’storm of grief’’ (Chopin 56), but now, as she sits before the open window, she
confronts a vista that, oddly, is filled with the promise of a new life, with vitality. Chopin allows
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the reader to see the change and emancipation Mrs. Mallard undergoes. For her, marriage had
stifled her selfhood, choked her freedom of action, so the delicious new awareness of freedom is
how she truly feels about the end of her marriage. Furthermore, the use of imagery in the
passages: “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all
aquiver with the new spring life’’ and “patches of blue sky” (Chopin 56) represent hope, rebirth
and promise for her future because her body and soul are free at last. As soon as the death of her
husband is revealed to her, she becomes a new version of herself: Louise. She is no longer Mrs.
Mallard that is trapped in a repressive marriage. Thus, she begins a new season in her life where
days will be her own, days of hope and possibilities. This demonstrates how her actions and
thoughts are affected by the presence of her husband and once he’s gone she no longer sees
herself as the formal Mrs. Mallard but just as Louise, her normal liberated self who gets to enjoy
life freely. Chopin uses spring time imagery to reflect this new hope Mrs. Mallard has. Hence,
this shows us to what extent marriage as well as social norms, in that era, narrowed people’s
mindset and deprived women from their selfhood.
One last way in which the author transmits her message of independence and repression
of marriage is the ironic climax which concludes this short story. Having tasted freedom, Louise
ironically has it quickly snatched away from her when her husband surprisingly shows up. The
bliss, the extreme happiness Louise feels, is turned into unbearable disappointment, shocking
disappointment. It is all too much for her weak heart. The last line of the story is exquisitely
ironic, as it presents the discrepancy between what her friends and family think happened, how
they think Louise felt about her husband and felt about his death, and the real truth. ‘’When the
doctors came they said she died of heart disease -of joy that kills’’ (Chopin 57). Those around
her believe that the shock to her heart, the thing that killed her, was extreme joy over seeing that
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her husband was alive. In fact, it was not joy derived from learning he was alive, but extreme
unhappiness for her freedom, since it was suddenly taken away from her. In other words, we can
clearly see that citizens living in the 19 th century had the inability to realize that a woman does
not necessarily love a husband that she probably married solely to abide by social norms.
Through imagery and irony, Kate Chopin portrays how marriage in the 19 century
deprived women of their independence and freedom. Precisely, Chopin uses spring time imagery
to reflect the new hope Mrs. Mallard has after learning her husband’s sudden death. Through
irony, she explains how social norms affect the way people view others in their society. By doing
so, she tries to awaken readers and inspire them to think on their own and carve their own path
without basing themselves on society.

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Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Style and Substance. 2nd ed., edited by Claudia Rock
and Suneeti Phadke, Pearson Longman, 2007, pp. 56-57. Print.
Tolentino, Jasdomin. “Kate Chopin's Life and Personal Influence.” Excellence in
Research Awards. Page 6. 2008. Web.

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Professor Anthony Granato

A Life Changing Death

of imagery and irony, Chopin subtly transmits this vital message.

mindset and deprived women from their selfhood.

without basing themselves on society.

and Suneeti Phadke, Pearson Longman, 2007, pp. 56-57. Print.

Tolentino, Jasdomin. “Kate Chopin's Life and Personal Influence.” Excellence in

Research Awards. Page 6. 2008. Web.

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