The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin - Book Report/Review Example

?Short Story Response The Story of an Hour Introduction The Story of an Hour is written by Kate Chopin and the short story is about a sick wife (she had a heart problem) who thinks that her husband is not alive after the train accident. The sick wife, Louise Mallard, is immersed into her own thoughts of the newly found freedom. She gets so much obsessed with the newly found freedom. However, the freedom is short-lived after the supposed dead husband returns unexpectedly; Louise dies of a heart attack when she sees her husband whom she thought was dead. Kate Chopin uses various stylistic, structural, and symbolic tools to bring out the subject matter of the story. The story is short and proper use of the literary devices by the author makes it interesting and very powerful. Summary Louise Mallard, the main character in the short story, had troubles with her heart and thus she was to be informed about the death of her husband in a careful way. Josephine, her sister, breaks the news to her about the death of her husband. Richards, a friend of Louise’s husband, learned about the railroad accident in newspaper and saw the name of Louise’s husband (Brently) in list of the people who perished in the accident. Louise starts sobbing when Josephine informs her of the death of her husband and she goes upstairs in the room to have some time alone. She sits down and faces the open window. Through the window, she observes trees, smells the approaching rain, and hears a hawker shouting out what he is selling. She hears an individual singing and the sounds of the sparrows. She also notices fluffy white clouds within the sky. Louise is young and she possesses lines around her eyes. She stares into the distance while still crying. She feels anxiety and attempts to suppress the increasing emotions in her but she is unable. She starts to repeat the word “Free” to herself countless times. Her heart begins to beat quickly and she feels the warmth coming with it (SparkNotes Editors 1). Louise notices that she will cry again at the sight of her husband’s corpse. She acknowledges that Brently glanced at her lovingly and his hands were gentle. She then dreams of the years ahead, the years she will be independent and she spreads out her arms happily with a lot of anticipation. Louise will be independent and there will be no one to oppress her. She is of the idea that all men and women oppress one another even if the oppression is done out of kindness. Louise recognizes that at times she felt love for her husband, however, that did not matter anymore. She feels overjoyed by the independence she has acquired. Josephine begs Louise to come out and she warns her she will become sick if she does not but Louise refuses. Afterwards, she opens the door and together with Josephine, they go downstairs. Suddenly, the front door opens and Brently comes in. Brently was not involved in the train accident. Josephine screams and Richards attempts unsuccessfully to obstruct Louise for seeing her husband. Louise collapses and the doctors say that she died of happiness (SparkNotes Editors 1). Analysis Symbols The heart problem that burdens Louise is both a symbolic and physical trouble that represents her uncertainty in her marriage and the sadness due to the absence of freedom. Her heart trouble makes the breaking of the news about her husband so threatening. An individual with a heart problem cannot deal well with such news. The feeling of the new independence makes her heart to race, and at the sight of her husband at the end of the story, the heart problem kills her. However, the conclusion made by the doctors is ironic since she was not killed by the overwhelming joy; the main cause of her death was the loss of her joy. The open window represents opportunities and freedom that await her after the death of her husband. The thing she experiences when she gazes through the windows indicates joy and new life. The excitement of freedom makes her sense that the open window us offering her life. The open window offers a clear and a bright sight into the distance. The bright future of Louise is not obstructed by another person’s demand. However, when Louise turns away from the view and window, she immediately loses her freedom (SparkNotes Editors 1). Structure and Style The short story uses a number of stylistic and structural techniques to intensify it. The structure chosen by Chopin fits well into the subject matter “The Story of an Hour.” The story is short and it has several short paragraphs, which comprise of two or three sentences. The story covers Louise’s one hour of her life, that is, from the time, she discovers the death of her husband to the time Brently suddenly returns alive. Louise contemplates of her newfound freedom and she is deeply immersed into it. One can read the story quickly but its impact is strong. Chopin shocks us at the end when Louise dies upon the return of her husband. The author employs poetic writing style in almost all the sentences because the story does not have flashbacks, background information, or even excessive speculations. Chopin uses repetition in the story; for instance, the word open is repeated through the story to stress out Louise’s freedom. Chopin also repeats sentences and phrases structures to highlight the crucial points. Chopin makes the writing style (or the prose) beautiful using internal rhymes and alliteration (SparkNotes Editors 1). Own Opinion The short story “The Story of an Hour” is among the best short stories written by Kate Chopin. The theme of the story is very powerful and leaves the reader with amazement. It is well organized and its structure and the style are unique in its way; it brings out the subject matter in a special way. Its focus is on the main character, Louise, who has a heart problem and eventually dies of the same problem. The story also brings out unexpected results, for instance, Louise has a heart problem, but when the gets the news of the death of her husband, there are no signs of her heart been affected. Instead, she feels the independence of being away from oppression; this feeling of freedom makes her heart to race. At the end of the story, she dies when her husband unexpectedly returns and the cause of her death is the loss of her freedom. Conclusion The Story of an Hour effectively uses the literary devices to bring out the subject matter in a way that it captures the attention of the reader. The author has used various stylistic devices, symbols, and structure. There are two symbols used, the heart problem, and the open window. The heart problem represents the troubles in Louise’s marriage and the absence of freedom. On the other hand, the open window represents the newfound opportunities and freedom after the death of her husband. Stylistic device used is repetition; there are certain words that have been used to emphasize a particular item in the story. For instance, the word open is repeated severally and it represents Louise’s freedom. Other than the repetition of words, sentences and phrases have also been repeated. The structure of the story is simple, each paragraph comprises of two or three paragraphs. Thus, Chopin has successfully captured the subject matter in a simple way, a way that makes the story interesting and powerful. Works Cited SparkNotes Editors. The Story of an Hour. SparkNotes.com, 2007. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Read More