"Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin (1851-1904) is an impressive literary piece which touches a reader's feelings as well as mind. Although the story is really short, it is very rich and complete, and every word in it carries deep sense and a lot of meaning. The main character of the story, Mrs. Mallard, experiences in her life something that not everyone has the luck to have the happiness of freedom; but the reader understands it only in the end of the story.

In the beginning we find out that Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with heart trouble, and news about her husband's death is brought to her "as gently as possible" (Chopin, 788). Her sister Josephine and her husband's friend Richards, who bring this news to her, honestly believe that Mrs. Mallard would be very upset to hear it, and that it could make her even more ill. Here the reader expects her to be upset and worries about her, too she has heart trouble, and it's very possible that sad news can make her feel worse than usual. Yes, "she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment" (Chopin, 788), but it's just a first emotional reaction to the news, without deep comprehension of what had happened and how it would change her life.

She comprehends the news only later, and author shows us little by little how she comes to realize it and what helps her to understand it. She goes to her room, and "there stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank" (Chopin, 788). Reading these words, the readers suddenly realize that something turns the story to a more positive, reassuring way. What makes us, readers, to think so? Here we see two things, which make us to feel that way "a comfortable, roomy armchair" as a symbol of security and comfort in spite of her husband's death, and "the open window", which here symbolizes connection to the world, to life.

The next, fifth paragraph, emphasizes these ideas even more and carries more details and fresh elements of the new, positive turn of the story. Through the open window she can see "the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life." "The delicious breath of rain was in the air." "countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves" (Chopin, 788). All these parts of this paragraph show us that Mrs. Mallard gets in touch with life, starts to hear sounds and to smell scents which she didn't feel before. Why? What happened? Does she really start to notice it all only after her husband's death?

Yes, and the author gives us even more details, emphasizing it, not yet giving the answer why she starts to feel this way.

However, a careful reader understands the deep sense of the words about "patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds..." (Chopin, 789). These words didn't appear in the story with no reason. All these details make ...