The Story of an Hour

Introduction

Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour”, is a story regarding a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who is trapped in a suppressing marriage and dreadfully wants to escape. This story describes an hour of freedom that has been given to her. Although a very short story, it seems like every sentence has an intense significance and meaning to it that makes the reader think in depth.

It is a fact that to live in a society where conflicts and complications plays a major role might be a problem for many, moreover, Kate Chopin from his story “the story of an Hour” basically challenged the readers towards provoking literature that could actually see, feel and touch (Chopin, 352-354).

Discussion and analysis

In this story Kate has beautifully used various literary terms that could give a better understanding of what she portrayed through her work.

Protagonist

Even though her husband's full name is given to the readers, “Brently Mallard”, she is only referred to as “Mrs. Mallard”, giving the hint of the oppression she had to go through and the degradation society enforced upon women in that time period. Mrs. Mallard, the protagonist of the story is troubled by her heart condition and is oppressed by her husband who loves her and does not want to purposely suppress authority, but sadly, it was the society that built the people's personality and character, and set the standards in the nineteenth century (Evans, pp 45). Interestingly enough, Chopin uses the technique of foreshadowing in the first sentence of the story indicating the readers that something terrible is bound to happen to Mrs. Mallard, perhaps a heart affiliated problem.

Conflict, Crisis, and Climax and Suspense

The conflict marks to be development and onset of major complication, that is basically the struggle for ...