The Story of an Hour - Essay Example

English February 23, Topic: The Story of an Hour Introduction Louise is the flagship character in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. There are many literary elements in the story and I single out two of them for literary analysis, irony and symbolism. When I read through the story, I find that Kate Chopin has introduced a number of literary devices to create a unique blend of events from the beginning to end. Particularly the masterstroke of her writing in this story is the intelligent application of irony and symbolism.

Irony is reflected in Kate Chopin’s assertion, “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.”(213) I consider this as an important irony on which the entire superstructure of the story is built. Mrs. Mallard’s authentic reaction to the news of death is one of relief, though she begins to weep immediately as soon as she is told about it by her sister Josephine. This is the irony of her real state of mind and the state of mind which she wants the people around her to believe.

Privately, she accepts the news of death as a matter of fact incident but immediately craves internally to live a long life. Thus the irony of the situation is, she considers Mr. Mallard as a constraint or a hurdle to her wellbeing and to live a fully contented life, according to her plan of actions. I see an element of irony in her ‘heart trouble’ that has double meaning. It is connected to her mental ailment. Her private world always craves for experiencing the joy of independence. With the breaking of the news of the death of her husband, latent joy engulfs her that she positively imagines that she has reached threshold of freedom.

She feels liberated. It will be even correct to describe that she feels that she is born again. The excellence of Kate Chopin is evident in the manner in which she has succeeded in creating an ironic situation. Mrs. Mallard can’t be condemned for her private joy; rather her reaction is to be pitied, when Mr. Mallard walks back to her life again, hale and hearty. I see this ironic situation takes the full circle in the life of Mrs. Mallard. The greatest irony is, her death as a broken hearted woman, not because Mr.

Mallard is alive, but her newfound dream of freedom is snatched away from her. Symbolism is the second literary element that has been used with telling effect in the story. The the story is full of symbols. Mrs. Mallard, on receiving the news of the death of her husband, moves to another room to experience the joy of transformation of her inner thoughts. Chopin writes, “There was something….the color filled the air.”(214) That “something” is her new experience of liberation and becoming free from the bond of marriage and her association with Mr. Mallard. Everything else, like wounds, colors and scents are relegated to the background when she looks out from the window.

That window is the invisible space in her heart, which allows the warm rays of light of her newfound freedom to come in. That is the symbol of revolt; her long suppressed feelings suddenly spurt out to provide her the new vision of life; and the clouds seen from the window indicate the trouble she has been experiencing in her current marriage. The death is symbolic of her earnest desire to move away from the bonds of marriage and she feels that it is now possible for her to reach out to wider horizons of life, crossing the narrow boundaries.

She gains control as she breathes fresh air that seems to gush in from the window through which she is surveying and she feels she is the monarch of her life with that experience of “something.” I express it in larger terms to say her feeling is symbolic pointer to the cause of women liberation. “Chopin’s often-celebrated yearning for freedom is also on display here—as is her sense of ambiguity and her complex way of seeing life. Its typical of her to note that it is both "men and women" who "believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature." (www.katechopin) She is immensely relieved that she is free, and now she is willing to move on to greater heights for the future.

Conclusion Mrs. Mallard is the central character around whom other characters play around and I have no hesitation in asserting the finest use of literary devices is made in this story by Kate Chopin. The use of irony and symbolism keep the story interesting and suspenseful. The story deserves and outstanding position on account of the unique approach of the author to the overall planning of the plot. Works CitedChopin, Kate.

The Awakening and Selected Stories. Penguin Classics, 1984.English, Print. KateChopin.org. THE KATE CHOPIN INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY.20 February 2012 Retrieved on February 20, 2012