Irony in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour - Research Paper Example

? Irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” Written in 1894, Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” portrays the tragic death of Louise Mallard in very puzzling circumstances. Chopin’s ability to weave together strange and unusual events gives the story much depth despite its short length. Indeed, Chopin uses irony efficiently in order to make meaning in the amazing occurrences in the Mallard household. From the information about Louise Mallard’s heart condition, the false news about Brently Mallard’s death, Louise’ emotional reaction to the news and to her own death, various amazing matters have happened to effectively display the irony Chopin employs. Chopin uses irony to make meaning in “The Story of an Hour.” Indeed, without irony, readers may struggle to get the real sense of the story. From the beginning to the end, Chopin incorporates irony to render her story significant. The narrator’s introduction of Mrs. Mallard and the reference to her health issues prepare the reader to the unfolding of the story: “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” (Chopin 67). This sentence sums up the whole story and informs readers of Brently Mallard’s death; however, what follows comes as a surprise because instead of mourning her husband’s death, Louise seems to enjoy it. Even though she cried when she heard the news, right after that she started to plan her future. Commenting on Mrs. Mallard’s reaction this article informs: “If immediately after learning of the death of her husband Louise had gone through a rapid logical process leading to a celebration of her total freedom, she might have seemed to be a hard, calculating, and therefore unsympathetic woman” (Deneau). Even if this critic is trying to explain her attitude, not much time has really elapsed between the time she learnt the information and the time she started to enjoy. Moreover, in “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard’s ephemeral mourning gives way to enjoyment when she realizes the opportunity of freedom her husband’s death represents for her. She may not have considered herself a victim before nor did she anticipate or even plan her husband’s death; however, now that he is dead she decides to take fully advantage of her time. Analyzing Louise’ sudden change the narrator argues: “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (Chopin 67). This strange feeling generates the new reflection she has about her life and engages her in an attempt to give her existence a new meaning. This attitude is, indeed, ironic for someone who has just lost her husband. This critic gives a supernatural explanation to Louise’ new experience: “In a limited space, and without the assistance of a psychological vocabulary, Chopin may have been forced to rely on the indefinite, the unidentified, which, as best we can judge, is some powerful force, something supernatural, something beyond the realm of mundane experience or the rule of logic” (Deneau). This unexpected behavior puzzles many readers who fail to comprehend the ironic feature Chopin gives the story. Louise’ reflections about her life reveal much about her personality and the aspiration for freedom she had internalized. This surprising reaction foregrounds the inner feelings she had experienced throughout the years. In fact, it seems strange for anybody to enjoy her husband’s death, especially on the same day the incident happens. This critic exposes the irony in the text: “‘The Story of an Hour’ can be read along with Zora Neale Hurston's ‘Spunk’ because both use irony and show how women allow men to circumscribe their lives. Readers see choices that are clear and available to a character that the character cannot see at all” (Cecil). This comparison fits perfectly and reflects the issues women face in their lives. Even though readers may never know the reason behind Mrs. Mallard’s joy, her reaction draws the attention to the relationship she had with her husband. Her attempt to hide her enjoyment to Josephine, her sister, and Richards, her husband’s friend, who truly worry about her heart condition, is amazing. Her refusal to open the door, letting them believe that she is really afflicted demonstrates her intention to hide this guilty feeling. This critic tries to give a reason to this emotion: “When she hears the news of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard's obliviousness to the beauty of life breaks down under the powerful impact of emotion. Until this moment, Mrs. Mallard hardly thinks it worthwhile to continue her existence” (Jamil). It is really ironic that Mr. Mallard’s death brings a rebirth to Louise’s life. The contrast between life and death is very powerful, and it takes her husband’s death for Mrs. Mallard to start really living. The unexpected end of the story reveals many surprises. Tired of playing her game with Josephine and Richards, Louise decides to finally come out of her room. However, this decision will be fatal to Louise. In fact, believing her husband dead, his unexpected return causes a heart attack that proves fatal to Louise. Having carefully planned her future life without Brently Mallard, the deception of his coming back costs her life even though the doctors seem to think that she dies of the joy to see him alive. The narrator informs: “When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease—of joy that kills” (68). This sentence is the most ironic in the story because the doctors got it all wrong, but they did not know anything about Mrs. Mallard’s feelings. Despite the tremendous attempts to prevent the heart attack, it ended up happening. Indeed, Louise’ fragile health made her sister, Josephine, and Richards, her husband’s friend take good care to reveal the news about her husband’s death. However, she did survive the announcement of his death to finally die when she realized he was alive. The whole irony of the story resides in this segment that contains a true puzzle. None of those who survived Louise understands the reason for her death as do readers aware of her earlier reflections. This critic argues about the unfolding of the story: “Even though each character - Richards, Louise, and Josephine - makes the observation-inference confusion, each has no reason to believe she/he is assuming: Richards waits for a second telegram, Louise has no reason to doubt Richards, and Josephine believes Louise is grieving over her husband's death” (Mayer). Chopin carefully weaves her story to make meaning by portraying the fake death of Brently Mallard. Wherever, the rumor of his death came from, Josephine and Richards acted truly and were really concerned for Louise’s well-being. They did try to protect her, in vain. The complexity of Chopin’s story and its unusual characteristic draw the attention of many critics who attempt to understand its true meaning. The false news about Mr. Mallard’s death starts a succession of strange events that puzzle readers. However, Louise’ attitude is the most amazing because many readers fail to understand the real motive for such a behavior. This writer notes: “About one issue, at least among readers of anthologies, there may be continuing debate: is Louise a normal, understandable, sympathetic woman, or is she an egocentric, selfish monster or anomaly?” (Deneau) Indeed, many readers cannot conceive how a woman can enjoy her husband’s death or anybody’s death for that matter, regardless of the tensions that may have existed in their relationships. However, the socio-cultural realities of the period may explain this strange feeling. In the 19th century, women did not enjoy much freedom, and Louise may have been experiencing painful situations in her life that may justify her wish for freedom. This article confirms: “Mrs. Mallards limited social life, her life constrained by her role as a wife in the late 1800s” may have contributed to the expression of her emotions (Patia). Among all the characters that have experienced unusual events in the story, Brently Mallard must have been the most puzzled. In fact, it might be very surprising to just enter his own house and at the same exact moment witness his wife’s death. Even though he is lucky not to be aware of Louise’ emotions, he faces the death of his espouse, which is a big loss. The irony in this case is revealed through his belief that Louise really died because of the joy to see him alive, as the doctors state. This belief may provide him some comfort, a sense of well-being and a feeling that his wife really loved him. However, Louise’ emotions and her projection in the future prove the opposite. Besides, the report of his death constitutes another puzzle and leads to the question about why he was believed to be dead when he was not even around. The narrator asserts: “He had been far from the scene of accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife” (68). His amazement is truly justified because the scene he witnesses seems unreal. Mallard was alive and was not even aware of the accident that presumably killed him. He is now facing the sudden death of his wife the cause of which he will never know. “The story of an Hour” exposes the complexity of life whose turns and twists nobody can predict. Despite her careful planning of her future life, Louise Mallard suddenly dies living behind a husband whose presumed death she deeply enjoyed. This assertion indicates: “In the patriarchal world of the nineteenth-century United States that Chopin depicts, a woman was not expected to engage in self-assertion” (Jamil). That excess may have caused her doom; however, many readers think she got what she deserved. Even though the story is very short, it contains very puzzling sequences whose complexity requires much wit to understand. Chopin’s dexterity to use irony in order to express the meaning of the story has been very significant. Works Cited Cecil, Kathleen. “Walking a Maze of Views to the Center: Teaching Point of View.” English Journal 93.5 (2004): 54-59. ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Deneau, Daniel P. “Chopin's ‘The Story of an Hour.’” The Explicator 61.4 (2003): 210-213. ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Jamil, Selina. “Emotions in ‘The Story of an Hour.’” The Explicator 67.3 (2009): 215-220. ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Mayer, Gary H. “A Matter of Behavior: A Semantic Analysis of five Kate Chopin Stories: A Review of General Semantics.” et Cetera67.1 (2010): 94-100. ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Tapia, Elena. “Beyond a Comparison of Two Distinct Things; or, What Students of Literature Gain from a Cognitive Linguistic Approach to Metaphor.” College Literature33.2 (2006): 135-VII. ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. Read More