The Story of an Hour - Essay Example

The reason for such a generalization was due to women being regarded as images of motherhood and therefore their primary duty was towards bearing children and looking after them. In Kate Chopin’s story ‘Louise Mallard, the protagonist faces the same situation where she feels that her life is stifled by her husband and has no meaning to it at all. In this essay, I have chosen to analyze and discuss about the concept of irony found in ‘The Story of an Hour’. (Kate Chopin, 1894) 2 This late 19th century story, takes place in Louise own house where she lived with her husband, Brently Mallard, who gave her all she needed except her independence and freedom.

Louise felt she was living her life in bondage and longed, from the depth of her heart, for freedom from the shackles that held her. When she comes to hear of the incident of her husband’s death in a train accident,, Louise, experiences conflicting emotions of grief and exultation simultaneously. On one hand she begins crying and sobbing when her husband’s friend brings the sad news of his death, but ironically on the other hand, she is relieved that he would no longer be there to interfere in her new- found freedom.

She understands that she is expected to mourn the death of her husband and she will do so, but she looks beyond it and to the freedom she would enjoy in the years to come. She goes to her room, sits in an armchair near the window and enjoys the first breath of freedom as she breathes deeply and looks at the beauty outside. She welcomes her freedom with open arms and starts planning for her future. The love she had for her husband is negligible, when compared to her new – found freedom. Louise’s happiness knows no bounds and this is clearly depicted in the following sentence by Kate Chopin the author, when she states – ‘Free body and soul free’.

(Kate Chopin, The story of an Hour’, 1894) There is another ironical situation where Mrs. Mallard’s sister, Josephine gently taps on Louise’s door and begs her to come out. She is afraid that 3 something may happen to her sister in her grief- stricken situation. She is not aware that Louise has already accepted her husband’s death and is happy about her freedom. She thinks that her sister is drowned in grief and that is the reason for her not opening the door. She has no idea that Louise is happily planning for her future happiness.

Josephine feels bad for her sister’s loss and tries to comfort her with soft and gentle words, but she is not aware that Louise is happy about her husband’s death because it is only through his death that she has procured her freedom and independence. The clinching of the deal came as a rude shock, when the doorbell rang. Josephine had somehow managed to coax her sister Louise out of her room and bring her down the stairs. It was at this moment they heard the doorbell ring. On opening the door, everyone were shocked beyond words, because there stood Mr.

Mallard, Louise’s husband as large as life, when everyone had thought him to be dead. Louise had the worst shock of her life because she realized that her freedom and independence which she was so much looking forward to in the future was gone forever Gone was the joy in her heart and gone were her wings of freedom. Louise cries out in unbelievable shock and drops to the floor. A doctor is called in, who pronounces her dead from a heart condition, which is supposedly from, ‘the joy that kills’, (Kate Chopin, 1894) The irony in this 4 situation is that the person who was thought to be dead, was now alive, whereas the person who was very much alive was now dead.

In this story Kate Chopin, the author, brings about a good balance