The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” depicts a short story about a negative view of marriage during the late 19^th century American society.  The protagonist, Mrs. Mallard experiences a twisting life-changing in “an hour”. She is a low-class woman who married Brently Mallard with no freedom during the time of the society. After Mrs. Mallard hears the news about the death of her husband, she starts to gain her “freedom”. But, “good thing” is not lasting too long because her husband comes back alive. Her husband’s reappearance shocks her and she dead after.

Mrs. Mallard’s emotion changes from sad to happy and limitation to freedom it is because the new of her husband’s death. The author uses some powerful words to describe her emotion and feeling.  After learning of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard weeps at once and then she goes back to her room alone. “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her." From this quote, Mrs. Mallard feels that a “better life” starts to come toward her. She locks herself in her room and looks outside the window. This scene symbolic that her room is a tiny space for her inner-world of life and outside of her window is a beautiful world with happiness and freedom that she wants to have.

The author does not mention why Mrs. Mallard’s life is in misery but she uses some descriptive natural scenes to hint readers and to symbolic misery life of feminists late 19^th century. Readers could imagine a picture of a woman who will face difficulty after marriage. Upon the title of this short fiction, the story seems to happen in “an hour”. But, this “hour” has been created many powerful imaginations and significance for readers.  Kate Chopin illustrates the scenes of nature and the emotion of the main character with strong words to show that women are dying to claim their self-identity and freedom to live their own lives, even nowadays.