“The Story of an Hour” is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It was first published as “The Dream of an Hour” in 1985. I was first introduced to this short story during sophomore year. It was recommended to me by my English teacher; however, I never found the time to read it. The title of this story is literal, referring to the exact time the events prolong (which I find to be very interesting). The length of the story is roughly 1000 words. Before reading, I decided to do some research on the author. In her early years, she was strongly pro-Confederate, mainly because of the loss of her brother in the Civil War, and she was also quite the rebel. Her work exemplified societal issues through her own interests, but she wasn’t renowned during her time. It wasn’t until the 20th century that her work gained recognition.
This short story revolves around a woman who has a heart condition and her emotions during this hour. Immediately, the conflict is introduced; Mrs. Mallard has been informed of her husband’s death. Her sister and another character try to break the news in the gentlest way because of her medical condition. Her husband’s death isn’t the only tension. In a way, Chopin uses descriptions and moments that hint towards the disturbing emotion of the now widow. That is, she feels free that her husband has died. At first, the wife is overwhelmed with grief and locks herself in her bedroom. Then, she reveals that her husband wasn’t so great of a man through small, subtle details. Eventually, Mrs. Mallard begins repeating the phrase “Free! Body and soul free!” This made the story controversial during the time of the 1890s. Many people argue over if people were shocked because of a woman speaking her mind or a woman being liberated by the death of her husband. In my opinion, I think it’s both.
My favorite thing about this piece is the descriptions. Chopin uses sensory details to make the reader feel as if they were Mrs. Mallard. The sentence structure and order was smooth and very understandable. Words such as elixir, elusive, exalted, and importunities coincide with the setting, time, and tone. It also gave me the opportunity to learn because I didn’t know the meaning of a lot of words in the story, but that didn’t hinder me from enjoying the read. Overall, I find this story interesting because of its background and the author. In a time where women were supposedly created for certain purposes, this fiction piece challenged the ideas of the 1890s. It spoke of things women were never supposed to or expected to think or say aloud. I admire this story’s complicated internal conflict, adding depth and reason to the tone. The ending is the best part to me and was worth waiting for. I just really appreciate the way conflict is in the beginning, middle, and end. There isn’t a dull moment in this story.
If you want to know the ironic event that happens at the end, give the story a read here.
