Essay about Symbolism in “The Story of an Hour”

After Louise Mallard received the news of her husbands death from her sister and husband's friend, Richards, a new beginning was about to be embarked upon. She was upset about the news she took herself to her room where she demanded privacy. As Chopin pointed out "She would have no one follow." (138) It was at that moment she sat down to look outside her

As she beings to consider all of the opportunities that will soon await her, Mrs. Mallard becomes Louise. She blossoms into a free, relaxed woman who was ready to begin her life on her own. During the hour which Louise believes Brently is dead, her heart beats strongly. She opened and spread her arms out, welcoming her new life. She whispers to herself repetitively, “Free! Body and soul free!” (158) A statement that shows her new independence really is for her. Louise soon becomes a woman aware of her own desires, enjoying the anticipation of being freed from the confines of her marriage.

The Mallards' house, the area where the entire action of the story takes place, is extremely significant in understanding the subtleties of the plot and characters. The house is two stories tall, with two main rooms shown in detail: the front parlor, which is downstairs, and Louise's bedroom, upstairs. The two floors are significantly different, both in the mood and in the emotions brought out in each one. It is in the parlor that Louise first hears of her husband's death and later ultimately discovers that he lives. Yet she achieves true enlightenment and understanding upstairs, in her bedroom. The particular level of the house that Louise is in conveys certain emotions and reveals two different aspects of her character. Downstairs she is the good wife, mourning the loss of her husband at first and later swooning from what the doctors believe to be "joy that kills" (14). Downstairs she must act like the typical late-nineteenth-century woman, completely

As any woman would, Mrs. Mallard initially “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment,” (227) at the news of her husband’s death. Her weeping almost seems forced as Mrs. Mallard’s true character is revealed later on. She is described as “young, with a

At the beginning of the story no one wished to tell Mrs. Mallard about the death of her husband due to her heart condition. Her heart trouble is a symbol for the way she feels crushed or hurt by her marriage. During this time period women were expected to live under the control of their husbands, so while being married to Brently, she begins to lose her identity. In the story, she is only referred to as Mrs. Mallard she isn’t referred to as Louise until after her husband’s death. She is an accessory to her husband is forced to live in the shadow of her husband and as a result of this she has lost herself over the years. Louise’s character is used as a symbol to represent the women of this time period and show the sacrifices they make for their husbands and the troubles that come along with the inequalities they experience in marriage.

It was not typical in the time period of the story, nor is it now, for the sister of a bride to live with her and her husband in their home. Her presence is not at all crucial to the progression of the plot, and she has no significant impact on the substance of the story, the feelings and rebirth of Louise Mallard, which comprises the majority of the story’s text.

The sense of being “free” and “independent” were nothing more than imaginations. They could have hoped to be things of such, but society has limited them to be caring wives and mothers instead. Mrs. Mallard has been compelled to follow the life course that society has set for her. In a society where holding a specific position in a household is the “norm,” one may tend to live in a hypocritical world full of lies in order to be segregated from society. Louise struggles to endure the confines of society in the 19th century that has limited her individuality. In the story, her sister, Josephine, took great care to tell Louise of her husband’s death. Josephine “veiled hints that revealed in half concealing,” which exemplifies that women were seen as fragile and sentimental in this time period. Furthermore, when Mrs. Mallard isolates herself in a room to deal with her inner emotions, her sister pleads her to come out, insisting that she will make herself ill if she refuses too. The way Josephine presents herself as worrisome and thoughtful portrays that women were

The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, is a wonderful short story filled with many different peculiar twists and turns. Written in 1894, the author tells a tale of a woman who learns of her husband’s death, but comes to find joy in it. Many of the things Kate Chopin writes about in this story symbolize something more than just the surface meaning. Through this short story, told in less than one thousand one hundred words, Kate Chopin illustrates deeper meanings through many different forms of symbolism such as the open window in the bedroom, Mrs. Louise Mallard’s heart trouble, and Chopin’s physical description of Mrs. Mallard.

Kate Chopin's `The Story of an Hour' is a short yet complex piece describing the feelings of Mrs Mallard. This story is overflowing with symbolism and imagery. The most prominent theme here is the longing for freedom. Chopin focuses on unfolding the emotional state of Mrs Mallard which can be separated into three stages: quickly moving to grief, through a sense of newfound freedom, and finally into the despair of the loss of that freedom.

In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin describes to her readers a young woman’s response to her husband’s death, or at least his presumed death. The opinions readers will draw from this story will vary from person to person due to personal experiences. The experience and wisdom that I have gained through the trails and tribulations of my life help me to understand, relate, and even despise Mrs. Mallard’s character. On one hand, I feel pity for Mrs. Mallard. I think she felt trapped in a situation that she found to be inescapable. She felt lonely, restless, and did not know how to help herself. Yet, on the other hand, I do not feel sorry for

One of my observations that I want to point out is that the author says she went away to her room alone. Why couldn’t it be to their room? This may be an example of Mrs. Mallard being a selfish person, a bit possessive that is.

Throughout the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin uses imagery and symbolism with several different objects to further the theme and plot. Since the use of symbolism helps bring depth to the story without focusing on too much detail, readers can acquire a more complex idea on what they believe the author tries to convey throughout the story. As Chopin executes an underlying message behind her signs, she also reveals new traits and meanings of her character, Mrs. Mallard. Despite Chopin’s use of several symbols to advance the storyline, the open window exemplifies not only Mrs. Mallard’s realization of her new-found freedom, but her hope and happiness as well.

conquest and triumph. Before hearing that her husband was killed Mrs. Mallard was trapped in the life of being just a wife for the rest of her life. Now she was free of the title and could go back to living her own life. Back in the late 1900s almost all woman had felt the same way. They were almost nothing except for slaves to their own home.

Kate Chopin’s impressive literary piece, The Story of an Hour, encompasses the story of an hour of life, an hour of freedom. We must seize the day and live our lives to the fullest without any constraints. This very rich and complete short story carries a lot of meaning and touches a readers feelings as well as mind. Throughout this piece much symbolism is brought about, which only helps us to understand the meaning and success of Kate Chopin’s work. Kate allows her reader to think and allows us to understand the meaning of her story with the different uses of symbols such as heart troubles, the armchair, the open window, springtime, and the calm face and goddess of victory. We eventually realize little by little that Mrs. Mallard

The use of imagery is displayed heavily throughout the story to reflect the feelings of Mrs. Mallard following the news of her husband’s abrupt death. The setting outside her window is very descriptive and allows the audience to connect this imagery to the future that Mrs. Mallard is now seeing opening for her. As she is looking out of the window in her bedroom, she sees “trees that were all aquiver with new spring life” as well as sparrows “twittering in the eaves” (Chopin). This represents the joy and realization of a new life for Mrs. Mallard. She can now start over as a free woman instead of living as a man’s property trapped inside the house; this is where the woman’s place was during this period while only