Surname 1

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course Title

Date

Short Story Analysis

The social customs and traditions are the important aspects of literature considered in the

short story “The story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. Through the story, the author identifies the

primary elements of socially decided roles. The story analysis is important due to the information

it reveals from the story that portrays society. The storyline depicts a story where the societal

customs and traditions limit the personal expectations of an individual. In a particular society,

society expects that husbands and wives love each other without limits. It is expected that when

the wife gets the news of her husband's demise, she is supposed to show grief. Chopin's narration

outlines the limits of being a woman in society, the socially decided roles, and the short-lived joy

in the woman's life.

The story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

The story of an hour by Kate Chopin holds a narrative of a young woman. Louise

Mallard was reacting to reports of her alleged husband’s demise on a train accident. Louise

Mallard learns about the death of her husband Bently through Josephine and the list printed in

the newspaper about the railroad disaster. In the text, Louise keeps on whispering, “Free! Body

and soul free," revealing the state of happiness in her mind (537). It seems the young woman had

a quest for marital freedom. The omniscient narrator indicates that she had not been free due to
 Surname 2

the private wills that people had imposed on her. However, she found it necessary to live a life

that does not suppress her will.

The story revolves around feminism in the world characterized by male dominance.

Berkove introduces the concept of self-assertion by the heroine’s spiritual journeys to freedom.

Through his article, Berkove illustrates how feminism plays a key role in the story through

symbolism and iron. The story introduces the readers to the idea of patriarchal society through

the narration "Louise is sick, emotionally as well as physically" "Louise is not thinking clearly"

and is suffering from an "early stage of delusion (Berkove 156).” After learning about her

husband's false death, she started a spiritual journey by segregating herself upstairs. The

invisible forces of convection resist her journey of the quest for freedom. According to the

author, women are subjected to the responsibilities of caring for children.

The author further imparts the issues of a divisive society where everyone is entitled to

specific rules. The societal setting of the story illustrates a wife's expectation in a society

characterized by male dominance. A wife seems to be caged in the marital status and cannot

enjoy independent life like her male counterpart. Although the love and bond between Mr. and

Mrs. Mallard are not strong, she still demonstrates grief after receiving the sad news of her

husband's demise. However, she fakes grief to please the immediate society. In the outside, Mrs.

Mallard showed grief due to the sad stories. However, the young woman is in the celebration in

her heart. In the normal patriarchal society, celebrating the demise of a husband could create a

funny image. Kate Chopin's work has proved to be favorite feminist criticism since its work.

Through her work, Selina Jamil correlates the feelings during her death to the one during

the repression period in her marriage life. Jamil admits that there is no prevalence of the

mistreatment of Mrs. Mallard. However, the mistreatment is evident from the actual behaviors
 Surname 3

prevalent in the short story. It is prevalent that it is not only the husband who makes her life

difficult but also society. The societal expectation of the woman is to live under the conditions

set up by men. She has to make a sacrifice for her life. However, if the bird has not tasted an

open-air, nothing was better than the liberty. If she chooses to live beyond the limits set up by a

man, society could consider her insane and uncontrollable. Therefore, the limits set by society

are quite big. The condition of living in a state of identity crisis is a fate that does not spare Mrs.

Mallard.

Emily Toth is justified to indicate how Louise's death is an example of women who sink

in thoughts due to the patriarchal blindness. The male-dominated community facilitates

suppression of the feminist world through the instance when she dies of "joy that kills her."

Unfortunately, the story of the death of her husband brings about joy in her mind. Brently

Mallard, his friend Richards, and the doctors had a clue of her death's real course but could not

disclose it due to her society's state. Similarly, Berkove indicates that there is no hard evidence

about the patriarchal blindness. However, the author recognizes the misunderstandings in

doctors' true minds and the patriarchal blindness in society. Toth claims that the woman in the

narration sacrificed herself on behalf of others. However, there is a contract between the

arguments of Toth and Berkove about the patriarchal blindness. While reading through the text,

one can easily identify that Berkove shuns away from reality.

Chopin utilizes her story to portray the importance of liberty among humans. It is human

nature to have happiness with the prevalence of liberty among individuals. Through her theme

"story of an hour," Kate reveals how the happiness of the woman was short-lived. Louise

discounts love to her self assertion. She believes life is more important after attaining liberty.

According to Berkove, self-assessment is the "strongest impulse of her being"(p.154). The author
 Surname 4

states that people in marriages experience disagreements that could lead to the reduction of a

love extent. The author narrates that the woman's joy was only an hour as she enjoyed the

freedom she had coveted for a short time. The reemergence of her husband ended her joy and

"her assumption of the posture of the "goddess of Victory"(Berkove 157). The reemergence of

her husband brought double delusion. She was no longer a goddess, and the victory was no more.

The doctors were right to state that she died of enormous joy.

Mrs. Mallard's psychological state indicates that the emotional changes characterized the

increasing resistance barrier of the real world to the world in her expectation. According to Wan,

Louise is "standing aloof from the social life and the people around her such as her husband, her

sister, and her husband's friend, Richards" (p.168). It is expected that women derive comfort

from friends and family. Chopin was influenced by the theories, critics, and ideas that reigned in

her particular world. The movement of ideas and criticism from one society or person to another

reflects a society that tries to adapt to the changes in different aspects of life. In the story of an

hour, Mrs. Mallard's passing away indicates the conflict between life and death. The incident is

a reflection of the current society that emphasizes on the importance of freedom and unity.

The narration welcomes the ideas of strengthening well mannerism in society and, at the

same time, removing limitations. The story comes at a time when authors use literature as a

mirror that reflects the evil doings. Through her work, Kate Chopin does not desist from telling

the world issues affecting the society of birth. She believes it was time for the society to commit

to creating a better place for all genders. According to her work, women were entitled to taking

care of children. The male-dominated society did not give women a chance to enjoy marital

freedom characterized by love and happiness.

 Surname 5

The story "The story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin digs into a society that portrayed

inequality between the male and female gender. In this particular society, women struggle to

liberate themselves from the societal limits. Chopin portrays a society of male dominance. The

protagonist of the story, Louise Mallard, hears the news of her husband's demise through a

railroad carnage. She becomes cheerful since the developmental freedom may strengthen herself

but characterized by a sense of loneliness and could be accompanied by a sense of isolation.

However, the happiness is short lives as her husband reemerged. The story teaches the society

the importance of impressing love and marriage and strengthening equality in both genders. The

society can live equality through the removal of limitation.

 Surname 6

Works Cited

Berkove, Lawrence I. "Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin's 'The Story of an Hour. “American

Literary Realism 32, no. 2 (winter 2000): 152-58.

Jamil, S. Selina. "Emotions in the Story of an Hour." The Explicator 67.3 (2009): 215-220.

Khan, Nuzhat. "Review Of Short Story a Very Old Man with Enormous Wings." An

International Refereed e-Journal of Literary Explorations 2.4 (2014):398-400

Mays, Kelly J. The Norton introduction to literature. WW Norton & Company, 2015.

Toth, Emily. "Chopin Thinks Back Through Her Mother." Kate Chopin Reconsidered: Beyond

the Bayou. Ed. Lynda S. Boren and Sara de Saussure Davis. Baton Rouge and London: Lousiana

State UP, 1992. 15-25.

Wan, Xuemei. "Kate Chopin's View on Death and Freedom in" The Story of an Hour." English

Language Teaching, 2.4 (2009): 167-170.