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The Story of an Hour

The short story titled 'The Story of an Hour' is authored by Kate Chopin. The Story was

written in 1894 when the society was significantly different than it is now in various aspects. The

story falls under the genre of a short narrative (Chopin 2018). The story narrates the final

moments of Mrs. Mallard, who has a heart ailment. Due to her condition, her family and friends

prefer to provide information to her gradually to avoid shocking her, which could worsen her

illness. Her sister receives the news of a train accident whereby among the people who perished

is Mr. Mallard, her husband. After gradually letting her on the news, Mrs. Mallard is distraught

with grief. She locks herself in a room, and as she processed the news, she finds relief in the fact

that now she is an independent woman. She prays for a longer life. Soon after she leaves the

room alongside her sister, her husband opens the door. It turns out the news of his death was

erroneous. Mrs. Mallard dies of what doctors term as joy. The story was a recommendation from

a friend. The story illustrates how the unexpected could shift one’s life for the better.

Mrs. Mallard had learned to live with her husband, who bent her will to his liking. In the

nineteenth century, women were a lot less free than they are today. From the story, Mrs. Mallard

was at home while her husband was away working. She heavily relied on her husband for her

livelihood. Therefore, the news of his passing was difficult to accept. She struggled to grasp the

news as she received it “…with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance (Chopin 2018)."
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At first, she could not perceive any positive aspect of the news. She was too held up by the past

that it was difficult to imagine a future alone.

After a moment of processing the news, she accepted her fate and inadvertently realized

that she would be free from the shackles of a marriage which suppressed her liberty. She was

young and strong, yet her face had lines that were evidence of resistance to repression. After

living with her husband, autonomy and freedom were foreign concepts to her. After receiving the

news of his passing, it wasn't very easy to accept that she was free. “She did not know; it was too

subtle and elusive to name (Chopin 2018)." The story illustrates the concept of what we don’t

know we are missing because we have never experienced it. After living under certain

constraints, it is difficult to conceive a life without such limitations. Therefore, oppression

thrives through the perpetration of ignorance.

Mrs. Mallard was in an unhappy marriage. She “had loved him--sometimes. Often she

had not” (Chopin 2018). Despite her situation, it was challenging to come to terms with the fact

that her happiness could only come from her husband's death. She, however, welcomed the news

as her emancipation. She could now live free from undue coercion and influence. At the time of

the story's writing, thoughts of women free from marriage bonds were conceived as immoral.

Today, some actions are not encouraged that will be considered appropriate in the future.

Change comes with uncertainty regarding the future. Such uncertainty creates confusion

and reluctance to accept the change. Often, an individual lives in a comfort zone without any

ambition to leave the zone. This is reinforced by the fact that they know no better. When life’s

circumstances change into an unknown state, it is difficult to accept the new reality despite the

fact that it brings better tidings.

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Work Cited

Chopin, Kate. The story of an hour. Joe Books Ltd, 2018.