¶ … Irony
In many ways, Kate Chopin's short story, "The Story of an Hour," is a case study in the use of the ironic. The exact opposite of what the reader expects to happen takes place in a number of different occasions in this tale -- from Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the news of her husband's death, to her reaction to the sight of him alive. The irony imbued within this story, as well as the poetic nature of Chopin's prose -- highlighted by her inimitable diction and the perspective she offers regarding the repression of women -- make this story perfect to interpret using the reader response approach to analysis. This particular lens denotes that Chopin's employment of irony actually reinforces the notion that for women, liberation is the absence of the domineering presence of a man and, conversely, this presence is akin to represion.
One of the facets that is most attractive about "The Story of an Hour" is its climactic ending which is heavily steeped in irony. Mrs. Mallard has received news that her longtime husband has died. At the end of the story, however, after Mrs. Mallard has given herself over to the idea of living without her husband's repressive nature, he returns home and the shock of seeing him kills the poor woman. The irony of this fact is underscored by the following quotation that closes...
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