¶ … Joy" in Chopin's "Story of an Hour"
When the joy of liberation turns into the shock of oppression, the life can go out of an individual. This is what happens to Mrs. Mallard in "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. What is ironic about the story is that everyone thinks she dies from the shock of "joy" at seeing her husband is alive (after being told he was dead). Before, Mrs. Mallard had been sick and ailing, but when she is told by her sister that her husband has died, Mrs. Mallard is relieved inside and comes to life: she is tired of being his wife. However, everyone has been misinformed and the husband yet lives -- and this twist is enough to overcome Mrs. Mallard -- her sudden relief is turned to sudden grief, and she dies. Chopin uses irony to achieve a humorous and satirical twist ending. She also uses hyperbole and setting to emphasize the oppression that Mrs. Mallard feels and the liberation that she experiences when she suddenly believes that she is "Free!" This paper will show how Chopin uses these literary devices to explore the main theme of the story, which is that matrimony is actually an oppressive thing for some -- like Mrs. Mallard -- contrary to the popular opinion of others.
The others in the story believe that Mrs. Mallard is upset to hear of the loss because of her sobs -- but really she is crying out of joy. The irony is that when she dies, they think she dies out of joy -- but really she is dying out of sadness and shock (because her husband is alive after all, not dead). The sudden wave of euphoria that comes over her after she realizes that she is free of her husband, free to be herself and live for herself, gives her a sudden burst of energy and life -- but that all quickly leaves her when her husband enters through the front door, delivering such a jolt to her that she dies of a heart attack. The others believe that the "joy" of seeing her husband after thinking him dead is what kills her -- but this is Chopin's use of irony to drive home the satirical point about matrimony: it is not for everyone and certainly not for Mrs. Mallard who woke up from her oppression with a "feverish triumph in her eyes ... like a goddess of Victory" after hearing that she was now a (happy!) widow.
Chopin's...
She actually loved Brently very much and her first impulse at the news of his death was to cry. Also, she was perfectly aware that she would also cry at his funeral, considering that they loved each-other and that she was accustomed to living next to him. Brently was actually caring and loving toward her and one might believe that Louise's concern about her having been freed is morally
This occurrence adds symbolism to the ending by providing us with reassurance of the story's theme that despite any precaution taken, death is the one thing that cannot be planned for. 2.) Symbolism is highly present in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path." It is this strong symbolism that defines what "A Worn Path" grew to represent. This story may be interpreted in many ways, but in the end, it all comes
Well-placed imagery is like a snapshot into what the author is saying. They are essentially painting a picture and the images they give us are important to the overall message. Kate Chopin wants us to experience the thrill that Louise does when she realizes that her husband's death is not the end of the world but the beginning of a new one. Her life, once shadowed but that man,
Country of the Pointed Firs," by Sarah Orne Jewett, "The Awakening," by Kate Chopin and "My Antonia," by Willa Cather. Specifically, it will show the development of the complexity, or the straightforwardness, of the point-of-view. Point-of-view is often as difficult to pinpoint as the characters of great novels. Sometimes, the point-of-view in a novel can shift and change, but the bottom line is -- point-of-view is a compelling way
Ernest Hemingway "Hills Like White Elephants" Kate Chopin "The Story Hour" Hemingway rich symbolism build "The Story of an Hour" is rife with irony. This literary device is demonstrated in Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the purported death of her husband, and in the fact that he is really alive. The literary device of irony is mainly about opposition -- words are used in the exact opposite way of their literal meaning,
Domestic Prison Gender Roles and Marriage The Domestic Prison: James Thurber's "Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) and "The Story of an Hour" (1894) by Kate Chopin depict marriage as a prison for both men and women from which the main characters fantasize about escaping. Louise Mallard is similar to the unnamed narrator in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's
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