Story of Chopin

¶ … Life

One can learn a number of things about life from reading Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." The same sentiment applies to reading "A White Heron," which was written by Sarah Orne Jewett. Both of these tales seemingly emphasize the frailty of life, and imply that the decisions one makes throughout life can be binding -- or become easily undone.

The protagonist of a "A White Heron," Sylvia, faces quite a quandary in Jewett's tale. She has all but agreed to help a hunter find a white heron so that the young man can slay it. In fact, the young man has promised to give anyone who can find this bird a sizeable sum of money. Enticed by such a reward, Sylvia is bent on finding the bird… until she does. After climbing high in a tree to find the curious creature, the young girl is struck by its beauty and the beauty of nature in general. She then has to decide if she should have the bird killed and use the reward money, or if she should let the bird live. This is quite a decision for a young girl, and she eventually opts to let him live.

This decision is akin to many decisions in life. People routinely encounter choices in which they can do something for money, or refrain from doing that same thing as a matter of principle. These two choices were the crux of Sylvia's dilemma. What is most interesting about this quandary is the way that Sylvia resolved it. She decided not to sell out for money and to adhere to her principles regarding beauty, nature, and the inherent joy of life. As such, (and since her name, Sylvia, explicitly denotes wisdom), Sylvia's decision sends a powerful message to the reader. Money will come and go; people can learn to make do without it, or with meager amounts of it. However, life is ultimately more valuable than money. Beauty and nature are enduring aspects of life and are not to be compared to monetary value.

There is also a great deal to be learned about making choices in everyday life in the "The Story of an Hour." In this tale, it is quite clear that Mrs. Mallard has led a life in which her will was subjected to that of her husband. In this respect, her life was like that of many other wives, particularly during the turn of the 20th century. What is crucial about decisions in this story is that like most other women, Mrs. Mallard had very little choice but to subject herself to the will of her husband. It was very difficult for women to live alone and to make a living by themselves during the time that Chopin wrote this story. In fact, women were mostly thought of as property -- first that of their fathers, and then that of their husbands.