The Story of an Hour

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin shows the mind of a woman in suffering and her realization of joy, but the source of both of these emotions is much more complex than we the readers first understand. In examining Mrs. Louise Mallard’s behavior after learning of her husband’s death, the author describes her as having a “fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.” (Chopin, 1894) This strength is fast replaced by “a dull stare in her eyes” which “was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.” (Chopin, 1894) This statement is an overture of her forthcoming behavior and sensibilities, and I believe shows that she was less worried about the social conventions of what a grieving widow should be, than expressing the grief about the life she had missed.

As the story begins, we read through paragraph five which seems to be an unrelated descriptive paragraph where she sat staring out her window, in reality, it is an internal reflection of Mrs. Mallard’s desires, to be teeming with life as all of the things around her seem to be. This is reinforced later in the story as she “was drinking in the very elixir of life through that open window.” (Chopin, 1894)

As we read through the story we get the sense that Mrs. Mallard, though she loved her husband “sometimes” deeply regretted marrying the man as “Often she had not.” (Chopin, 1894) After the shock of the death has begun to wear off, we see that her actions are less a concern for what would be considered proper mourning, but a realization that she may never have loved the man that she married. This is followed by a deep regret for the time she had wasted with him and the acceptance that with his death she was now “Free, free, free!” (Chopin, 1894) Paragraph thirteen of the story perfectly illustrates this point and to my mind is the theme of the story. It shows the tenderness she felt for him, yet at the same time the exuberance she felt at the thought of “a long procession of years to come that would be hers absolutely.” (Chopin, 1894)

As we come to the end of this story, we see the opposing side of Mrs. Mallard as we met her. Instead of sullen and near comatose, we find her in the grips of the strongest emotion she had ever felt, including love, self-realization. “What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being.” (Chopin, 1894) This discovery gave her the power to overcome her feelings regarding her husband’s so called death, her years attached to him which she considered a waste, and her own feelings of inadequacy.

The author's use of irony in ending the story was very refreshing, in that the “monstrous joy” which had consumed her was ultimately the “the joy that kills.” (Chopin, 1894)