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The Story of an Hour 1. Introduction: "The Story of an Hour" by American author Kate Chopin is a mainstay of feminist literary study. Originally published in 1894, the story documents the complicated reaction of Louise Mallard upon learning of her husband's death. Chopin tackles complex issues involved in the interplay of female independence, love, and marriage through her brief but effective characterization of the supposedly widowed Louise Mallard in her last hour of life. After discovering that her husband has died in a train accident, Mrs. Mallard faces conflicting emotions of grief at her husband's death and exultation at the prospects for freedom in the remainder of her life. The latter emotion eventually takes precedence in her thoughts. As with many successful short stories, however, the story does not end peacefully at this point but instead creates a climactic twist. 2. Summary and Analysis The News and the First Reaction: Louise Mallard has a weak heart. Her sister Josephine, who is worried that bad news will overwhelm Louise and worsen her condition, tells her as calmly as possible that her husband, Brently Mallard, has been killed in a train accident. Brently s friend Richards, who learned about the accident while spending time at the newspaper office, asked Josephine to deliver the news of the tragedy to Louise, and now he stands by as Louise hears that her husband has died. Unlike other women of her time period, who become paralyzed by denial when confronted by bad news, Louise weeps into Josephine s arms with wild abandon. Analysis: Women were expected to be passive and delicate in the 19th century, and Louise s heart condition reinforces this societal expectation. Her physical weakness further encourages the people around her like Richards and Josephine to stifle her emotions and overprotect her. The Open Window; A Growing Awareness of Freedom : After her initial sobs of grief subside, Louise escapes into her bedroom and locks the door. She refuses to let Josephine or Richards follow her. Alone, she falls into a chair placed before an open window. Absolutely drained by her own anguish and haunted by exhaustion, she rests in the chair and looks out the window. The scene is full of energy and hope. The trees are "all aquiver with the new spring of life," the "delicious breath of rain" is in the air, sparrows are twittering, and Louise can hear someone singing a song in the distance. She can see "patches of blue sky" amid the clouds. She observes these patches of blue sky without registering what they might mean. Describing Louise's gaze, Chopin writes, "It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought." Analysis: Louise s desire to be alone with her grief is the first indication of her inclination toward freedom and independence, especially in regards to the handling of her own emotions. At first, she doesn't consciously allow herself to think about this freedom. The knowledge reaches her wordlessly and symbolically, via the "open window" through which she sees the "open square" in front of her house. The repetition of the word "open" emphasizes possibility and a lack of restrictions. The nature offers her hints that she slowly pieces together without even realizing she is doing so. Her blank stare tells that she had not been thinking intelligently, otherwise the social norms might have prevented her from such an epiphany. Self-discovery; A Force Too Powerful to Oppose She senses a feeling approaching her. She is unable to articulate the nature of the sensation, which makes her fear it all the more. It seems ever-present, reaching out from the sky and coming to her through the sights and smells that drift around her. As she begins to realize what it is, she strives "to
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