"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
"The Story of an Hour" is a short story by Kate Chopin that explores the complex emotions surrounding marriage and personal freedom. The narrative centers on Louise Mallard, a woman with a heart condition, who learns of her husband Brentley's tragic death in a railroad accident. Initially grieving, Louise retreats to her room where she experiences a profound realization about her newfound independence. Despite having loved her husband, she reflects on her marriage and acknowledges a sense of relief and freedom, longing for a life that is now hers to control without her husband's influence. However, the story takes a dramatic turn when Brentley unexpectedly returns home, alive and unaware of the reported accident. This twist leads to Louise's sudden death, described by doctors as a result of overwhelming joy. Chopin's work delves into themes of identity, liberation, and the societal constraints placed on women, prompting readers to consider the complexities of love and autonomy within the confines of marriage. The story invites diverse interpretations of Louise's emotional journey, reflecting broader societal issues of the time.
On this Page
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
First published: 1894
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: 1894
Locale: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
The Story
In this short story by Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard suffers from a heart condition, so her sister Josephine gently and carefully gives her the news of her husband’s death. Mr. Richards, a close friend of her husband, Brentley Mallard, and the first to learn of the tragic railroad accident that claimed Mallard’s life, has accompanied Josephine to help soften what they know will be a cruel blow.
Louise falls, sobbing, into her sister’s arms, then retreats upstairs to her room. Josephine, who begs Louise to let her in, would be shocked if she knew what thoughts were racing through her sister’s mind. Louise has loved her husband, who has in turn loved her and treated her kindly, but she is not crushed by his death, nor do her reflections make her sick.
Indeed, although she initially hesitates to admit to herself that she is not distressed, she begins to repeat one word: “free.” Her life is her own again; no longer will she have to yield to her husband’s wishes as she did in marriage. Only yesterday she had regarded life as tedious and feared longevity. Now she yearns for long life.
Finally, she yields to her sister’s repeated pleas to unlock her bedroom door. Louise embraces her sister, and together they go downstairs to rejoin Richards. As they reach the bottom of the stairs, Brentley comes through the door, unaware of the accident that supposedly has claimed his life. Richards tries to move between him and his wife to shield her from the shock, but he is too late; she has already seen Brentley. She screams and falls down dead. The doctors who examine her afterward say that her weak heart could not bear the sudden joy.
Principal Characters:
Louise Mallard , the protagonist, a beautiful young womanBrentley Mallard , her husbandJosephine , Mrs. Mallard’s sisterMr. Richards , a newspaperman, Brentley Mallard’s close friend
Bibliography
Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
Beer, Janet, and Elizabeth Nolan, eds. Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”: A Sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Bonner, Thomas, Jr. The Kate Chopin Companion. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
Boren, Lynda S., and Sara de Saussure Davis, eds. Kate Chopin Reconsidered: Beyond the Bayou. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1992.
Koloski, Bernard. Kate Chopin: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1996.
Petry, Alice Hall, ed. Critical Essays on Kate Chopin. New York: G. K. Hall, 1996.
Skaggs, Peggy. Kate Chopin. Boston: Twayne, 1985.
Stein, Allen F. Women and Autonomy in Kate Chopin’s Short Fiction. New York: Peter Lang, 2005.
Taylor, Helen. Gender, Race, and Religion in the Writings of Grace King, Ruth McEnery Stuart, and Kate Chopin. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1989.
Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin. New York: William Morrow, 1990.
Toth, Emily. Unveiling Kate Chopin. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1999.