An Interpretation of the Story "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

With a Focus on the Story's Main Character Louise Mallard

Carolin Sihler

• Publisher: GRIN Verlag
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9783346008060
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: English Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1, 3, University of Tubingen, language: English, abstract: This work analyses Kate Chopin's story "Story of an Hour" with regard to its main character. Is Louise Mallard the warm-hearted woman and caring wife the story´s characters believe her to be?Louise Mallard´s external appearance perfectly conforms to what her environment expects of her. She grieves for her reportedly dead husband and shows great emotions. Her wish to be alone for some time is also nothing unusual for someone who has to bear such a great loss. Up to this point in the short story her behaviour triggers what everybody takes for normal, namely that the widow Mrs. Mallard is suffering times of immeasurable emotional pain and despair. This state of dismay and sadness soon wears off after she has shut the door behind her, and is screened from all the preoccupied faces of the others. Now, that she is alone she knows that she does not have to pretend false feelings anymore. Slowly, Louise begins to relax and develop new senses for the world outside the window and the feelings coming from the bottom of her heart to the surface where they had been locked during the years as a married woman. But Louise is not entirely alone. The reader observes her secret wish for absolute freedom, and he alone is able to see the discrepancy between appearance and reality which the story´s characters cannot detect. Although this hour of revelation brings to light the second self of Louise Mallard, it also leaves many questions open. Who is she really, this woman with a split identity and secret wishes? As the reader is the only person who has access to both her exterior behaviour and a part of her interior thoughts, he is able to analyse Louise Mallard´s character and the incentive of her being to a certain extent.