literary analysis

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Literary Analysis: “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” can be easily passed off as a normal story with an unsurprising ending, but a deep analysis and comprehension of the story reveal a very strong but subtle statement on women’s rights and humanity. The title of the story is used to signify the briefness of the story as it is very short with the events unfolding fast. Kate Chopin uses the various literary elements to show how marriage is more of confining roles dominated by servitude rather than loving partnerships.
One of the literary elements utilized by Chopin to pass her message is imagery. An example of imagery used in the story is when Mrs. Mallard starts to comprehend the consequences of the death of her husband on her life. The author states that Mrs. Mallard’s bosom began to fall and rise tumultuously (Chopin 13). This literary device can also be found when Mrs. Mallard utters some words after her shock on hearing her husband’s death: “When she abandoned herself, a little-whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips.” (Chopin 13).
Symbolism has been used strongly in the story to demonstrate how men used to treat their wives in the Victorian Era. Chopin demonstrates the feelings that women held towards the chauvinistic attitudes of men when she quotes Mrs. Mallard: “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself.” (Chopin 13). This signifies a deep sense of freedom that Mrs.

Ballard expected to gain after the death of her husband (Bender 257). It symbolizes the yearning for freedom that women had during the era of the setting. A yearning so deep that the anticipation of freedom from the death of a husband could overshadow the feeling of grief. In conclusion, it can be said that the author of “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin, successfully passes her message on the nature of marriage at the time of the story setting through the use of various literary elements like symbolism and imagery. She demonstrates marriage as based less of loving partnerships and more on servitude, by portraying Mrs. Ballard as being more joyful for her husband’s death than she is remorseful.

Works Cited
Bender, Bert. “Kate Chopin’s Lyric Short Stories.” Studies in Short Fiction 11.3 (1974): 257.
Marcus, Sybil. Chopin, Kate.  A world of fiction: Twenty timeless short stories. Allyn & Bacon, 2005.