Kate Chopin The Story of An Hour | Characters, Summary, Analysis

 Kate Chopin The Story of An Hour | Characters, Summary, Analysis

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Kate Choplin was an American author of short stories and novels. Some of her most acclaimed short stories are The Storm (1898), The Story of An Hour (1894), Desirable Baby (1893). The collection of her stories was published by the title Bayou Folk.

Kate Chopin was born on February 8, 1850, and she died on August 22, 1904. Kate Chopin lost her father at the age of five and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. She was influenced by the nuns of her school. As she grew among strong women leading an independent life without the help of any male partner, individual liberty among women became a prominent theme of her writing. Though Kate Chopin denied being a feminist or suffragist, she rather proclaimed the idea of individual liberty and suggested that it was only a chance that the protagonists happen to be strong female characters. Chopin herself was an individual spirit. Kate married Oscar Chopin in 1870. Oscar died unexpectedly in 1882. Kate mourned her husband’s death deeply but she recovered soon as she had to take care of her kids. She was an unusual lady who used to smoke cigarettes, discuss politics and take part in social activities. After her husband’s death, she also got romantically involved with a married man but didn’t carry the affair for long. Her sense of individual liberty, the meaning of marriage, and female sexuality is expressed in her short stories and novels.

The Story of An Hour

Kate Chopin wrote The Story of An Hour on April 19, 1894. It was published in the Vogue Magazine on December 6, 1894, by the title The Dream of an Hour. Later on, Kate changed the title to The Story of An Hour and it was republished in the magazine St. Louis Life on January 5, 1895.

Characters

This is a short story and hence the list of characters is also very short. Louise Mallard is a middle-aged married woman with a weak heart problem. Her husband is Brentley Mallard. The couple is leading a calm yet mundane life. They admire each other and are loyal to each other. Both husband and wife take good care of each other. Despite this, Louise feels that she is being oppressed by her marriage. She is an independent lady who fails to conform to the norms of marriage. As a result, she falls sick with heart problems. Josephine is Louise’s younger sister. She knows about her sickness and when she learns about Brentley’s death in an accident, she tries to inform Louise carefully to avoid any shock to her. Richard is Brentley Mallard’s friend. He learns about the death of Brentley in a newspaper. He visits Brentley’s house and Josephine informs Louise about Brentley’s death in Richard’s presence.

Summary of The Story of An Hour

As the title suggests, this story tells about the happenings that occurred within an hour.

Louise Mallard is suffering from heart ailments. Her husband Brentley Mallard has gone out. Her sister Josephine learns that Brentley died in a rail accident. She is sad and nervous as she fears that this news may break Louise’s heart who is already sick and may kill her too. Richards is a close friend of Brentley. He learned about Brentley’s death in a newspaper as he checked the list of casualties in the railroad disaster. He visits Brentley’s house and Josephine decides to inform Louise about her husband’s demise in presence of Richards.

Josephine tells her about Brentley’s death calmly and carefully. Louise is shocked and sad as she starts sobbing when Josephine tells her about Brentley’s death and goes upstairs to be alone in her room.

Louise sits down in her room near an open window and sees the flying birds, bright sun, green trees, smell of approaching rain. All this soothes her heart. She hears the yelling of a street peddler selling his goods. She observes that someone is singing a song nearby and she also hears the chirping of sparrows. She sees the fluffy white clouds floating in the sky. She is still crying for the loss of her husband whom she dearly loved. But she remembers how both of them were feeling oppressed by the marriage though they loved each other. She remembers how a couple of days ago she exclaimed what a long life she has to live with Brently, expressing her depression and wishing to die soon. She is still sobbing but she realizes that she is now free of marriage. She is a middle-aged woman with lines around her eyes, yet, she feels young and invigorated. She tries to suppress her feelings but the word ‘Free’ resounds in her heart. She starts preparing herself for the life ahead without her husband. Though she is still sobbing, she starts feeling a strange warmth in herself. ‘Body and Soul Free’, she repeats to herself.

Josephine knocks at the door of her room and tells her that she should not be alone or she will get sick. Louise tells her not to disturb her and go away. She thinks about the years ahead without the presence of her husband. She will be living an independent life without any oppression or objection from her husband. She starts feeling ecstatic in her newfound sense of freedom. She hopes that she lives a long life now as she is independent.

Louise composes herself and opens the door where Josephine is still waiting for her. Both sisters come downstairs where Richards is still present.

Suddenly, the front door opens and Brentley enters the house. He was not on the train when the railroad disaster occurred. In fact, Brentley has no knowledge of any such accident as he missed the train. When Josephine sees him, she screams of shock and happiness. Richards tries to block Louise from seeing Brentley as he fears this sudden shock may break her, but he fails. Louise sees Brentley and stumbles on stairs and falls.

The doctor arrives at their home and pronounces Louise’s death and declares that Louise died of a heart attack brought on by happiness.

The story ends with a paradoxical irony. The doctor declares that Louise died of a heart attack brought on by happiness at seeing Brentley alive. However, she didn’t feel any heart problems when she heard of Brentley death. She actually felt strong, healthy, and willing to lead and enjoy the nectar of independent life. Her joy of being free is lost when she sees Brentley alive and her heart problem reoccurs and with such a strength that she dies of a heart attack. It was not happiness, but the sorrow of losing the independence again, that killed her.

Themes

The Story of An Hour tells about the forbidden joy of independence that can be felt only in private. When Louise hears about her husband’s death, she cries and mourns and acts appropriately in a natural manner. However, when she is alone, she realizes the newfound freedom in her life as she will no longer be oppressed by her husband. When Josephine tells her that she should not be alone as it will make her sick, Louise tells her to go away as she wants to enjoy her newfound freedom alone.

The story also indicates the inherently oppressive nature of marriage. Though Louise and Brentley are a loving couple with no altercation or disagreement between them, yet Louise feels oppressive though she accepts that Brentley is a loving husband. Kate Choppin suggests that marriages are oppressive by nature, no matter how kind and loving the couple are. When Louise learns of her husband’s death, she cries, but when alone, she feels happy as she will be living an independent life now. She knows that she will again weep at her husband's funeral who was a loving husband, yet she feels freedom from the oppression of marriage. She fails to recall how Brentley oppressed her, but she feels no wrong or malice in her newly-found happiness in freedom.

So this is it about The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin. We will continue to discuss English Literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!