The story "The Story of the Hour" written by Kate Chopin presents new and revolutionary view of marriage near the end of the nineteenth century. Through the character of Mrs. Mallard, Kate Chopin presents the position of a married woman trapped into marriage and the possibility of different life when a husband is out of the picture. Symbols of heart and open windows and the use of irony as a powerful literary tool are dominant in this story and they give its readers an unexpected ending.
The story is set in Mrs. Mallard's house. The writer explores reflections of the main character after hearing the news of her husband's alleged death and the story is told in a chronological order. There are no sub-plots in the story except for prospection of a possible life after the death of Mr. Mallard. The main theme of the story is marriage as an institution and its impact on women at the end of the nineteenth century. Through the thoughts of Mrs. Mallard, we can conclude that she felt trapped in the marriage and we can assume that she did not marry because she wanted, but because the society expected from her to marry.
The main protagonist Mrs. Mallard is a young married woman who spends her days trapped into the cage of marriage. She does not say that she does not love her husband, but the sudden news about her husband’s death open to new horizons, the new possibilities of different life. It is a new and unknown emotion to her. She cannot define it, but it is powerful and intensive so that she has to be on her own to gather her thoughts. "When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free!" (Chopin, 2). It is a notion of freedom. The realization that there is a possibility of a new and different life filled with adventures and places to visit gave her a reason to live. As if something fell of her chest.
The dominant symbol used in the story is the symbol of "heart trouble". "Heart trouble" appears in the first sentence in the story, "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death" (Chopin). Heart usually represents love and emotions, but here Chopin introduces a broken heart, a heart that cannot function properly. This can be interpreted as Mrs. Mallard lost hope in life and gave up. She had no reason to live. The second time heart trouble appears in the story is in the second part, when Mrs. Mallard realizes that her husband is not dead and that she is not free. "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills" (Chopin, 3). The last sentence of the story indicates the irony of life. Once she hears about her husband's death, she imagines new life, new perspectives, and this hope opened her reason to live. The notion that her husband is not death shattered her dreams and the possibility of life that she might have had. On the other hand, in a broader context, heart can be related to the institution of marriage and the fact that the heart is troubled indicates that the society represses women and their role in marriage. The patriarchal society that Louise lives in does not allow her to breathe, to live her life in the way she wants. Marriage as institution was oppressive for women in the past, as they had only one role, the role of a good wife.
Other symbols that are also used in this story are the symbols of the open window and spring. Open window symbolizes new path in life, new possibilities that await Louse. When her sister calls out to her she says, "Go away. I am not making myself ill." No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window" (Chopin, 2). The marriage is a prison for her, and through that open window and the birds flying freely she sees that there is something more in life except being just a wife. Open window gives her hope and many new colors that life offers. Spring always symbolizes something new, a re-birth. "Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long" (Chopin, 3). After the news about her husband's death Louise felt as if she was reborn again. Louise watched things around her with new and different prospective.
The use of irony in this story is as equally important as the use of symbols. The story has an ironic ending. Just when she started to hope that there is life for she, Louise died when saw that she lost freedom. “Although Louise’s death is an occasion for deep irony directed at patriarchal blindness about women’s thoughts, Louise dies in the world of her family where she has always sacrificed for others” (Toth, 24). Her life was traded with the life of her husband who was oblivious to the news about his death. Her new life was short, it lasted only one hour and it ended. The irony of the story is also the way that everybody around Louse understood the reason for her death-excessive joy that her husband is not dead.
Even though the story "The Story of the Hour" is long almost three pages, it is as effective as many novels. It opens a new view of marriage, a concealed position of a woman in a marriage and a glance of life that hides behind the marriage strings. It would be difficult to analyze the story from the contemporary point of view, because the status of women has changed. This is why we need to understand the time and the understanding of marriage in the late nineteenth century and observe it through the eyes of Louise. She is a victim of a patriarchal society and the social system that lived in. It seems that then freedom was not an option for women.
Cited works:
Chopin, Kate. "The Story of the Hour", 1894. Web. 23 April, 2016 http://my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_219.pdf
Toth, Emily. “Chopin Thinks Back Through Her Mother.” Kate Chopin Reconsidered: Beyond the Bayou. Ed. Lynda S. Boren and Sara deSaussure Davis. Baton Rouge and London: Lousiana State U P, 1992. 15-25. Print.
