Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour” are both intelligently written and gripping short stories. They have many similarities such as their settings, protagonists and the presence of literary techniques such as symbolism and foretelling. However, there are also many differences, such as the nature of the marriages that are explored in each. Over all, there are many elements which make each story memorable individually, but it is clear that both are written by the same author.
“Desiree’s Baby” is set the mid-nineteenth century United States of America, on two plantations in the state of Louisiana. The story is spread over several months, from summer until autumn. Conversely, "The Story of an Hour" is set in the late nineteenth century in an American house. The story takes place over just one hour, as the story suggests. So, both stories are set in America in the nineteenth century which makes them similar, but the time that the stories span differ from one another.
Chopin has chosen to write " Desiree’s Baby" in third-person narrative. The narrative voice is omniscient, as it reports on events as they occur and also describes the inner thoughts of the characters at times. An example of this is in the sentence: Then a strange, an awful change in her husband's manner, which she dared not ask him to explain” (Chopin (a)). “The Story of an Hour” is written in the same narrative style and is also in third person. Both stories work well in third person, especially as both begin in the viewpoint of one character and then move onto another which, in both cases, turns out to be the protagonist. “Desiree’s Baby” begins in the viewpoint of Madam Valmonde and then moves to the viewpoint of the protagonist, Desiree. Similarly, “The Story of an Hour” begins in the viewpoint of the narrator and not of a specific character, and then moves to the viewpoint of Mrs Mallard. If these stories were written in first person narrative the effects of the beginnings, and probably of the whole works, would be very different.
In both stories, the protagonist is a young married woman. However, the major difference between the two women is their feelings towards their husbands. Both “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour” explore events that occur within the woman’s relationship with her husband, and her reaction to them. In “Desiree’s Baby,” Desiree’s husband becomes suddenly cold towards her and their baby when he starts to believe that Desiree has black blood lines. Their relationship completely breaks down after this and Desiree is devastated, feeling that she has nothing left to live for. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs Mallard believes her husband to be dead. However, although she cries on hearing the news, the sadness soon turns to relief and happiness as she envisages the life she has ahead of her without him. Whilst Desiree could not imagine a happy life without her husband, Mrs Mallard could not imagine a happy life with hers.
Interestingly, it is not until the sixteenth paragraph of “The Story of an Hour” that the author reveals the Christian name of the protagonist as Louise. Prior to that, we only know her as Mrs Mallard. It is possible that Chopin chose to do this to show that, before her husband’s death, Louise had only been a wife and had no real individuality or individual identity. When her husband died, or so she believed, she was free of the identity of marriage and was liberated to be her own person again. This is displayed through the introduction of her Christian name when her sister shouts, “Louise, open the door!” (Chopin (b)).
Chopin has used symbolism as a literary technique in both stories, and has done so very effectively. For example, in “Desiree’s Baby,” for example, there is a pillar mentioned as being situated at the front of the home of the Valmonde’s. This pillar represents strength and security. As a baby, Desiree was found sleeping near to the pillar and, as an adult, Armand first saw her when she was leaning against it (Chopin (a)). Furthermore, the bonfire that Armand builds is symbolic of him ridding himself of all memories of both his wife and his son (Chopin, (a)). In “The Story of an Hour,” the springtime mentioned in paragraph five represents the different and thrilling life that Mrs Mallard believes to lie ahead of her. Also, the patches of blue sky mentioned in paragraph six symbolise the arrival of her different, and more desirable, life. In both stories, the various images act as symbols to the thoughts and feelings of the characters. In this way, the author’s chosen theme and tone of each story is emphasized further through the use of symbolism.
In the same way as Chopin has used symbolism in both stories, she has also used foreshadowing in both. The beginning sentence of “The Story of an Hour” suggests that the protagonist’s heart problems will have a bearing on the course of 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, (b)). Similarly, in “Desiree’s Baby” Desiree predicts a negative change in her marriage when her son is only three months of age (Chopin (a)). Although she is not certain of what her intuition means, her concerns about her husband’s behaviour foretell the breakdown of their relationship. Foretelling is an effective technique in short stories as it avoids the reader feeling cheated by a ‘twist in the tale’ ending. Furthermore, the technique compliments the stories as it makes their endings more plausible.
Both “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour” are well thought out and crafted short stories. In both, Chopin has used intelligent symbolism and also foretelling for the benefit of her readers. Furthermore, the protagonists in both are young women who believe their marriages are over. However, the difference really lies in each woman’s reaction to the breakdown of her relationship. While Desiree is devastated, Mrs Mallard is elated and, in fact, dies when she learns that her husband is, in fact, alive. Chopin has a fluent and accessible style that is unique enough to recognise as hers and hers alone. These two short stories are both successful and have survived the text of time, in that they are still being read and appreciated by people all over the world.
Works Cited
Chopin, K. (a). “Desiree’s Baby.” East of the Web Short Stories. Web. 5 Feb 2012.
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DesiBaby.shtml
Chopin, K. (b). “The Story of an Hour.” VCU. Web. 5 Feb 2012.
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
