History of American ...

Critics’ Views about “The Story of an Hour”

The story is “one of feminism’s sacred texts,” Susan Cahill writing in 1975, when readers were first discovering Kate Chopin.

“Love has been, for Louise and others, the primary purpose of life, but through her new perspective, Louise comprehends that ‘love, the unsolved mystery’ counts for very little. . . . Love is not a substitute for selfhood; indeed, selfhood is love’s precondition.” Barbara C. Ewell

“Mrs. Mallard will grieve for the husband who had loved her but will eventually revel in the ‘monstrous joy’ of self-fulfillment, beyond ideological strictures and the repressive effects of love.” Mary Papke

Kate Chopin “was a life-long connoisseur of rickety marriages, and all her wisdom is on display in her piercing analysis of this thoroughly average one.” Christopher Benfey

“In the mid- to late 1890s, Vogue was the place where Chopin published her most daring and surprising stories [‘The Story of an Hour’ and eighteen others]. . . . Because she had Vogue as a market — and a well-paying one — Kate Chopin wrote the critical, ironic, brilliant stories about women for which she is known today. Alone among magazines of the 1890s, Vogue published fearless and truthful portrayals of women’s lives.” Emily Toth

Her husband’s death forces Louise to reconcile her “inside” and “outside” consciousness,  a female double consciousness within Louise’s thoughts. Though constrained by biological determinism, social conditioning, and marriage, Louise reclaims her own life,  but at a price. Her death is the result of the complications in uniting both halves of her world. Angelyn Mitchell

Louise Mallard’s death isn’t caused by her joy at seeing her husband’s return or by her sudden realization that his death has granted her autonomy. She dies as a result of the strain she is under. The irony of her death is that even if her sudden epiphany is freeing, her autonomy is empty, because she has no place in society. Mark Cunningham (Kate)

Realism

      Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is an example of realistic prose that reflects the 19th-century position of women in American society. The traditional view on femininity and the place of women in the community supposed that they could only become mothers and wives. Becoming professionals or active members of society was unacceptable, especially for middle and upper-class women. At the same time, regardless of these females’ comparatively high social and economic status, they were utterly dependent on their husbands. There is no need to say that this restricted position of females made many feel they could not develop their potential and fulfill their desires. The short story by Kate Chopin is a realistic reflection of the feminist tendencies that started to grow at the end of the 19th century.

      The significant elements of realistic prose can be noticed in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”. The main protagonist of this piece of literature is Louise Mallard, who receives the news that her husband has recently passed away in an awful railroad accident. Shortly after her “grief” subsides, Mrs. Mallard begins to realize the amount of opportunity and freedom she received with her husband’s recent passing (Realism).

      “The Story of an Hour” expresses realism as it truly displays how most women felt about marriage throughout the 1890s. The story exposed women’s mixed feelings throughout their marriage by exhibiting the uncertain emotions Mrs. Mallard felt upon discovering her husband had passed away. Instead of being swallowed up in sadness and guilt, Mrs. Mallard could not help but think about all the things she could do without worrying about her husband’s overbearing control over her.

      Throughout the entire story, images of freedom are shown through diction such as “the open window,” “new spring life,” and spring rather than fall,” which all create an emphasis on the sense of an open atmosphere (Chopin). Mrs. Mallard quite literally says: “Free, free, free! Free! Body and Soul Free!” as if she was finally living for herself and not for anyone else (Chopin). The prison called family control finally had ceased to exist, or at least she thought it had.

     It is evident throughout Chopin’s story that the story revolves around metaphorical interpretation. Although some direct phrases unveil how Mrs. Mallard feels, such as “free, free, free,” she also includes other phrases that are not as noticeable (Geriguis 2). The open window, for example, displays a sense of freedom as Mrs. Mallard begins to absorb the “delicious breath of rain in the air,” “the countless sparrows twittering,” and “the notes of a distant song which someone was singing,” (Chopin) she begins to realize that her own husband’s death will allow her to become an independent individual (Geriguis 2).

      The way the main female protagonist in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” perceives her constrained position in traditional relationships and family is the realistic way to describe the feminist trends in the popular culture of that period. Even though the female protagonist in Chopin’s story did not suffer from violence or abuse at home, she still lacked freedom and could not live as an autonomous adult. It was consistent with the views of Victorian society on the place of women in the community’s life. The female had the opportunity to become a good mother or a decent wife, but she had no right to make free decisions without asking the husband for permission. There is no need to say that this crisis of ideology required representation in the piece of literature, and the discussed story was one of these realistic examples. (Realism)

The features of Realism are demonstrated in the following table: