The Story Of An Hour Essays Examples

Judging from the title of the Kate Chopin’s short story “The story of an hour,” it is really short. But the writer did not limit various fiction techniques to make the plot original and the story itself interesting and memorable.
One of the most striking elements that we are pay attention already in the beginning of the story is irony. It starts the story and points out its direction further. It is very intriguing. The very first sentence shows sarcasm and reveals the irony of the situation. The point is that Mrs. Mallard has heart troubles and, tragically, her husband just died. The irony is that caring so much about Mrs. Mallard’s health, everybody tries to most gently let her know about her husband death. The person with such decease should not undergo such or any stress and misfortune, but her sister and her husband’s friend are in a hurry to inform her about these sad news. They want to help and show themselves as the most sympathetic and the most supportive, and in the least harsh way. Another example of irony in this story waits for us in the end. It is not vivid much so, because it is hidden in the sense. Here we see the irony of the life, or rather the irony of the death. Poor Mrs. Mallard dies herself and cannot see that her husband is alive and healthy. It is very ironical that Mr. Mallard is back exactly after Mrs. Mallard came through all that grief from the news of his own death, and her heart did not manage to bear it, and stopped beating. As a result, the irony framed the story and made it spectacular.
The process of Mrs. Mallard’s dying is described by the author in details. Moreover, it is followed by the expressive symbolism of death. When showing the state of the dying heroine, the author uses unique combination of symbols. One of the most important is the symbol of tree. It symbolizes the life itself. Firstly, as it grows, strengthens, flourishes, and gives fruit. Secondly, its roots are under the ground and its branches rise into the sky which means the bridge and strong connection between life and death. It reflects a neverending life and immortality of the soul. That is why it is on purpose mentioned by the author when the main character feels the death coming (Cirlot 346).
The other significant symbol of the story is rain. It represents purification of the soul. It means that it flows from heaven to clear the human soul. After the rain the main character Mrs. Mallard refines herself and travels to the better place (Cirlot 271). One more interesting symbol that improves the symbolic picture of the story is the clouds. They also play a significant role, however, on the background. The clouds symbolize something in the process of metamorphoses, or changing, like dying Mrs. Mallard (Cirlot 50). The clouds that gathered near her window also show the change in her physical state.
In conclusion, the short story by Kate Chopin “The Story of An Hour” has a very extensive symbolic picture that makes it much more interesting and thrilling. It is also characterized by the unique usage of irony which is used to create the unexpected and original plot.

Works Cited

Cirlot, Juan Eduardo. A Dictionary of Symbols. Trans. Jack Sage. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1971. Print.