In Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of
an Hour," there is
much irony. The first irony detected is in the way that
Louise
reacts to the
news of the death of her husband, Brently Mallard.
Before Louise's
reaction is revealed, Chopin alludes to how the
widow feels by
describing the world according to her perception of
it after the
"horrible" news.
Louise is said to "not hear the story as
many women have heard
the
same." Rather, she accepts it and
goes to her room to be
alone. Now the reader starts to see the world
through Louise's
eyes, a world
full of new and pure life.
In her room, Louise sinks into a comfortable
chair and looks
out her
window. Immediately the image of comfort
seems to strike a
odd note. One reading this story should question the
use of this
word "
comfortable" and why Louise is not beating the furniture
instead. Next, the newly widowed women is looking out
of the
window and sees
spring and all the new life it brings.
The descriptions used now are as far away from
death as
possible. "The delicios breath of rain...the notes
of a distant
song...countless
sparrows were twittering...patches of blue
sky...." All these are beautiful images of life , the
reader is
quite confused by
this most unusual foreshadowing until Louise's
reaction is
explained.
The widow whispers "Free, free,
free!" Louise realizes that
her husband had
loved her, but she goes on to explain that as men
and women often
inhibit eachother, even if it is done with the best
of intentions,
they exert their own wills upon eachother.
She
realized that
although at times she had loved him, she has regained
her freedom, a
state of beeing that all of G-d's creatures strive
for.
Although this reaction is completely unexpected,
the reader
quickly accepts
it because of Louise's adequate explanation.
She
grows excited and
begins to fantasize about living her life for
herself. With this realization, she wishes that
"life might be
long," and
she feels like a "goddess of Victory" as she walks down
the stairs. This is an eerie forshadowing for an even
more
unexpected
ending.
The reader has just accepted Louise's reaction
to her
husband's death,
when the most unexpected happens; her husband is
actually alive
and he enters the room shocking everyone, and Louise
especially, as
she is shocked to death. The irony
continues,
though, because
the doctors say she died of joy, when the reader
knows that she
actually died because she had a glimps of freedom
and could not go
back to living under her husband's will again.
In the title, the "story" refers to
that of Louise's life.
She lived in the
true sense of the word, with the will and freedom
to live for only
one hour.
No comments:
Post a Comment