Female Oppression In Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour

The Caged Bird Sings Kate Chopin often utilizes female oppression in her stories. The title shows the importance of this part of her story, which is the only part of their lives that is worth telling. Though many devices are used in Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour,” three become more apparent in her development of her short story. The devices used in the “Story of an Hour” are the symbol of Louies’ heart trouble which is both emotional and physical, theme of freedom from oppression, and her use of irony through death. For instance, Chopin makes it known right away that Mrs. Mallard had a critical heart condition. It is imperative that the reader knows this information. The news of her husband’s death had to be broken to her gently by Josephine and Richard in an effort to keep her heart from giving her problems. After being told the news, she wept and went away to her room. Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, and Richard, one of her husbands friends, was genuinely concerned about her sister’s well being, since she had heart troubles. She was afraid that Louise was making herself ill by shutting herself …show more content…
Mallard died of heart disease from the joy of seeing her husband alive. Louise may have felt some joy, but most likely died from stress on her heart from the shock and disappointment that her husband had returned. She was looking forward to being free from the oppression of her marriage and living a long life being alone and independent. This is a great example of how Chopin uses the theme of freedom often in her short stories. Death could be the freedom that Mrs. Mallard wanted. Chopin uses a lot of literary devices in this story. The most apparent device is irony. For instance, Louise is not severely effected by Brently’s death but when she finds out he’s still alive she dies. Her feeling of freedom and anticipation for independence had been stripped from her almost instantly. Brently’s supposed death does not kill Louise, but his life