What Is The Theme Of The Story Of An Hour

Kate Chopin, a brilliant author ahead of her time, is known for her honest, frank stories about women. Due to her progressive view on society, some of Chopin’s stories were published after her death for the fear of being scandalous. In Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” the reader is introduced to Mrs. Mallard and her imprisoning life as a married women in the 1900s. Chopin puts the reader in the shoes of Mrs. Mallard in order to explore the theme of women's overcoming an imprisonment of society to experience independence and individuality. Sadly in Mrs. Mallard case, her freedom was less than an hour. Through the use of dramatic and situational irony, Chopin's creates an intricate plot, through rising action, climax and a denouement. Since it is a short story, the rising action quickly presents the conflict in the story. The reader meets Mrs. Mallard when she is informed that her husband has been killed in a train accident: “It was he [Richard] who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard’s name leading the list of ‘killed’” (223). In contrast to a typical reaction of crying out in sorrow over looking a husband, Mrs. Mallard is crying out happiness. The diction that Chopin uses provides insight to understanding that Mrs. Mallard is weeping …show more content…
In order to have the readers to look closely into the meaning, Chopin incorporates dramatic and situational irony throughout the story. In fact, situational irony is even in the title “The Story of an Hour” because the big news of the death of Mr. Mallard ultimately leads to her death, which creates a new story of the hour. For a writer ahead of her time, Chopin was able to compose a story showing women did not get to live for themselves, but received great pleasure when they could express their individuality; even if it was only for a few