Identifying Elements in “The Story of An Hour”
The Story of An Hour is a fantastically good read filled with interesting themes. A lot of hidden meanings are veiled within the words of Louise, and Kate Chopin uses a wide variety of literary elements to their highest extent. Of the many literary elements used; irony, symbolism, imagery, and allegory are the most prevalent.
The literary element irony can be found at the climax and conclusion of the story. The reader, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, and Mr. Richards, are aware that Mrs. Mallard suffers from a heart condition. Because of this, the news of her husband’s death must be presented gently. They proceed cautiously and reveal the news. However, it is not the grief that causes Mrs. Mallard’s death, …show more content…
This is one of the hardest literary elements to identify and can be found when at the exact moment that Mrs. Mallard becomes aware of her newfound “freedom.” “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will -- as powerless as her two white hands would have been. When she abandoned herself, a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath : “Free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it had went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.” This “something”, this “it”, which oddly arrives from the sky, exerts a powerful, physical influence on Louise and leaves her with a totally new perspective on herself and her place in the grand scheme of things. One of the problems presented by the passage is the fact that Mrs. Mallard meets the “something” with both fear and anticipation. Clearly what occurs is some type of sexual experience, one that at first seems, except for the anticipation, like a terrifying rape, but one that evolves into something sensually stimulating and relaxing, and of course, spiritually illuminating. In short, a rape seems to have an ironic outcome. There can be no doubt that crucial passage becomes a fairly explicit description of a sexual union. One of the meanings of the verb “possess” is “to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)”, and this meaning was certainly known to Chopin, as illustrated by the climatic-that word , unfortunately, is inevitable-passage of “The Storm,” the sexual union of Alcee and Calixta : “And when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life’s mystery”.
The Story of An Hour is a fantastically good read filled with interesting themes. A lot of hidden meanings are veiled within the words of Louise, and Kate Chopin uses a wide variety of literary elements to their highest extent. Of the many literary elements used; irony, symbolism, imagery, and allegory are the most prevalent.
The literary element irony can be found at the climax and conclusion of the story. The reader, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, and Mr. Richards, are aware that Mrs. Mallard suffers from a heart condition. Because of this, the news of her husband’s death must be presented gently. They proceed cautiously and reveal the news. However, it is not the grief that causes Mrs. Mallard’s death, …show more content…
This is one of the hardest literary elements to identify and can be found when at the exact moment that Mrs. Mallard becomes aware of her newfound “freedom.” “Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will -- as powerless as her two white hands would have been. When she abandoned herself, a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath : “Free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it had went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.” This “something”, this “it”, which oddly arrives from the sky, exerts a powerful, physical influence on Louise and leaves her with a totally new perspective on herself and her place in the grand scheme of things. One of the problems presented by the passage is the fact that Mrs. Mallard meets the “something” with both fear and anticipation. Clearly what occurs is some type of sexual experience, one that at first seems, except for the anticipation, like a terrifying rape, but one that evolves into something sensually stimulating and relaxing, and of course, spiritually illuminating. In short, a rape seems to have an ironic outcome. There can be no doubt that crucial passage becomes a fairly explicit description of a sexual union. One of the meanings of the verb “possess” is “to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)”, and this meaning was certainly known to Chopin, as illustrated by the climatic-that word , unfortunately, is inevitable-passage of “The Storm,” the sexual union of Alcee and Calixta : “And when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life’s mystery”.