Literary Analysis of The Story of An Hour by Kate Chopin

Majority of Kate Chopin’s literary work features women who were continuously used for men’s satisfaction and seen as caregivers who were to remain docile while men were head of the household. These customary practices constructed Louise through her husbands' eyes, causing her to unconsciously lose sense of self. Chopin’s characterization of Louise in “The Story of An Hour” is crucial for readers to be cognizant of the repression women withstood in the nineteenth century through Louise suffering a fatal reaction immediately after processing that her husband turns out to be alive. When the doctor said that she died “of joy that kills,” he is certain Louise’s death was caused from overwhelming excitement; however, the deeper meaning is that the joy she internally attained has died from within is cause of the physical reaction, regardless of her love towards Mr. Mallard.

According to the hesitation distinguished, readers can presume that notifying the horrific news to Louise must be told with caution. At the beginning of the literature, the first glimpse of knowledge that characterizes Louise is when Chopin informs readers of her “heart troubles,” and that Josephine must use “[...] great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible […]” (1). This is the first and foreshadowing glimpse of knowledge that identified Louise. With that being said, the immediate grasp particularly grants readers to understand the severity of her condition. After hearing of her husband's death, Chopin mentions that Louise heard the story “with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance,” thus leading to the reaction that “she wept […] with sudden, wild abandonment” and her experience of a “storm of grief” (1). Furthermore, Louise’s precipitous actions enable readers to assume that Louise genuinely idolized and cherished her husband. Later in the text, Josephine is portrayed “kneeling before the closed door” and “beg[s]” for Louise to open the door before she “make[s] [her]self ill” (2). At the same time, these valuable contexts—using caution to tell the news, the kneeling and crying for an answer— reveals the fragility of her heart, to which any sudden shock could potentially prompt her heart from functioning. Therefore, Louise’s heart condition and the wide knowing passion between the married couple is the factor that permitted justifies the doctor’s reasoning to her death due to the intense amount of sudden shock after realizing her husband is presumed to be alive.

Through the knowledge of the severity of her heart condition, readers are aware of the significance to Louise’s change of mindset. Commencely, Chopin describes Louise’s facial aspects by stating, “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (2). These physical characteristics signify that the lines of “bespoke repression” conducts awareness to the domination she unwittingly inhabited to while married to her husband (2). The visible “strength” seen in her face represents her brave ability to cope with the strain from, both, the seriousness of her heart condition and the sacrifices of married women in the nineteenth century (2). As previously mentioned, Chopin referred to the knowledge of Louise’s burden, regarding the patriarchal society, as oblivious due to her love for Mr. Mallard.

Furthermore, Chopin portrayed Louise's disdained testing of her new autonomy of freedom by saying, “[…] she was waiting for it, fearfully […] striving to beat it back with her will […] the vacant stare and look of terror that followed it” (2). These testimonies Louise is challenging acknowledges the slight incapability to accept the benefits of becoming widowed. However,  fighting the will of her recognized independence is impossible due to her extraneous excitement to finally obtain freedom. Her emotions towards the independency are beyond crucial and substantial. In this juncture, Louise began to become somatically effected “[…] through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (2). Additionally, Louises improved intelligence of realizing the benefits when an individual becomes a widower “was approaching to possess her”; then, “her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body” (2). These connections anticipates that her discovery affected her previously prevailed ““body and soul,” thus internally received from ability to live independently (2). Louise finally comes to conclusion of her autarchy, to which causes a physical reaction as her from repression.

She experiences top tier enthusiasm as Louise looks forward at her new life. Her reference to gaining insight was an “unsolved mystery” and rationalized that “there would be no powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature” (Chopin 2). In particular, she come to terms of the “crime” she was living continuously during her marriage (2). Indeed, she clarifies women living in a questionable dominant patriarchal society shouldn’t be reasonable for humans to obtain power over other humans. On that account, Louise spent her awakening of the matter alone in her room, in favor that the doctor is unaware of the noteworthy essential cause of her death. Withal, despite of her heart trouble and strong affection for Mr. Mallard, readers are mindful that her strong physical and emotional response to autonomy became lethal when her husband is proven to be alive.

By the same token, the doctor expresses that her death was caused from intense excitement prior to her husband’s demonstrated of existence. In addition, the excitement she experienced, led by her new autonomy, Chopin expressed that “she did not stop and ask if it  were or were not a monstrous joy that held her” (2). Due to Louise’s inability to reason any doubt, the reader can interpret the positive extremity bought from her insight on sovereignty. Although, Sandro Hung, a researcher professor at Ghent University, is opposed to the idea that her death was caused from the positive joy vanishing along with her. Nor does he agree from thejustification that she has died from overwhelming excitement. Hung stated that Louise’s insight from, “[…] the joy […] turns out to be more ‘monstrous’ than Louise seems initially to think possible” (45). He supports his opposing view by recognizing that Chopin does not determine whether Louise “actually sees [Mr. Mallard’s] return” and concludes that her death was a consequence for “suppos[ing] sudden freedom” (45). Notwithstanding that legitimacy had been presented, the argument is lacking the comprehension of the significance regarding her intense emotions referring to the crisis, especially due to the restraints as a married woman during the nineteenth century. In contrast, her joy has allowed Louise to see herself through her own perception, by comparison with living her life through Mr. Mallards eyes. Louise finally was able to understand the “very elixir of life” (2). Chopin refers to Louise’s joy by saying, “[…] this [is the] possession of self-assertion […] the strongest impulse of her being’ (2). Louise endowed her own latitude and physiologically internalized joy for her newfound future, to which has died along with her in sight of seeing her husband.

Given these points, the life-changing outcomes Louise experiences after being told the news of her husband's death is an exemplification of the invalidity concerning the doctor’s justification referencing her death. The doctor saying “[…] of joy that kills” (2) represents the joy that Louise was physically and internally affected by the realization of independence after becoming widowed. Her possessive autonomy was a substantiation factor in relation to her death. She has died due to her incapability to live through her own perception. Therefore, when  her husband returned, her internalized freedom had died within her, to which had become intertwined with her physical self.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” "The Story of an Hour", 1897, archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/.

Jung, Sandro. English Language Notes. Edited by University of Colorado, seekenglish130fall2016s2.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/files/2016/10/autonmous-chopin.pdf.