Critical Response to Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour

Author of the story, Kate Chopin

8/29/10




In "The Story of an Hour", author Kate Chopin effectively communicates the irony of the life and death of the spiritually restricted Mrs. Mallard. When Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband has died, she is so happy to be free of her husband, who she had loved on occasion but she had also felt confined by. Her oppressed nature is implied both on the surface and also figuratively. Her name, Mrs. Mallard, is symbolic, because mallards are the ducks that have the white collars around their necks. On top of that, she never is addressed by a first name until after her husband has been announced dead. In a sense, she lacks her own identity until her male oppressor is no longer alive. Also, the desperation, relief, and hope that Mrs. Mallard finds due to her husband's death can be identified when the author states, "But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely." (16) This is all ironic because while most people grieve the death of their spouse, Mrs. Mallard finds a "monstrous joy"(16) in it. When Mrs. Mallard finds out in the end, that her husband is not, in fact dead, she dies. While the doctors think she died due to too much joy, the readers know that she was truly not happy at all to see her husband.