The Story of an Hour Group at eNotes

A feminist critique of "The Story of an Hour" would focus on the themes...

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:51:46 PST

A feminist critique of "The Story of an Hour" would focus on the themes of female repression in marriage. The main character, Louise Mallard, had felt repressed and stifled in her role as a housewife to the successful Brently Mallard. In Chopin's day, women were born and bred to be married, and were supposed to be perfectly fulfilled and content in their roles as wives and mothers. Chopin often wrote stories that flew in the face of this...

What might a gender (or feminist) critic emphasize in interpreting "The...

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:19:19 PST

What might a gender (or feminist) critic emphasize in interpreting "The Story of an Hour" as opposed to a reader-response approach?

It is important to note that she goes down the stairs as her husband...

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 16:02:36 PST

It is important to note that she goes down the stairs as her husband returns. There is an implication that she is descending to her demise, and maybe this is her pathway as penance for wishing her husband dead. There was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped her sister's waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the bottom.

Since Kate Chopin was very concerned about the plight of Victorian women...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:49:50 PST

Since Kate Chopin was very concerned about the plight of Victorian women who were repressed by their husbands and the society of which they were in control, you may wish to argue that Mrs. Mallard is yet a victim of the repressive society when she has the heart attack as she realizes that her husband is, in fact, alive and she has not been released from the prison of her marriage, after all. That is, because of her repressive life with her...

How do I write an abstract about how Mrs. Mallard went from feeling...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:28:32 PST

How do I write an abstract about how Mrs. Mallard went from feeling abused to freedom within an hour.

Very well said, mshurn. Inside the bedroom, she is restricted to her...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:28:29 PST

Very well said, mshurn. Inside the bedroom, she is restricted to her subservient role as wife. The other rooms of the house serve as a passageway to the great outdoors, where she can see freedom and the beginning of a new life. She exits the bedroom, enters the outer rooms and when the door opens, the outside world is within view. Unfortunately, her husband blocks her way once more.

The setting of the story shifts from the public area of the house to the...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:06:28 PST

The setting of the story shifts from the public area of the house to the bedroom. Once inside her room, "Mrs. Mallard' becomes "Louise,' a significant detail that contrasts her role as wife with her real personal identity. Sitting in her room, she experiences an emotional upheaval that culminates in truth: She feels free because she is out of her marriage, and she looks forward to the rest of her life. As this part of the plot is developed,...

The use of Setting to reveal character/theme/plot

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:08:50 PST

How does Chopin use setting in her story to reveal character, theme, and plot?

Her reaction of a feeling of total freedom and happiness is not the...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:43:19 PST

Her reaction of a feeling of total freedom and happiness is not the natural reaction to the news of someone's death. Louise Mallard reacted, initially, with bitter tears, a more traditional response to the news that one's spouse has died. It is such a shocking piece of news--she didn't have time to ponder it beforehand, it's not like she knew it was coming--that the revelation of happiness in being free took some time working its way up...

In "The Story of an Hour" why do you think Mrs. Mallard has difficulty,...

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:05:38 PST

In "The Story of an Hour" why do you think Mrs. Mallard has difficulty, at first, recognizing the realization that she is free?

Depending on the level of challenge your student faces, this could...

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:27:08 PST

Depending on the level of challenge your student faces, this could be a really difficult task. As a Special Needs Teacher myself I know how hard it can be to be sure that students have the life experience, social understanding and linguistic appreciation to tackle such a question. I would firstly break the story into paragraphs and discuss each one separately, relating to the student's experience. For example with the first one I would...

THE WOMAN LE BTER SORROW AFTER HER HUSBAND DEAD BUT AFTER SHE REALE HER...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:43:48 PST

THE WOMAN LE BTER SORROW AFTER HER HUSBAND DEAD BUT AFTER SHE REALE HER FREEDOM..THE REST OF HER LE ONLY BEYOND TO HER.. THE SPRG SYMBOLE THE REEBTH SO WOMAN FEEL HERSELF AS A NEW BORN CHD AS A FLYG BDS ...AND SHE FEEL HER FREDOM AFTER THE BTER SORROWFUL MOMENTS...

Louise Mallard begins a journey, albeit a very short one, in Kate...

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:21:13 PST

Louise Mallard begins a journey, albeit a very short one, in Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour." When the news is broken to her--carefully, because of her weak heart--concerning her husband's apparent death in a train accident, Louise immediately begins planning her new life without her overbearing husband. "...free, free, free!... she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to...

To what extent is this story a journey?

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:16:05 PST

To what extent is this story a journey?

Louise Mallard states that it is the 'possession of self-assertion'...

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:52:23 PST

Louise Mallard states that it is the 'possession of self-assertion' which she recognises as 'the strongest impulse of her being.' it is the belief that her husband Brently is dead, and the realisation that she is now 'free' of the 'powerful will bending hers' and that she can live with herself, by herself. Louise is aware of the strangeness of her epiphany which is why she remains in her room, busting with joy as the spring buds outside...

What does Louise Mallard recognize as "the strongest impulse of her being"?

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:09:14 PST

What does Louise Mallard recognize as "the strongest impulse of her being"?

In The story of an hours Kate chopin uses animal imagery

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:19:29 PST

how does kate chopin uses this within the story?

Foreshadowing exists in this story in two different aspects. The first...

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 19:36:30 PST

Foreshadowing exists in this story in two different aspects. The first is foreshadowing of Louise Mallard's unique and ironic reaction to the news of her husband's death. The next is foreshadowing of her unfortunate demise at the end of the story. For foreshadowing of her feelings of joy at the news of her husband's death, look to the following instances. The first is when Chopin describes Louise's beautiful face "whose lines bespoke...

brendawm, u just sved me from my teacher's wrath.haha thx anyway for...

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 05:00:50 PST

brendawm, u just sved me from my teacher's wrath.haha thx anyway for the answer

Where I can find foreshadowing in "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin?

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 22:19:53 PST

Where I can find foreshadowing in "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin?