The Story of an Hour Group

Question:

jobby
jobby
Student
College - Junior

After reading the first two paragraphs, what aditional information about characters or setting would you like to know?

why did the writer did not supply the information

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Posted by jobby on Wednesday February 14, 2007 at 4:54 PM and tagged with characters, the story of an hour.

Answers:


  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Ah, good questions, but very different questions. After the first two paragraphs, we know almost nothing about the main characters. We know the character's name (Mrs. Mallard), her husband's name (Brently), and the name of Mrs. Mallard's sister and a friend of her husband. We also know three other things: she has heart trouble, her sister and friend care for her, and it's been reported that her husband dies.

    Put that way, that's a lot of information, and I personally don't want any more. Why? Because the reason an author would limit the information is to focus our attention as readers. That's what's important here.

    However, if I had to add more information, I'd add context. Where are these people? When are they? How old are they? And so on.

    Greg

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/story-hour/

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    Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday February 14, 2007 at 5:28 PM

  2. kiwi
    kiwi Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    We are actually given a great deal of information within the first two paragraphs. We know that the protagonist -'Mrs Mallard'- is married and that she has 'heart trouble'. As this is a short story we are led to see there could be (and is) much ambiguity in this diagnosis. She is treated with 'great care' and is therefore loved by her sister. Her family are used to addressing emotive issues with reservation and solemnity -'veiled hints that revealed in half concealing'.

    The Mallard family have loyal friends, as Richards' persistence in verifying Brently Mallard's 'death' illustrates.

    Overall we have a clear picture of a typical middle class life which will be revealed through the story to be a veneer. It is not necessary for Chopin to tell us much more as we already have a clear view of exposition and conflict within the story.

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    Posted by kiwi on Thursday September 3, 2009 at 10:43 PM