“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a short story that tells the story of Mrs. Louise Mallard, a wife who suffers from a heart problem. Mrs. Mallard goes through various phases of mourning after learning of her husband’s death in a railroad accident. Since Women were believed to be inferior and expected to be dependent on their husbands and other male figures in society in the late 19th century. Chopin uses the literary devices of irony and imagery to highlight the theme of freedom as Louise Mallard seeks it throughout the one hour she believes her husband is dead.
Mrs. Mallard’s sister is used ironically as a reminder of the belief in the 19th century that women could not function without men or male figures. This is why when she is delivering the news to Mrs. Mallard, her voice is breaking and she is holding back because she fears Mrs. Mallard cannot take it, both from her heart condition and the belief that she couldn’t bear to live life alone(Alajlan). Dramatic irony occurs when the reader’s perceptions diverge from those of a character in the text(Dupriez). According to Chopin, Mrs. Mallard gives off the impression that she is grieved when she refuses to be taken upstairs by her sister Josephine. It is later revealed that she is interested in staying alone so that she can bask in the joy of finally being a liberated woman. Mallard at first appears to have been taken aback by the news, she, therefore, locks herself in the room. It is in the room, where she starts thinking and despite having shut the door, she is savoring the beauty of life through that open window. Louise starts realizing how much freedom she will have in the absence of her husband. She reaches the highest level of liberation and is overcome with joy by her newly found independence(Alajlan). Dramatic irony exists because everyone else in the story is unaware of her true feelings. Verbal irony occurs when a writer makes a statement that means the exact opposite of what it appears to convey(Dupriez). Chopin’s story contains a lot of scenarios that portray verbal irony, one of which is the author’s use of the words “Mrs. Mallard suffered from a heart complication” at the start of the story. At first, it appears to mean the body organ but later Chopin reveals she meant it ironically. As it represented Mrs. Mallard’s soul and how bothered it is by all the repression she has been taken through as a woman in her society.
Mrs. Mallard’s emotional journey is depicted through the imagery of nature in this story. This journey depicts nature’s ever-changing beauty, from her first apprehension to her ultimate independence(Alajlan). Chopin uses imagery to connect the dots between Louise Mallard’s life and death. Chopin’s views on the roles of males and females in the 1900s are portrayed in this story. Through Mrs. Mallard’s acceptance of her freedom, Chopin tries to make the point that Louise can only lead a free and independent life as a single woman. Chopin uses imagery to describe Mrs. Mallard’s battle to accept that she is happy she has finally gained her independence. Her freedom and independence become a “drug” that she can no longer live without. Throughout the story, Mrs. Mallard fears allowing herself to accept her independence. While she sits in her room looking out her open window she starts to envision her life as a free woman. The word “open” as used in this scene is repeated several times, emphasizing possibilities and a lack of constraints. This scene portrays vibrancy and hope. The trees are “all aquiver with the new spring of life, there is a sweet breath of rain in the air, sparrows are twittering, and Louise can hear someone singing in the distance. Among the clouds, she can see patches of the clear sky”(Chopin 1). She notices the patches of blue sky but has no idea what they imply. If she had been thinking rationally, she would have realized that the patches meant she had to find a way to patch her life together now as an independent woman. The universe is instead providing her with hidden hints which she ends up piecing together over time even without recognizing it. Louise feels apprehensive about the impending awareness. She believes that being an individual is more important to her than being a woman. The expectation that is there for her to break the mold of how women are seen and define life for herself is great. She has to also fight the feelings of guilt and uncertainty that are overpowering her. She has to learn to live her life according to her own rules and not those of a man. The thought of freedom thus becomes overwhelming for her and leaves her in solitude. But her husband’s death makes her realize her need for independence, something she hadn’t realized before, and wouldn’t have realized if he hadn’t died. Her apprehension and bewildering fear are replaced by acceptance and delight. She is excited about the coming years.
Louise’s idea of self-determination is depicted ironically in one of the story’s most essential moments. It’s not so much about getting rid of her husband as it is about reclaiming total control over her life. Louise never mentions any specific wrongdoings by Brently; rather, the inference appears to be that marriage can be suffocating for both partners. In the final scene, her husband Brently Mallard enters the house looking ordinary as usual. “A little travel-stained, carrying his grip-sack and umbrella composedly,”(Chopin 2). Louise’s walk down the stairs is in sharp contrast to her husband’s appearance as he walks in. She is truly making a triumphant match out of the house full of bliss because of victory and finally having her independence. A Situational irony is a form of irony in which the anticipation and the fulfillment are not what is expected(Dupriez). Perhaps the most appropriate illustration of situational irony is the turn of events in the hour that suggest Brently Mallard is dead and Mrs. Louise Mallard has entirely awakened. For, in a way, they couldn’t explain, the narrative shifts unexpectedly. In the end, it is Mr. Mallard who survives and Mrs. Mallard who is finally happy and looking forward to leading a happy life dies the moment she sees her husband walk through the door. When the doctors discover that Louise “died of heart illness, of joy that kills,”(Chopin 2) the irony is immediately evident. It appears that her greatest fear is not the survival and return of her husband but rather the loss of her newly discovered freedom and independence. For a little moment, Louise felt happy, as if she were in charge of her own life. Her death is precipitated by the loss of her deep joy, a joy of liberation.
In conclusion, in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin the use of imagery and irony brings out the theme of freedom and independence. Through irony, the characters Josephine and Richard are led to believe Louise is distorted by the news of her husband’s death. She is however happy about it as it brings her the liberation she never knew she needed. Chopin creates an illusion that Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition at the beginning of the story but she is ironically highlighting the end of the story. Imagery has also been used by the author to illustrate Mrs. Mallard’s struggles with accepting her newly gained independence. The open window portrays a new chance for her to live a new life, an independent and free one.
Works Cited
Alajlan, Aljohani. “The Awakening of Female Consciousness in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour (1894) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (1892).” 2019, https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/3ckn9.
Chopin, Kate “The Story of An Hour.” Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016.
Dupriez, Bernard. “A Dictionary of Literary Devices : Gradus, A-Z : Dupriez, Bernard Marie, 1933-.” Internet Archive, Toronto ; Buffalo : University of Toronto Press, 1 Jan. 2021, https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoflite0000dupr.
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