Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis as Kate O’Flaherty in 1850. She became the third child of five of both Eliza and Tomas O’Flaherty. Her brothers and sisters died at a tender age, making her the only child in the family. She attended The Sacred Heart Academy five and half years before her father’s death. Victoria Verdon Charleville took her through her education, her great-grandmother taught her music and gossip in St. Louis and French, and she married Oscar Chopin in 1870. “She began writing stories critical of marriage” (Toth 2) after the death of her husband and mother to support her family and wrote one of her famous texts, “The Story of an Hour,” in 1894. Chopin uses irony as its main literary device to present freedom as its main theme and its effects on characters like Mrs. Mallard.
The story relies on situational irony to express Mrs. Mallard’s behavior after receiving the news regarding Mr. Mallard’s sudden death. “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (Chopin 1). She seems hurt and irritated by what has happened and thus needs some time alone to process it. Looking upset about Mr. Mallard’s death, Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room for some privacy to mourn her dear husband, as is the case with anyone after losing their dear ones or people they consider closer to them. Like in other death cases, those in her house are worried about her and pray she bears the loss due to her heart problems. These people do not know that she is overwhelmed with joy because she sees herself emotionally and physically free from her husband. This is evident after she abandons herself, and a little whisper comes from her slightly parted lips, saying she is free. She is now happy to be free from the marriage holding her captive for many years. She also thinks of the possible new opportunities ahead of her. She looks forward to experiencing them on her own, as evident when “she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome” (Chopin 2). This is a sign of the relief she experiences since she will never again in her life have to live for anyone but herself. She feels free to do as she wishes since she does not have to bend low for her husband’s will. She also thinks of the years ahead without Mr. Mallard, only to be happy since she now has the chance to experience them as she prayed and wishes they take longer. This is ironic because instead of mourning her husband, Mrs. Mallard celebrates her freedom, new beginning, and new opportunities ahead of her. The fact that she expects more happiness after the death of Mr. Mallard, on the other side, marks this story as one of “the most radical attacks on the institution of marriage, on one person’s dominance over the other” (Toth 102)
Kate uses dramatic irony to express Josephine’s feelings and thoughts towards Mrs. Mallard, her sister, after Mr. Mallard’s death news. Josephine thinks that Mrs. Mallard is hurting and must be heartbroken and grieving her dead husband and, as a result, kneels before the door imploring admission. She calls Louise, saying, “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door-you will make yourself ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door” (Chopin 3). She is so concerned without knowing that her sister is fine and embracing her new freedom, lost in thoughts of the things she is now able to do and the opportunities in her life, and excited about all of this. She prays for a long life to enjoy better. This type of irony is also used when Mr. Mallard enters through the front door, where all characters in the story expect Mrs. Mallard to be happy after seeing her husband alive, only for something different to happen. She suffers a heart attack not from being overjoyed but from disappointment and shock that all she hoped and dreamed about, a new beginning full of freedom, is a mere dream that will never come true. Doctors quote the reason for her death as a result of joy that kills.
Verbal irony is used in the title “The Story of an Hour.” Mrs. Mallard experiences mixed emotions within a short period of time that a normal person would undergo in their lifetime. She goes through pain, sadness, excitement, and joy within an hour. She lives in pain and sadness until the news of Mr. Mallard’s death breaks, giving her joy and excitement, making her repeatedly whisper to herself, “free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin 3). The freedom does not last for long since her husband comes home alive. His arrival indicates that her life remains the same, and she is bound to him in the same way as before the fake news.
In her story “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin uses irony as its main literary device to present freedom as its main theme and its effects on characters like Mrs. Mallard. She uses situational, dramatic, and verbal irony to describe freedom as a theme and the effect it has on Mrs. Mallard. Mr. Mallard’s death overjoys her, bringing her the freedom she has been waiting for.
Work Cited
Chopin, Kate. The story of an hour. http://americanliterature.com/author/kate-chopin/short-story/the-story-of-an-hour
Toth, Emily. “Kate Chopin’s Life and Literary Career.” BIBLIOGRAPHIES AND INDEXES IN WOMENS STUDIES (1999): 1-12.
Toth, Emily. Unveiling Kate Chopin. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1999.
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