A soul free at last!
“The Story of an Hour” was written by Kate Chopin, whose early success as a writer allowed her to raise her six children… alone. This is an important element in her life, since Kate Chopin was actually one of the first independent women fighting for the first form of feminism. At first, she could not express her opinions because of the circumstances during the 19th century; instead, she wrote short stories filled with irony. After her husband passed away, Kate Chopin used her everyday life to inspire her in her works. In fact, literature in general during the second half of the 1800’s mainly portrayed reality, in its simple, yet complex context. In her case, Kate Chopin’s works not only focused on the realism behind the words, but also on a more delicate matter: feminism.
“The Story of an Hour” is a short story in which a woman, Louise, after the death of her husband, realizes how bored and unhappy she was, living with that man. After a great deal of internal dialog, her character completely goes out of proportion when she realizes that she now has the power to act or think without imposed restraints. Louise has a breakthrough which not only builds back her strength but also gives her a new way of looking at life. In other words, it gives her hope and makes her believe that she has a purpose again. In fact, this new permanence by virtue of the power to resist any more stress is described fairly well. Obviously, her whole state of being only lasts “an hour” since she literally drops dead after later seeing her husband walk through the door.
Of course, by the way the story is written, the reader can predict the ending quite easily because we see early on that this whole story is pretty ironic. These elements take away the momentum throughout the whole story. The whole setting is based on how Louise seems to be this fragile and vulnerable being, trapped in her own misery, and as the story evolves, she gets a taste of actual emancipation, which is then taken away from her once again at the end. The emotional rollercoaster she experiences is described so blatantly by the author that the reader can foretell her actions. This goes to show that the lingering description can have a pretty significant outward appearance on the main focus of the story. That being said, the reader is forced to expect the unexpected.
In conclusion, “The Story of an Hour” describes, with an ineffective ironical tone, how a woman was never as free or independent as a man in the 19th century. The aspect of feeling so free after a loved one passes away may be a frightening thing to consider. In fact, one can ask himself why human beings are so urged and eager to go after a self-destructive relationship. Would it be the fear of solitude? Would it be the need of acceptance? Why do we put ourselves in circumstances that we know aren’t necessarily good for us? Anyways, many writers and filmmakers around the world always find themselves taking these questions into account because they are fundamental. They have been there since the beginning, and will be there until the end of times.
