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  • Essay / Summary of The Story of an Hour - 947

    Evaluate some aspects of "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin, American author of numerous short stories and novels in the late 19th century. Most of her best-known works focus on the lives of sensitive and intelligent women in the old strict society. “The Story of an Hour” is one of his short fictions, written in 1894 (Shmoop editorial team). This fiction story makes the reader curious through its title, the setting is also reasonable for the situation that occurs, plus the unexpected ending is one of the factors that makes the story more interesting. The story is about Louise Mallard, who suffers from heart problems. She briefly believes the news of her husband's death, picked up by Richard, her husband's friend. After bursting into tears, she leaves. Time is considered slow or fast, it depends on how you spend it. Typically, an hour doesn't seem like a lot of time if you're spending it on your favorite activities, like hanging out with your boyfriend or watching your favorite TV show. On the other hand, an hour can last forever if you're doing something difficult and boring. For example, waiting for a bus on a snowy day, waiting in line to go to the bathroom, or waiting for your mother to go shopping. These hours seem long. In this case, the story takes place in one hour. There isn't enough time for characters to move from location to location and have many actions or conversations. Come to think of it, Mrs. Mallard goes through a difficult time when she receives the tragic news of her husband's death: "She immediately wept, with sudden and wild abandon, in her sister's arms" (3). Additionally, his life could be changed as a result of this event. “She saw beyond this bitter moment a long procession of years to come which absolutely belong to her. And she opened the door and held out her arms to them in welcome” (13). The hour may not seem very long, but a lot of things are happening to Mrs. Before reaching the end of the story, the reader may think that when Louise comes downstairs, she will hear something new about death of her husband, like when someone found his body, or the day his body was delivered to her home. However, Bently Mallard opens the front door and enters with "a little travel-stained, calmly carrying her handbag and umbrella." It’s a truly surprising return. He has neither returned from vacation nor from a business trip; he returns from “death”. When Mr. Mallard returns, it proves to be another strong shock to his wife. Indeed, the story takes place in the 1890s, when women had few or no rights. Although not directly stated, it can be assumed based on the time period that Louise is of little importance. At first, when Mr. Mallard is reported dead, Louise suddenly cries and then goes to her room. She spends the next few minutes remarking on how free she is now that her husband is gone (Shmoop editorial team). Unfortunately, his imagination does not come true. The fire of her freedom suddenly goes out when her husband appears. This second shock led to his death due to his heart disease. In general, “The Story of an Hour” is easy to read because it is a short story and Chopin developed the plot in a very simple way. From the first glance, the reader may be attracted by the mystery title, what about the story that unfolds in just one hour? Furthermore, he was highly