This work analyses Kate Chopin’s story "Story of an Hour" with regard to its main character. Is Louise Mallard the warm-hearted woman and caring wife the story´s characters believe her to be?
Louise Mallard´s external appearance perfectly conforms to what her environment expects of her. She grieves for her reportedly dead husband and shows great emotions. Her wish to be alone for some time is also nothing unusual for someone who has to bear such a great loss. Up to this point in the short story her behaviour triggers what everybody takes for normal, namely that the widow Mrs. Mallard is suffering times of immeasurable emotional pain and despair. This state of dismay and sadness soon wears off after she has shut the door behind her, and is screened from all the preoccupied faces of the others. Now, that she is alone she knows that she does not have to pretend false feelings anymore. Slowly, Louise begins to relax and develop new senses for the world outside the window and the feelings coming from the bottom of her heart to the surface where they had been locked during the years as a married woman. But Louise is not entirely alone. The reader observes her secret wish for absolute freedom, and he alone is able to see the discrepancy between appearance and reality which the story´s characters cannot detect.
Although this hour of revelation brings to light the second self of Louise Mallard, it also leaves many questions open. Who is she really, this woman with a split identity and secret wishes? As the reader is the only person who has access to both her exterior behaviour and a part of her interior thoughts, he is able to analyse Louise Mallard´s character and the incentive of her being to a certain extent.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Analysis and Interpretation
- Exterior Perception – Expectations of a Nineteenth-Century Society
- How the Other Characters of the Story Perceive Louise
- How the Doctors Misinterpret Louise's Death
- Interior Perception - Feminist Mindset
- Louise Recognises her Inner Wish to Break with Conventions
- Louise Values Self-Assertion Higher than Love
- Exterior Perception – Expectations of a Nineteenth-Century Society
- Conclusion
- Works Cited
Objectives and Key Themes
This analysis examines the character of Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour" (1894), questioning whether she is truly the warm-hearted and caring wife that others believe her to be. The analysis investigates the discrepancy between Louise's public persona and her internal emotions, exploring the constraints placed upon women in nineteenth-century society.
- The impact of societal expectations on women's identities and expressions
- The conflict between internal desires and external pressures
- The power of individual self-discovery and liberation
- The role of perception and misinterpretation in understanding individuals
- The complexities of love, marriage, and freedom for women in a patriarchal society
Chapter Summaries
The introduction establishes the context for the analysis, highlighting the discrepancy between Louise's public image and her internal emotions. It introduces the reader to the limitations imposed by societal expectations on women in the nineteenth century.
The first section delves into the exterior perception of Louise, exploring how the other characters in the story perceive her based on their limited understanding of her internal struggles. The analysis examines how the societal norms of the time influence their interpretations and judgments.
The second section focuses on Louise's internal perception, exploring her individual thoughts and feelings. It examines her recognition of her desire to break free from societal conventions and her realization that self-assertion is more important to her than love.
Keywords
The key themes and concepts explored in this analysis include societal expectations, gender roles, individual identity, self-discovery, liberation, feminist perspectives, nineteenth-century marriage, and the limitations of external perception.
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- Carolin Sihler (Autor), 2014, An Interpretation of the Story "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/491368
