The Story of an Hour

“The Story of an Hour”
Author	Kate Chopin
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Short Story
Published in	Vogue
Publication type	Magazine
Publication date	1894

“The Story of an Hour” is a short story by Kate Chopin that first appeared in Vogue in 1894.

Plot

Louise Mallard receives news of her husband’s death at his job on the railroad. After grieving, she realizes that she is “free, free, free!” Only then, for her husband to step through the doors and her die of a heart disease.

Characters

Louise Mallard: She is the wife of Brently Mallard who suffers from heart disease.

Brently Mallard: A railroad worker, he is the husband to Louise Mallard, who is believed dead at the start of the story.

Josephine: She is the sister of Louise Mallard and helps console her when she informs her about Brently’s death.

Richards: He is Brently’s friend who informs Josephine about the latter’s death.

Major themes

~thematic description, using the work of literary critics (i.e. scholars)~

A major theme throughout "The Story Of An Hour," is freedom. Once the hurt and grief of his loss passes over Louise, she realizes that she has the freedom to live her life the way she wants. You can see her moment of realization whenever she says, "free, free, free." She realizes that she is no longer held back by a marriage and has the freedom and independence to do as she pleases.

Development history

~history of the novel's development, if available (e.g., Things Fall Apart)~

Publication history

~*year, country, publisher ISBN 1234567890, Pub date DD Month Year, binding~

Explanation of the Story's Title

Louise Mallard is told her husband was dead and with that she gained her freedom. Later Louise finds out he is alive and she dies. The character gains her freedom and dies within an hour.

Literary significance and reception

~description of the work's initial reception and legacy based on the work of literary critics and commentators over the years, give citations; if no literary significance should just be called reception~

Awards and nominations

~lists awards the work received, and significant nominations, if applicable; include in reception if brief~

Adaptations

~references to major film, TV, theatrical, radio, etc. adaptations, if applicable~

Bibliography

• Bender, Bert (1991). "The Teeth of Desire: The Awakening and The Descent of Man". American Literature. 63 (3): 459–473.
• Berkove, Lawrence I. (2000). "Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin's 'The Story of an Hour'". American Literary Realism. 32 (2): 152–158.
• Chongyue, Li; Lihua, Wang (May 14, 2013). "A Caricature of an Ungrateful and Unfaithful Wife—A New Interpretation of 'The Story of an Hour'". English Language and Literature Studies. 3 (2): 90–92. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
• Chopin, Kate (2002). "The Story of an Hour". In Sipiora, Phillip (ed.). Reading and Writing about Literature. Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice Hall. pp. 199–200.
• Cunningham, Mark (September 2004). "The Autonomous Female Self and the Death of Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin's 'Story of an Hour'". English Language Notes. 42 (1): 48–55.
• Jamil, S. Selina (April 2009). "Emotions in 'The Story of an Hour'". The Explicator. 67 (3): 215–220.
• Foote, J. (2013). "Speed That Kills: The Role of Technology in Kate Chopin's 'The Story of an Hour'". The Explicator. 71 (2): 85–89.
• Toth, Emily (1999). Unveiling Kate Chopin. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
• Tseng, Chia-Chieh (Fall 2014). "'Joy That Kills': Female Jouissance in Kate Chopin's 'The Story of an Hour'". Short Story Journal. 22 (2): 29–38.
• Yazgı, Cihan (1 October 2020). "Tragic Elements and Discourse-Time in 'The Story of an Hour'". The Explicator. 78 (3–4): 147–152.