Reader Response to Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour”

           One thing I truly admired about this story was the transformation of the plot. The tone at the beginning paints Mrs. Mallard to be frail by talking about her “heart trouble.” Yet in just a short amount of space, the story eases into a tone that is less restrictive, more “free” as Mrs. Mallard says herself. I didn’t notice that things were changing because I became enwrapped in the story. Each paragraph of the story transitions well into the next one such that there is a continuous flow. An example of this is when she is sitting in the chair and she feels something “creeping out of the sky” and tries to “beat it back with her will.” Then she exclaims her freedom and “the look of terror” leaves her. I assumed the author was setting up for a deeper sense of grief that she would find in those clouds, but it turned out to be the opposite. It felt like a natural change and I believed it.

 

            I also appreciate the simplistic, yet moving descriptions in this piece. The author used diction that created a clear image in my head. One instance of this is when the narrator says “her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her.” This caused me to pause because it held a lot of weight in my mind and I imagined a bunch of random thoughts with legs running with picket signs through her head. Other powerful images such as “the delicious breath of rain was in the air” and “a sob came up her throat and shook her” minimized distance between me and Mrs. Mallard. Although the story is told from third person, I felt in tune to her thoughts and feelings because they were portrayed in an accessible way.  

            I was intrigued by the end of the story and had to ask myself why the author would choose to build up this incredible story about an elderly woman finding an escape from her mundane life only to have it thrown out the window when her husband comes back. I like the circularity of the piece so that it starts and ends with this “heart trouble.” I contemplated the last few words, “of the joy that kills”. My interpretation of this is that she was so consumed by the joy of having a reason to live out her long days that in the end it killed her because it was swept right from under her. This ending gave me a completely different perspective on the piece as a whole because we go from clouds, no obligations, to a sudden halt. Everything in the piece is gradual up until Mrs. Mallard’s death. It got me thinking about the title, specifically the “hour”. I’m not sure the exact time elapsed while she was in that room but I like to think she was at peace for that hour, but like all things, time goes on. That hour ended and so did her future. It is bittersweet knowing that she won’t live out the rest of her days, but she wouldn’t be able to live them how she wanted with her husband back.