Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, Essay Example

I found it difficult to read Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” without thinking of Chopin herself as I read every line. While the story is clearly not directly, factually autobiographical, it is impossible to consider the emotional journey the central character takes without also considering how the events parallel, at least to a degree, those of Chopin’s own life. In the short story, the main character -whose full name is eventually revealed to be Louise Mallard- is told that her husband has been killed in a horrific train accident. Although the conclusion of the story reveals more about the actual outcome of that accident, the central portion of “The Story of an Hour” is concerned with Mrs. Mallard’s rapidly-evolving emotional response to the news of her husband’s untimely death.  Chopin was a real-life widow; as such, she would presumably have had some insight into the emotional impact on a wife who loses a husband. Considering Chopin’s reputation as somewhat of a proto-feminist, it is easy to view Mrs. Ballard’s fictional emotions through the lens of the real-life story of the author.

What makes “The Story of an Hour” so powerful is the economy of language, and the way that Chopin does not waste a single word in getting her point (or points) across. The title alone tells quite a bit about the story; before reading the first line, the reader is aware that the events about to unfold will do so within a very brief, compact time frame. Upon reading the first line, it is possible to conclude, at least in part, how the story will end. This opening line stands alone, functioning as a separate and whole paragraph that precedes the rest of the story. As the countdown for the “hour” begins, it is already clear that Mrs. Ballard has “heart trouble” and that her friends and family are greatly concerned about how “the news of her husband’s death” will affect her. Although there is some ambiguity about what will bring about her demise, it is likely safe to presume that many readers will have already guessed, after reading this introductory sentence that Mrs. Ballard does not survive longer than the “hour” set up by the framing device of the title. Despite this blatant use of foreshadowing, however, Chopin still manages to surprise the reader with a twist in the story’s last lines.

Central to the story is the compact, yet profound emotional journey Louise Ballard makes in the moments after her husband’s death. Perhaps “journey” is not exactly the right word; “transition” might be more applicable. What matters is that her immediate response –which is to sob and wail- is soon followed by something else. Mrs. Ballard has a “storm of grief,” but like all storms, once it passes the sun begins to part the clouds. As Mrs. Ballard sits alone in her room, she looks out the window to take in the “new spring life” as evidenced by the blue sky, the singing birds, and the bustle in the streets. Just as the distant rain clouds are parting in the sky, the emotional clouds are parting inside Mrs. Ballard. The association between emotion and the human heart is too obvious to ignore here, just as it is impossible to ignore the notion that Mrs. Ballard’s emotional response to her husband’s death might somehow spare her from her “heart trouble.” Almost in spite of herself, Mrs. Ballard quickly understands that she feels “free” for the first time in a long time, knowing that “there would be no powerful will bending hers” and that there was a “long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely.” She does not seem to dislike her husband, but she does seem to have disliked her marriage.

It is possible to think for a moment that this emotional change, this epiphany within Mrs. Ballard might be the point of the story. It is so profound a realization (and one that might be difficult for a 19^th-century widow to openly acknowledge) that if the story ended there, with Mrs. Ballard contemplating the open road before her, the story might be at least somewhat satisfying. In the last five sentences of the brief narrative, however, the death foreshadowed in the opening line is revealed to be Mrs. Ballard’s, rather than her husband’s. As he walks through the door, unhurt and unaware of the accident, Mrs. Ballard’s heart fails. To those around her, she must have succumbed to the joy of seeing her husband alive. Only the reader, who has been privy to her unspoken emotions, realizes that her death was the reflection of the quick end to her dream of freedom. For the brief “hour” named in the story’s title, the reader is allowed to look out through the eyes of Mrs. Ballard, to know her secrets, and to understand her.

References

Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.”

Clugston, R. Wayne. “Journey into Literature.”