The Story of an Hour Book Summary and Review

Check out my The Story of an Hour book summary and review that I created to help you understand the basics of this great book. An Hour in Time is a short story written by Kate Chopin on April 19, 1894, and published in Vogue on December 6, 1894. Published for the first time under the title "Dream an Hour of Time". It was reprinted at St. Louis Live Press on January 5, 1895 under the title "The Story of an Hour".

The title of the story refers to the time that passed between the moments when the protagonist Mrs. Mallard heard the news of her husband's death and her discovery that he was still alive after all. 

This story sparked widespread controversy in the nineteenth century because it deals with the heroine of a woman who feels liberated after hearing the news of her husband's death. In an attempt to reveal Kate Chopin's intent, Emily Toth said that Chopin "had to make the heroine die" in order to make the story publishable at the time.

The Story of an Hour Book Summary :

The story describes a series of emotions experienced by Mrs. Mallard after hearing the news of the death of her husband, who was believed to have died in a railroad accident. Mrs. Mallard was suffering from heart problems so her sister tried to tell her the horrific news in a polite manner, and upon learning the sad news Mrs. Mallard locks herself up in the room to mourn her dead husband. 

Immediately, she began to have an unexpected feeling of joy, whispering to herself, "Free body, free spirit," considering that this is the desired benefit of his death. At the end of the story, it becomes clear that her husband was not among the victims of the accident, and after returning home, Mrs. Mallard dies suddenly. 

The cause of her death was a mystery left to speculation as it is believed that she died from heart problems or from psychological complications, but it can be said that in reality she died after losing hope for freedom when she saw her husband alive and not dead.

The Story of an Hour Book Review:

Psychological, but it can be said that in reality she died after losing hope in freedom when she saw her husband alive and not dead.

analysis

The heroine of Kate Chopin's "A Tale of an Hour," Louis Mallard, is known to have a weak heart. After her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard was unable to shake off the idea of ​​emancipation from her husband. The word "free" began to haunt her mind, free from oppression. Daniel Dino mentions the ongoing debate about Mrs. Mallard's character: "Is Louis an ordinary, understandable, sympathetic woman, or is she a cocky, selfish monster, or an anomaly?"

Understandably, Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's death allowed readers to see the "selfish beast" side. After she was released from the clutches of her husband, she began to find relationships with the world. An ordinary woman would have gone to mourning and weeping in grief. However, Ms Mallard's reaction to her husband was an emotional one that led the public to question her character. 

However what is "normal" can also be said. Mrs. Mallard could be an ode to all the women trapped in unhappy marriages, but they are held back by unfair social norms and standards. Ms. Mallard's erratic reaction has caused readers to question her feelings about her husband's death. 

Throughout "Story of an Hour" her constant bafflement over the freedom of readers has led to confusion over whether her heart disease had anything to do with her reaction. Selena Jamil cheers to her audience that Mrs. Mallard's "heart problem" is not a physical illness...as evidence of a woman whose heart unconsciously (i.e. her identity as individuality) surrendered to a patriarchal culture". Mrs. Mallard's weak heart is supposed to be weak and controllable but soon her fear turns into uncontrollable joy. 

Chopin's interpretation of Louis Mallard is not at all similar to most women." While her body responds to her emotions, she feels that she is rhythmically connected to the physical world. By repeating words like "free" in her head, she has shown that her emotions over the loss of her husband have strengthened her relationship with the world.

Kate Chopin presents the heroine in A Tale of an Hour as a heartless person who does not fear her husband's death, but instead is full of joy and happiness. Focusing on the challenge the ending presents to the reader, Nicole Diederick questions how the public perceives her death. 

Her husband's death was another way of escaping the marriage with which she was bound, while her death was also another escape expressed at the end of the short story. Heidi Podlasty-Laprienz also supports that Mrs. Mallard was under the influence of Brentley by stating. "Her strength of character and willpower seems to be controlled and absorbed mostly by the dominance of Brentley Mallard, well-meaning but powerful" and claims that her actions were like a "crazy" human being merely a reaction. After she was freed from marriage.

 Mrs. Mallard, as a character, appears to have been made aware of her actions by the arrival of Brentley's news. “But for one hour of her life, Louis tasted true joy” that caused her weak heart to collapse. Understandably, the character of Louis Mallard in the story portrays an ill-considered picture of what a wife should be. 

Her actions were "to illustrate the dangers of making assumptions" and as a result her weak heart lost her life. Her sister thought her behavior was nothing but a disease. Josephine did not believe that her sister's actions were to fit her character, but to believe that Louis' reaction was to reach existentialism. 

Her mind wasn't crazy, but Lewis "reached existentialism" is her finally realization of her time and place as a new awakened being. When you are thought to be free in mind, soul, and existentialism, that is when you began to act as if you were unnatural.

Mrs. Mallard was so shocked at the sight of her husband that her weak heart at once sank. "When the doctors came in they said they died of heart disease - of joy that kills." The irony of this sentence can be detected almost immediately, and, as Thoth explained, “It seems clear that her shock was not joy at her husband’s survival, but rather her ordeal at the loss of her dear new-found freedom. 

The joy of imagining herself in control of her life, and the removal of this intense joy that led to her death." To further express what this “joy” means, Selina Jamil explains in the article “Emotions in the Story of an Hour,” “...the “joy” that killed Lewis is joy [doctors assume she was happy when they found out that Brentley wasn’t actually dead].” 

Surrender, for the Patriarchate asks her to do with Brentley's return, but for one hour of her life Louis savors true joy, and for an hour of passion Lois exudes loyalty, and to be wholly alive, then, to engage in a higher consciousness, to observe and communicate with The world around the self is one."

This helps show how strong the feelings for Lewis were. For an hour, Louis was feeling free and so refreshed to start her new life, but she was stripped so far away from her that her heart couldn't handle the shock she felt at seeing her husband alive.

Marriage and the Story of the Hour notes that Chopin's short story shows that marriage is not always what it seems, and that the journey to freedom can be dangerous. Chopin shows her readers that love from only one partner in marriage does not signify a reciprocal relationship.

In the story, Lewis says that she sometimes loves her husband, and in the article he suggests that her husband may have been cruel; So even though she already loved him, she loved her future freedom from him.

The open window through which Mrs. Mallard looks at the majority of the story is indicative of the freedom and opportunity that awaits her through her new independence. "She hears people and birds singing and smells a rainstorm coming. Everything she experiences through her senses indicates joy and spring - new life." Mrs. Mallard can look into the distance and only see a bright future ahead.