Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

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Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” opens with Louise Mallard being informed that her husband, Brently, had died. Since Louise had heart problems, it was important to her sister, Josephine, to break the news to her with “great care”. After hearing the news, Louise began to sob and go up to her room to be alone. While crying and looking out her window, Louise realized that she was “free” and became happy and relaxed. She realized that without her husband by her side for the rest of her life, “she could live for herself” (Chopin 289). A few moments later, Josephine came to check on her. When Louise opened the door and walked downstairs with her sister, it was then that she saw her husband, alive, at the front door. The sight of him had caused her to collapse and die of a heart attack. The story discusses the desire for independence within a marriage. …show more content…
One example is Chopin’s use of figurative imagery. After hearing the news of her husband’s death, Louise went up to her room and stared out the window. While looking around, Louise noticed a patch of blue sky. This patch of blue sky caused her to have an idea: “There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully…She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air” (Chopin 288). The idea of something physically reaching out to Louise through her senses is an instance of figurative imagery. It lets us visualize how strongly her idea of freedom came to