The Forbidden Joy Of Independence In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

The Forbidden Joy of Independence In the short story of Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour” she shares a story about a woman named Mrs. Mallard with heart trouble who finds out her husband has been involved in an accident and died. She is in disbelief and later realizes that it is a new start for her to actually have freedom, but then later finds out her husband did not die and she dies of a heart attack. The author shows the process of her disbelief turning into actual relief by describing the scenery outside of her home. The author uses imagery, symbolism and irony to develop the theme of the forbidden joy of independence throughout the story. With this in mind, the author’s use of imagery throughout the story was substantial in showing how the woman was imagining her life ahead of her. She began by describing “the new spring life” and “the delicious breath of rain” that shows how beautiful it …show more content…
[Reiterate what theme you are talking about. It will also help transition your paragraphs.] The situational irony that is shown is how the opposite of what is expected ends up happening. The fact that Mr. Mallard, her husband, is actually alive instead of dead, and she dies as a result of visually seeing him. Another example, is when Mrs. Mallard cries, and the audience would think it is because she is sad but she is crying tears of joy. The dramatic and verbal irony in the story is how the death is diagnosed as "joy that kills" (477). Obviously, Mrs. Mallard did not die from joy, but the actual outrage that went through her after realizing her husband was alive, and her life was not going to change. Another example, is when Josephine, Mr. Mallard’s sister, thinks she is grieving her husband’s death she is actually rejoicing, “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped...."free, free, free!"(477). [This is a good use of an integrated