Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour”–which takes only a few minutes to read–has an ironic ending:
Mrs. Mallard dies just when she is beginning to live
. … They mean well, and in fact they do well, bringing her an hour of life, and hour of joyous freedom, but it is ironic that they think their news is sad.
What does the ending of a story of an hour mean?
By Kate Chopin
Mallard's death
– is completely undone in the conclusion. It's the opposite of a linear life story because he starts out dying and ends up alive. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mallard's life, which her friends and family tried so hard to protect at the beginning, is lost at the end.
What is the irony of the story of an hour?
The irony in “The Story of an Hour” is that
other characters mistakenly attribute Mrs. Mallard's death to her shocked elation that her husband Brently is alive
. Supposedly killed in a train accident, Brently suddenly appears at the end of the story.
Why is the ending of the story ironic?
I think the ending is ironic
because it is so far removed from what we would expect to have happen
. In addition, the last sentence is full of irony because it is the opposite of what has really happened.
What is the message of The Story of an Hour?
The message of “The Story of an Hour” is that
no one wins when women are oppressed
. It is certainly possible to point out that men seem to have more favorable lives when they, but not women, are allowed to have full, rounded identities and lots of roles in society, as well as institutional power.
What really killed Mrs Mallard?
Mallard
died of a heart attack
, what they also referred to as “the joy that kills.” They must think that the heart attack was triggered by her joy at the sudden reappearance of her husband, whom she thought dead. At the beginning of the story, it is stated that Mrs. Mallard suffers from a heart condition.
Is the husband alive in The Story of an Hour?
Louis Life on January 5, 1895, as “The Story of an Hour”. The title of the short story refers to the time elapsed between the moments at which the protagonist, Louise Mallard, hears that her husband, Brently Mallard, is dead, then
discovers that he is alive after all
.
Why was Mrs Mallard happy her husband died?
Mallard is happy after hearing the news of her husband's death:
she thinks that she has finally found a way out of a lifestyle that does not fit her any longer
. This reminds us of another famous Kate Chopin character, Edna Pontellier, in The Awakening.
Did Mrs Mallard love her husband?
Mallard admits
to herself that she had sometimes loved her husband
, but “often she had not.” After she believes that he is dead, she realizes that love is worth little when compared to independence and self-possession. In short, though she sometimes loves her husband, Mrs. Mallard loves her own independence more.
Why is Mrs Mallard's death ironic?
Mallard lives and Mrs. Mallard dies, that is considered a
situational irony
, because the reader doesn't expect the death of Mrs. … Another irony from the story is the fact that the reader doesn't expect the feeling of excitement and joy from Mrs. Mallard's part of knowing from the death of her husband.
What is ironic about the ending of the story a letter to God?
The irony about the ending is that
LENCHO who had immense faith in God is not satisfied with the behavior of human beings and his faith in GOD turns to be more powerful when Lencho gets the envelope from the post office which had money in it
.
What's the irony in her dramatic ending?
Mallard's life would not have ended an hour later but would simply have gone on as it had been. Yet another irony at the end of the story is
the diagnosis of the doctors
. They say she died of “heart disease–of joy that kills” (11).
What is the moral lesson of The Story of an Hour?
By emphasizing that all of the events of the story take place in only an hour,
Chopin is telling us that everything can be taken from us at any time
. Louise goes through a whirlwind of emotions during that time. She goes from grief to joy to relief. She gets to be relieved for so little time before she is dead.
What are the two main themes in The Story of an Hour?
The main themes in “The Story of an Hour” are
freedom, time, and identity
. Freedom: Louise is overjoyed by the realization that Brently's death will render her free to live as she chooses, highlighting the repressive nature of Victorian marriages.
Why was The Story of an Hour controversial?
The Story of an Hour was considered controversial during the 1890s
because it deals with a female protagonist who feels liberated by the news of her husband's death
. In Unveiling Kate Chopin, Emily Toth argues that Chopin “had to have her heroine die” in order to make the story publishable.
What is ironic about the death of Mrs. Mallard after she sees her husband is still alive?
What is ironic about the death of Mrs. Mallard after she sees her husband is still alive?
She wanted a long life but then she dies right after she thinks it.
