Analysis of Kate Chopin and Her Works

Write a critical analysis of any aspect of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† which you found of interest and significance. Kate Chopin's ‘The Story of an Hour' is a short yet complex piece describing the feelings of Mrs Mallard. This story is overflowing with symbolism and imagery. The most prominent theme here is the longing for freedom. Chopin focuses on unfolding the emotional state of Mrs Mallard which can be separated into three stages: quickly moving to grief, through a sense of newfound freedom, and finally into the despair of the loss of that freedom. A critical analysis of â€Å"The Story of an Hour†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin's â€Å"The Story Of An Hour†, in my opinion, is a good piece of literature. It is well written, clearly written, entertaining, and it brings a bit of a challenge to the reader. Starting with the title, Chopin described part of the setting. We already know that everything that happens during this little drama, happens within an hour. This title brought curiosity upon me because I did not realize that many things that could affect one's life could take place in an hour. For example, the recent tragedy in America, within one hour much had happened in the borders of the United States and Chopin's choice of title brought that to my attention, within an hour much could happen that could completely change someone's life. The way the story is written is very straightforward. The author tells you exactly what is happening but still leaves enough room for your imagination to fill in the blanks. For example, when Chopin describes Louise's room with â€Å"the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair† (page 378), and then goes on to describe what Louise sees outside, she tells us that our protagonist isn't living a bad life monetarily. Louise has a nice comfortable chair in her bedroom where she has a nice view of a square with trees and people. The way Chopin describes the weather follows the same suit. â€Å"There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds†Ã‚ ¦in the west facing her window† (page 378). The author tells you what to imagine but there is still room for you to add, for example, the sun shining through the clouds and warmly hitting her face, among other things. Analysis of Kate Chopin And Her Works â€Å"Free! Body and soul free! † Those are the great words written by the great American author, Kate Chopin in â€Å"The Story Of An Hour† in 1894. Her real life stories were her biggest influences in her literature and her unique themes. Perhaps one of her most famous works was her first novel, The Awakening. Some of her other works include â€Å"The Storm,† â€Å"Lilacs,† Madame Celestine's Divorce,† and â€Å"Desiree's Baby. What is Chopin's writing style? What traits are recognizable in all of her stories including the ones mentioned above? More importantly, was feminism a valuable subject in her themes and her life or was she just a normal woman who believed in equality? The answers to these and more questions lie ahead so just sit ba ck and enjoy the ride. To understand Kate Chopin's writing style, you must first understand her life. She was born Katherine O'Flaherty in 1850 to an Irish and French family In St. Louis, Missouri. Her grandmother and great-grandmother lived with them and were great influences in her life and later in her writing. Chopin learned French and female endurance from living in a house full of women. Her great-grandmother also told her stories about her own grandmother, who ran a ferry service and was very promiscuous. She told her stories about women who were daring and women that didn't marry. When she married Oscar Chopin at the age of twenty, the two took a three-month-long honeymoon in Europe where she began writing a journal. They lived together in a small town in Louisiana, which included a community of a lot of different races. She liked to observe different people that lived around her and this soon became one of the main details in her stories. When her husband died, she took over their plantations and ran their store, a bold step for a woman of her time to take (Howard). All of these events in her life can be found in some way or another through her literature, mostly in that of her novel, The Awakening. The Awakening's main character is Edna Pontillier, a woman aware of her sexual cravings and open about them as well. Many see Chopin's novel as â€Å"an explanation of the solitary soul, still enchanted by the primal, charged, and intimate encounter of naked sensation with the astonishing world† (Domestic Goddesses). Although I have never read The Awakening, I'm sure that this theory is true. Chopin believed that it was natural for a respectable woman to have sexual feelings. Her themes generally consisted of love, passion, marriage, independence, freedom, and restraint, all of which are present in The Awakening. Her theme of women winning their self, as a whole is understood when Edna says â€Å"I would give the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. † The Awakening is