Discuss Your Reading: The Story of an Hour
Discussion Topic
"The Story of an Hour" tells of Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's death and, then, her reaction to that news being false. Writing in the late 1800s, Kate Chopin believed that American authors faced "limitations... hamper[ing] a full and spontaneous expression"; the same could be said about Chopin's main character.
In this discussion, post a message responding to one or more of the following questions about this story:
- How would you describe the tone and mood of the story?
- What specific details contribute to creating the tone and mood?
- How does the tone shift with the progression of the story?
As a follow-up posting, respond to a classmate's thoughts about the tone and mood of the story. Do you agree or disagree with the interpretation? Why?
Scoring
This discussion is worth a maximum of 15 points. You'll get 10 points for your first posting. Your instructor will give you another 5 points if you post a follow-up comment or question that furthers the discussion.
I think the mood of the story is ironic. The lady, Mrs.Mallard, is being told about her husbands death very slow by her sister Josephine. She goes through a bit of a shock while she locks herself in the room and stares out her window. What hits her more is seeing everything being so lively outside and so dead inside. Her sister calls her downstairs only to tell her that her husband is alive, at that moment she has a heart attack. But the thing is her husband's reaction isn't even close to that of Mrs. Mallard's. I think this also reflects the role/stereotype there was about women and how they're more attached, more sensible and show their feelings more.
ReplyDeleteOriginal:
ReplyDeleteThe tone of “The Story of an Hour” is serious, suspenseful, and ironic. Josephine and Richard try to break the news of Mr. Mallards death gently because she was “afflicted with heart trouble”. They expect her to react with an “inability to accept its significance” like most women, but instead she “wept once”. When Mrs. Mallard confines herself to her bedroom alone, she has an epiphany. The mood of the story is introduced through the suggestion in the details of her room. The “comfortable, roomy armchair depicts the security she has acquired. The new sounds she becomes aware including the peddler crying and the singing also display her new found opportunity. The “patches of blue sky” outside the window demonstrate Mrs. Mallards new freedom. A theme that is prominent because of the mood and tone. Her physical description like her “white slender hands”, provides a fragile image of Mrs. Mallard. In fact in the beginning, the reader may have thought she was elderly. However, the description of her face proves that although she may be quite young she is still fragile. Mrs. Mallard’s freedom consumes her and she appears from the room as a new woman “like a goddess of Victory”. It is clear that Mrs. Mallard was unhappy in her marriage which is prominent since she doesn’t have any children. Another theme of the story is apparent in the tone and mood which is repression. Specifically, the suppression that women experienced in marriages during the 1800’s. A dictatorship that existed in marriages in which men dominated women by telling them what to think, say, and do. Mrs. Mallard is only one example of countless women that occupied similar positions in their marriages. However, it is rare for them to have the opportunity of “freedom” that Mrs. Mallard had, even though it was only for one hour. Her husbands appearance shattered that prospect of freedom immediately after all the time she spent fighting to accept it. As a result rather than going back to living a restricted life at the mercy and beck and call of her husband, Mrs. Mallard dies. The irony is that she dies from the “joy that kills”. The possibility still exists that if Josephine and Richard waited to tell Louise of the death of her husband then she might have never experienced that hour of freedom, preventing her death.
When Louise hears from Josephine and Richard that her husband is dead, she reacts with grief and violence. -(Of course, her husband died.)- But then the tone changes when she is alone because she realizes she is now an independent woman. It is like a "oh, look on the bright side" situation.
ReplyDeleteTo: Marium
ReplyDeleteI do not think her reaction is ironic. She was in shock because she was dependent on her husband and she finds out he is dead. That would put any woman in shock. But, then she experiences a guilty thought about her freedom. That guilt brought on a surprise when she saw that he was not dead. (The surprise being the heart attack.)
Original:
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the story is quite ironic and melodramatic. The actions of Mrs. Mallard are quite befitting of a new widow in front of people, but her actions away from people show her true feelings considering her husband's death. I beleive that the story is ironic twofold. One irony unfolds through the news that her husband is dead in an accident but in reality, the husband is quite alive and was never near the place where the accident occurred. The main irony is that great care is taken to break the news of her husband's death to her due to her heart condition. However, it is not the news that that her husband is dead that contributes to her death, but the news that she is free from her suppressive husband and can live freely without having to bend to anyone else's will. That is the main irony in the story and contributes greatly to plotline of the story.
To Ellysa:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea that Mrs. Mallard has an epiphany in the bedroom. She has a hard time reconciling her emotions in the beginning because she doesn't recognize the feeling of being free. However, once she is able to place a name to her emotions, she revels in being free. She remembers how the other day when she was still suppressed by her husband, she lamenting her long married life. Now she wishes for a long life as a free woman, which as a widow is quite possible.
I enjoyed this short story. It shows the power of love and oppression. During this time women were oppressed, and did not have the right to vote. This woman was extremely devastated when her husband died. When she was staring out of the window, she observed so much life, but her life was in shambles. She was thinking about how much freedom she would have, but she will greatly miss her husband. The entire story was ironic. She was grieving due to her husband's death. However in the end of the story, her husband was not dead. When she saw him, she died from "joy".
ReplyDeleteOriginal: The tone of "The Story of an Hour" is one of stealth or secrecy. This is created by the way in which Richards and Josephine told Mrs. Mallard of Mr. Mallard's death. They told her through "broken sentences" and "veiled hints". It is almost as if her husband's death should not be blatantly stated out. The tone progresses throughout the story via the different settings in which Mrs. Mallard puts herself in. Mrs. Mallard goes to her room and locks herself in there. Her actions are, therefore, secretive because no one knows what she is doing or thinking about in their. While in the room, she arrives at the fact that she is relieved about her husband's death as opposed to remorseful. The stealthily way in which this came to her was subtle yet profound at the same time. It overcame her and gave her the utmost content. When she finally comes out of the room, she seems better than before. She does not let anyone know her feelings. Up until the time that she dies, Mrs. Mallard remains secretive because no one knows the exact cause of her joy or death. All the while, the mood of the short story is grave and suspenseful because the narrator uses suspenseful diction such as when she describes the feeling of relief rising in Mrs. Mallard. This relates to the expectations of women during the 1800s. That is, they were meant to do as their husbands said without having much say about their own feelings.
ReplyDeleteTo Ellysa: I agree that the entire story was ironic, although I did not include this in my post. I like the way you picked up on the subtle details that showed Mrs. Mallard's mood, such as the patches of blue sky and the cries outside, which symbolized Mrs. Mallard's new-found freedom.
ReplyDeleteTo Jasbir: I find it interesting that you described the story as melodramatic. I think that this has alot to do with the fact that the story is set within an hour and ,hence, everything seems drawn out. However, I also feel as if some feelings are subtle and not dramatically stated in the story, such as Mrs. Mallard's relief.
Original:
ReplyDeleteThe mood of the story is extremely ironic, while the tone of the story is grim and stern. The tone of the story in the beginning is described as sad and depressing. The setting is characterized by a darkened sky “with only small patches of blue showing”, the scent of rain, and the faint sound of singing. However, as the story progresses, the mood switches into excitement and joy. Mrs. Mallard is described with “triumph in her eyes” and “carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.” The story is ironic because the main character, Mrs. Mallard was, at first, saddened when she heard of her husband’s recent passing, however, when the news begins to sink in, she was extremely excited. Mrs. Mallard was excited because she was finally free of his controlling, however, at the end of the passage, her husband returns alive and unharmed. In doing so, Mrs. Mallard dies of shock. The story is ironic because she was so excited that her husband was dead, but in fact, she died and he didn’t.
To Ellysa:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I believe that Mrs. Mallard did not. In fact, like her husband. She was a prisoner in her marriage, oppressed by the rules and regulations of society. I also agree that Mrs. Mallard was one of the countless women during the late 1800s who desired freedom; however, once given the freedom, it overwhelmed her. Both her joy and the overpowering task of owning up to her freedom, overcame her and lead to her demise.
Original:
ReplyDeleteI believe that the tone of the story differs in correspondence to what part of the story we are referring to. In the beginning of the story the tone is one of dawning comprehension, hopeful even. The diction and sentence structure is liberating, using words such as "free" to describe herself now that she is not married. Her description of what she see's out the window in paragraph 5 or 6, the blue skies emerging from the clouds, is symbolic of Louise's own emergence from the clouds of marriage.
The end of the story however, is very ironic. She dies because of all the possibilities she lost when her husband wasn't killed, and she found out that she would have to live under the oppression of marriage again. And then the doctors diagnosed her of dying of a joy that kills.
To Shevana:
ReplyDeleteI agree to what you are saying to an extent, but it is important to note however, that Chopin makes a point to describe the husband in a positive light, describing him as a man who never looked upon his wife but with love. So it's not the husband that is the problem, it's the institution of marriage itself. Because if Chopin had described the husband as a drunken abusive pig rather than a loving caring individual, the readers would have scorned Louise's marriage in particular, rather than marriage in general.
The story starts out rather sad and somber, and slowly changed into a certain excitement and happiness from within Mrs. Mallard as she has her epiphany. There is a certain transition that happens as the narrator describes the view through the window, talking about how alive everything outside is, (referring to Spring, a symbol of new life) as she realizes that she has a newfound freedom and has a chance to live anew with the death of her husband, and so the story ends with irony as she finds her husband alive, which in turn kills her. What was probably the best statement for this was the last one, saying that she died of joy, when in fact it was the complete opposite.
ReplyDeleteThe "Story of an Hour" by Kate chopin, opens with a sad tone as Mrs. Mallard hears the news of her husbands death. However, in an ironic twist, Mrs. Mallard grows happy from the news. In fact, after having an epiphany she realizes she is no longer bound by the ties of her husband,and is free to do whatever she desires. Once again irony changes the predicted ending. When Mrs. Mallard is later informed her husband is alived, she is killed by the news. Overall, I would say the tone of te short story is ironic. I found myself comparing it to O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi.
ReplyDeleteJustin:
ReplyDeleteI too believe that the tone shifts throughout the short story. However in my opinion, the irony throughout the short story overshadows the somber, or happy tone in the beginning of the story.
In "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, the protagonist Mrs. Mallad was bound by the confines of wedlock. her marriage to that of Brently Mallad, suffocated her and the news of his death, allowed her to be "free". The tone of the story shifts continously from one of sadness to shock to blelief to happiness then again to shock. Mrs. Mallad did not purposely want ehr husband dead, but when it occured she was not sad or happy. She gain new freedom, a obvious release that she needed. When she sees her husband enter their home, she dies becuase of shock and becuase she knew that she would be placed in the confines of wedlock once again. This story is definitely obscure and vague to readers, but ti is extremely interesting.
ReplyDeleteTo Ellysa:
ReplyDeleteI believe you emphasized my thoughts exactly and fluently in your comments. The details you use to describe your thoughts are extraordinary and you emphasize the point of irony well. I was also thinking that the story had great irony in it, but like Maggie stated I also believed it had some level of foreshadowing, in where the previous events of happiness would lead to an untimely incident for the main character Mrs. Mallad. I totally agree with your conclusions of the hirarchy of order and social norms at that time, where it deifnitely was a patriarchial society where Men where in control and women were supressed to the domesticated roles. I believe that your emphasis placed into the analysis of the story is similar to my concise thoughts, though your comments are throughly stated and well written.
Original:
ReplyDeleteThe overall tone in this short story is irony due to the fact that this woman mourns her husband death, but on the inside realizes that she is finally free and, as stated by my colleague Shevana, she was a prisoner in her marriage and was demoralized by the hierarchy of society.
To Jalin: I agree that this story heavily hints towards not just the oppressive relationship that this woman is in, but most women during that time in general, and how women were blocked from being able to do what they wanted, especially those that were married and were expected to "obey" their husbands. The social norms during this time were the shackles that she had finally broken free from, but then brought back too, except that time it killed her.
ReplyDeleteTo Shahnaj:
ReplyDeleteNormally, opinions aren't wrong, but yours isn't completely right. Your comment on Marium's post is clearly inaccurate because the story obviously does demonstrate irony, not shock nor guilt.
Original:
ReplyDeleteThe tone of the story shifts dynamically throughout the story. In the beginning, the story takes a somber, depressing tone, as Richards and Josephine try, in the best way possible, to break the news to Louise, who ends up isolating herself and crying alone. However, the tone then shifts to a happy, relieved tone, as Louise realizes that she is now free to do as she pleases, released from the obligations and shackles of being a wife. This new lease on life doesn't last long, though, and the tone quickly becomes ironic with the introduction of a surprisingly alive Mr. Mallard, which shocks the newly "alive" Louise to death.
Maggie:
ReplyDeleteI too believe that the story has an overall ironic tone. In fact, I think that the wild swings in tone from sad to happy to shocked also add to the irony of the story.
Original:
ReplyDeleteThe tone and mood of the story starts dramatically, almost like a soap opera. It starts off with the wife feeling weak yet joyful at the hearing of her husbands passing. The details such as how she responded to the news and how she was told begins to start the dramatic tone. The tone shifts when the wife begins to scream and holler how free she is and how she truly didn't love him.
To Maggie:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response. I did get the impression that she did get happy when she was looking out of the window, because she have "freedom", but once she observed life outside, she felt as if she was dying a little inside. I also got the impression as if the suspense was building through the progression of the story.
To Jalin:
ReplyDeleteI really didn't look at the time setting of the story, it helps contribute to why she acted in that manner. Due to womens oppression during this time period, they were not able to have independence and relied greatly on the support of there husbands. It shows why she died of "joy" due to her heart problems of course. I agree with your statement and I greatly appreciated the new analytical information at the time period you gave.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOriginal:
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed this short story. The beginning of the story is somewhat dramatic but as the story progresses it becomes i would say ironic. I’d say that at the climax of the story, Chopin decides to use irony in order to make the ending of the story more interesting and unexpected to the readers. The way, the main character, Louise, handles the tragic news is ironic, because the reader expects her to react in an entirely different way. And to top it off, ironic-wise, Louise is the person that dies in the end. The tone of the story shifts from being dramatic in the beginning and ironic in the end. Chopins style of writing is gripping. She describes the characters and the scenery thoroughly well throughout the story.
To Jalin:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this story shows the power of love and oppression. Although I think that Mrs. Mallard wasn't even devastated at the fact that her husband died. I would say that she was shocked that he was gone, but she did not know how to react to the situation. When she got to her room she realized that she was free from her husband. The fact that she was free, brought much joy to her.
To Shanaj:
ReplyDeleteI believe that you may have misunderstood Marium’s post. She doesn’t specifically state that the reaction Mrs. Millard has towards the news of her husbands death is ironic, rather she refers to the mood as ironic. I agree with Marium that irony persists throughout the story. I also disagree with your interpretation of Mrs. Mallards reaction to an extent. I do agree that she was shock about her husbands death, but not because of the fact that she was dependent on her husband. Recall that in the story she did not react normally compared to other women in marriages. After being joined at the hip to her husband in a marriage she probably never supported, all of a sudden she is informed that she is free to go. The shock was not from missing her husband but from relief that her husband was finally gone.
The "Story of an Hour" has a mixture of tones including a combination of seriousness and irony. The wife clearly feels trapped inside of her marriage and is completely relieved when she learns the news of her husband's death. Finally she is free, she breaks out of the prison that her marriage created for her. While on the outside she appears to be mourning, on the inside she clearly is not mourning. As the story closes she finds out that her husband is still alive and she is forced to face the feelings that she was hiding before.
ReplyDeleteOver all the story is rather ironic as the wife tries to face her true feelings and the mix of emotions that come along for the ride.
I agree with Jon, something I forgot to mention was the dynamic shift of tone as the story progresses (which Jon had mentioned). This change creates a different sense of flow as the story develops and the wife experiences a conflicting range of emotions.
ReplyDeleteThis story progresses from serious to ironic. This is because at first the story speaks of a tragedy that hits a wife that is fragile and dependent on her husband. At the point where she finds out that her husband is dead her weakness is reflected and the typical feeling aroused by death, sadness, is also reflected. However, when the story goes on it expresses that a feeling of liberation overcomes Mrs. Mallard because she realizes that she is free of her husband and can act independently. She realizes that she can do what she wants, without the opinions of her husband taunting and oppressing her.
ReplyDeleteHowever, after this feeling of seriousness irony creeps up because Mrs. Mallard finds out that her husband is alive and she suffers from a heart attack. The heart attack occurs because seeing her husband alive brings her back to a state of imprisonment; it rips away her new found freedom within the blink of an eye. The fact that knowing her husband is alive killed her is ironic because it expresses life causing death, when typically life should encourage life. Usually most people are sad when they lose a spouse, but in this case Mrs. Mallard is elated, and finding out that he is alive upsets her so much that it causes her death.
To Shinece:
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement that Mrs. Mallard did not want her husband dead. However, I believe that her husband dying served as a mean for her to arrive at an epiphany. She realizes in one breath that she has a desire to live on her own terms and that when her husband was alive she was not able to do so because he exerted his opinions, thoughts, wants, and needs with dominance over all of hers. After his death she felt that she could embark on life freely and she wanted her life to last long so that she would have more to time to do so. However, when her husband was alive she dreaded life, in a sense.
Original: The tone of "The Story of an Hour", shifts between a tone of seriousness, then to irony, then to a sense of hope, and then back to irony. At the beginning, the news of Mr. Mallards death was broken to his wife very carefully as to caution her heart. Then her reaction to his death was opposed to the reaction of most women. As the story progresses it shifts to this new found hope that is apparent from the scene outside and a new freedom created by Mr. Mallards death. After that, the story then shifts back to irony because in actuality her husband is not dead and the sight of him living kills his wife. The shifts in tones with this story had my emotions running all over the place.
ReplyDeleteI think the tone of the story goes on a bit of a roller coaster ride from heavy, and sad, to positive, and then back down to a more abrupt ending. Throughout the beginning of the story we naturally sympathize with Mrs. Mallard because of the fact that she has lost her husband, and now has to deal with the feeling of grief. After that, we begin to sense hope, as Mrs. Mallard does. The author gives us this impression by saying things like: "She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring of life." This symbolizes that out of the darkness of this loss, she would still have some light. The author even makes constant reference to the sky, and freedom. By the end of the story, we are left with a sense of shock that Mr. Mallard was in fact, alive, and Mrs. Mallard ends up dying; all hope for her becomes void.
ReplyDeleteTo Elizabeth:
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the irony throughout the entire story. It was ironic in the beginning that SHE was the one with the heart problems, yet it was Mr. Mallard who died...then at the end, after all of that...it was reverse - she died, and he lived. Not only was it ironic, but it gave me a feeling of (for a lack of words to explain this) "Oh, Come ON!!!!"
*extra post*
ReplyDeleteI don't know how anyone else feels, but I felt like the story left me in suspense...Alright, he's alive...now I want an explanation! Especially after his wife just went through so many emotions because she thought we was dead, and ended up losing her life...I want to know what happened? How in the world are you alive sir?
That's it =]
To Alex: Don't you find it crazy how one moment a person can seem greatly trouble by the news of a death and then the next moment find happiness in the fact that they are now free from that person? That part of the story really took me by surprise.
ReplyDeleteI think that the tone of the short story began dark. The fact that right away someone is introduced as "dead" dulls the mood of the story. When Louise finds out about her husbands "death" she immediatley weaps. But as she returns to her room, she looks out side and notices she must move on from her husband, this creates a tone of independence, especially for women. A twist is brought to the story when she finds her husband is actually not killed, it was a misconception. The sudden change that she undergoes from "finally independent" to being with him again overwhelms the heart, leaving her to die.
ReplyDeleteTo Shanice: I compeltely agree on the idea of an "emotional rollercoaster" if you relate that to the title, "The story of an Hour" it can be found that rollercoasters are not meant to be ridden for an hour "literally and figuratively" . It overwhelms the heart due to so much decieving and sudden changes.
ReplyDeleteSo far this was my favorite piece of literature we have read this year. I found the irony of the plot very interesting, and I was really pulled into the story. The tone of the story is very melancholy and dismal. The story is set with words such as "grief" "sank" "pressed" "exaustion". These words all contribute to an overall negative tone and depressing mood. As the story continues so do the negative descriptions, but towards the end when her husband is seen alive, a short lived jump in the tone is seen. The author uses words such as "warmed" "relaxed" to create a soothing mood. And even though the woman dies, she dies from joy, which also adds to the more relaxed mood towards the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteTo Maggie...
ReplyDeleteI didnt realize the symbolism of the story until I read over your post. I agree, I think the author is hinting that the woman was almost "let free" by the thought of her husband dead. And maybe thats why she died in the end, because she lost her freedom when she found out he was still alive. She knew she was going to be bound to him once again, and just decided to let go. The story has a very feminist underlying plot I believe.
To Shahnaj:
ReplyDeleteI still stand by what I said. The story and the tone it has is ironic in the sense that she thinks her husband is dead and when he shows up alive she dies. If you look at the basic structure of the story it is ironic. I think you should re- read the story.
Orignal:
ReplyDeleteI think that the tone of the story is one that shifts from sad to joy. I feel that Mrs. Mallard is sad because of the fact that she lost her husband but find joy in that fact that she can now be free of the opression that came from her marriage. In real life it can be found that the loss of someone or something can have positive effects.
To Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about Mrs. Mallards reaction is very different then what most would expected hers to be. When a womans reastion should be one of grief and sadness and loss. More often than not no happiness comes from the loss of your spouse. But I do think her reaction is not so uncommon I believe that marraige relationship or situatios that opresses can cause one to feel free when the reationship or situation ends. No realationship its perfect and people often romantize it rather than think of it from a realistic perspective
The tone of the story is clearly ironic. Although it seems that Mrs. Mallard is consumed by grief after being told of her husbands death which is the more natural reaction, it is actually the complete opposite. She feels so liberated and "free" after finding that her husband is dead that she could not compose herself. Although the others assumed she was upset because of the death she was actually so happy that it brought her to tears. When her husband walked in the door and she felt her newly found freedoms slipping from her hands she died not because of joy of his survival but because of pain of his arrival home.
ReplyDeleteJustin
ReplyDeleteI understand how you see the different tones in the different portions of the story. As it progresses you begin to understand that the primary grief of the news was actually relief and realization of her new found freedom.
The tone is initially somber and cautionary, it takes you step by step through the story however, as it progresses, Mrs. Mallard's true feelings towards her husband are revealed and the tone changes to relief. At the end, the story turns to irony as Mrs. Mallard dies at the sight of seeing her husband who she had assumed to be dead.
ReplyDelete