The Story of Of an Hour

Chopin, like many other writers, was forced to write under rule. Many say that the greatest and most stylistic writing is written by those who have to hide their ideas. Although she was very brave, Chopin made many of her ideas clear to those who could understand and appreciate literature. In The Story of an Hour, Chopin makes it evident on her view of men and their role in women's lives and society. She includes many literary devices in which can be accounted for and she develops a style of writing that will later be appreciated by men and women.

As the story begins, a reader can mistake Chopin's tone of the story to be upsetting, or gloomy. Kate Chopin uses precise word ordering and evident knowledge in plot and theme display. As the tone of the store begins to gravitate to a more graceful tone, the reader is forced to look into Mrs. Mallard's life and understand her pain and struggle. An attitude shared by Chopin in the story through the changes of tone was that women were controlled by men to the point where they were unhappy or felt as if they were being strangled. Women in her time were not expected of much as far as having a job or providing as a caretaker for the home and family. Although Chopin, too, seemed to be under literary constraints, you can tell that she takes a special approach on the subject and adds real emotion to the way that Mrs. Mallard is feeling. Even though Mrs. Mallard is upset because of her husband's passing, she has started to discover a new side of herself and realizes how happy she can be without him. "There would be no powerful bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature." It is seen here that Chopin makes a discreet encounter with the reality that many women are forced to face everyday involving the control and empowerment of their husbands.

Towards the end of the story, Chopin begins to display many examples of literary symbolism. Mrs. Mallard's freedom is represented through her husband's mistaken death. She feels as if she can finally be at peace with herself, even though she has lost a husband. Her newfound freedom brings a smile to her face, and lifts her heart in so many ways. As the story goes on, Mrs. Mallard's heart attack was used to show that no woman of that time could possibly live with freedom. After the realization of her freedom, Mrs. Mallard is overjoyed, which leads to her death. The main attitude that Chopin is bringing across at this point is that any woman with that much freedom or happiness is too good to be true.

In her time of literary presence, Chopin was known to be widely unappreciated because of her evident views or ideas on men. Even though her idea was to reach out in a discreet manner, many people understood the tone of many of her pieces. She heavily looked down upon the men who were oftentimes seen controlling their

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