Irony In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

Words: 442

Pages: 2

Open Document

Even the drabbest pieces of writing can be made into something more interesting by adding the element of the unexpected. One could say that the unexpected, in literature, would equal irony, an author’s way of adding a shocking event or occurrence to entice the reader. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the author crafts these shocking events with such ease, that it leaves her readers thinking one thing when in the end something the complete opposite happens. The three types of irony Chopin uses are situational irony, dramatic irony, and verbal irony. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows more about the situation than the characters in the story, situational irony is the opposite of what one expects, and verbal irony is when one says something but means the opposite. …show more content…
Throughout the story, the author leads the other characters to believe that Mrs. Mallard is upset about the news of her husbands' death when in reality, Mrs. Mallard seems ecstatic about this revelation. Mrs. Mallard's sister is led to believe that she is unhappy when “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her (Chopin)”. Josephine thought that since she wanted to be alone, that she must be very upset over the news. The author lets the readers in on the secret that Mrs. Mallard is actually happy “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright (Chopin)”. Mrs. Mallard is excited about her new, free

Irony In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

Irony is the use of an unexpected event or ending to surprise the readers. Authors use irony to create twists in a story that will keep the audiences’ interest. Kate Chopin uses irony in her literary works. “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby,” are two short stories that demonstrate her use of irony. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a short tale. The story begins by letting the readers know that Mr. Mallard died. As the events unfold we can detect different emotions from Mrs. Mallard…

Words 561 - Pages 3

Irony In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

limit their freedoms, thoughts, and actions. In the short story“The Story of an Hour”, by Kate Chopin, the use of irony helps the reader understand the difficulties marriage sets on a person. The protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, encounters a life changing moment; she is being informed by her sister and her sister’s husband that her husband, Mr. Mallard, passed away in a train accident. As this information is presented to Mrs. Mallard, dramatic irony is used, the reader knows something the main character…

Words 325 - Pages 2

Texting: Fiction and Kate Chopin Essay

Christina Oltmann Analyze the use of imagery in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.” During the nineteenth century independence was a forbidden pleasure for women. “The Story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin explores the captivity felt by a woman that belonges to a man through marriage. Chopin uses special forms of imagery, which imply the psychological strains of someone who is underrated by social expectations. She shows the gradual transformation from a grieving wife to a woman…

Words 779 - Pages 4

Essay on Comparing the Irony of Chopin

the Irony of Chopin Kate Chopin uses irony to link "Desiree's Baby" and "The Story of an Hour" because each gives an emotional shock to the reader, which also helps link the theme of women facing depression through appearance versus reality. Both of these stories show the main characters, Mrs. Mallard and Desiree, facing ironic, tragic deaths at the end. These women faced depression because of their marriages having stolen a piece of who they are. In “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Story of an Hour” both…

Words 1062 - Pages 5

Story Of An Hour Rhetorical Analysis

One of the most excellent pieces of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is the fact that the author creates doubt, surprise, and disbelief in a tale that is astonishingly complex. “The Story of an Hour" explains how a woman, after her husband's sudden death, finds herself liberated, achieves independence, and begins to acquire self-determination - at least for the interlude of one hour, as the title declares. Viewed as a kind of an instant that ruins social contentment and gives formation to a woman's…

Words 1839 - Pages 8

Mrs: Marriage and Mrs. Mallard Essay

Emotions Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a short story that brings self-assertion, love, guilt, and death all during the span of a life-altering ironic hour. Although happily married to Mr. Brently Mallard, Mrs. Louise Mallard was living in the patriarchal struggles of the nineteenth century. For an independent woman, this may bring slight unhappiness. Throughout this symbolic story, Mrs. Mallard feels a range of emotions firstly grief and ending in joy. In the beginning of this story, Mrs.…

Words 1152 - Pages 5

Story Of An Hour Dramatic Irony Analysis

In the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, you come across many cases of irony. The story is full of different types of ironic situations. Situational and dramatic irony are visible all throughout the story. It is important to have irony in a story because it makes the readers stop and think about what they have just read or to understand the meaning of the story. The first example of irony we see is when Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death. Since Mrs. Mallard is suffering from…

Words 603 - Pages 3

Kate Chopin Essay Final

Essay Irony that Kills “The Story of an Hour” tells the story of an unhappy woman named Louise Mallard’s ironic marriage. The author takes us back to what seems to be a typical marriage in the nineteenth century. The twists and turns in this short story lead up to an expecting outcome. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” is a short story that contains various ironies that connect the reader to the story and give the reader insights and knowledge that even the characters do not know. Chopin uses…

Words 1026 - Pages 5

Irony In The Story Of An Hour

In the short story called “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, there are many cases of irony. Most of the irony in the story consists of dramatic and situational irony. Dramatic Irony is when the audience/reader knows something that the characters do not. An example is say if in a show or a movie there is a killer and the audience knows who it is but the characters do not. Situational Irony is when there is an action and the results are opposite of what is expected. An example of this would…

Words 303 - Pages 2

Of Joy That Kills Essay

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin portrays a negative view of marriage by showing readers a woman who is clearly overjoyed at the news that her husband just passed away. At first Mrs. Mallard, the protagonist, is upset and cries in front of everyone. However, she then goes into her room alone to absorb her new profound freedom she gains by his death. Chopin wrote the story during a time when society considered marriage sacred and women were inferior to men. Kate Chopin uses syntax and…

Words 665 - Pages 3