Please post your view of how the structure of "The Story of an Hour "contributed to the theme. Be sure to establish what the theme is, and use at least one quoted reference from the story to support your point. Minimum of one paragraph.
MaryColleen I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was structured well. My emotions while reading it elevated and deflated exactly where I believe they were supposed to. When a tragic event happens in a story, the author will use symbolism to emphasize his or her point. But in this story, when the wife is informed her husband has died and she moves to her room, "There was patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that has met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window." (pg.1) This signifies hope. If the author wanted to let the reader know it was a gloomy scene, he or she would've set it as a gray sky or something foreboding. I believe that there were a couple different themes throughout the story. But the main one was the oppression of marriage, I believe, Marriage is the joint unity of a couple. But people tend to use it as an excuse to control the other person, especially in the past. In the traditional vows of the older years a woman had to promise to be faithful, take care of them in sickness or in health, and to never leave them. The man however only had to promise to be a good husband. Many men were expected to "control" their wives and some men took this a little too far. Can we blame Louise for being happy when she realizes she doesn't have to be controlled anymore? But the bitter ending is an unforgettable one, and it changes the whole feeling of the story.
While reading "The Story of the Hour," I could not help but to notice how the structure and the theme were linked. The story starts on very somber note, with the reader receiving the information that a woman, presumably later in life, having to hear that her husband has died. To add to this already weighted moment, the woman has heart troubles and her family fears that this news will cause a great deal of damage to her. The author continues on this somber note and brings the character, Louise, into a room. In this room, Louise grieves, but then also feels a strong sense of self assertion. Louise repeatedly whispers, "Free! Body and soul free!" her sense of joy and happiness shines through, and the reader becomes happy with her. However, the author then cuts this feeling short when she writes that this joy is in fact what would kill Louise, "... she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills." This fluctuating structure of bringing the reader from sadness to joy back to a depressed state to finally happiness that Louise did in fact die from joy ties with her theme; life has its ups and downs, highs and lows, but in the end, being happy is all that matters. This style of writing was odd to me at first, but after taking a step back and reevaluating the story, I found it to be a very interesting way of writing that I did in fact enjoy.
Throughout "The Story of the Hour", I noticed that their was a close relationship between the structure, and the theme. As the story begins with tragic news, you can really feel for the women who is trying to get over a significant loss. As the story rolls on we learn that her husband isn't dead. As the women is facing heart troubles her husband returns home after a long time away. He is shocked to see his family and friends so somber and depressed. " He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to scree him from the view of his wife. When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease, of the joy that kills." Throughout the story you can see how the structure and theme are connected and intertwined.
Caroline M. 2 Chopin's whole writing style in this story is kind of a tease. She forces the reader to fill in the blanks. Consider, for example, the way she describes the end of the story. Mrs. Mallard is coming down the stairs when her husband, who is supposed to be dead, walks in; the couple's friend Richards tries to move between them to keep her from sustaining a potentially deadly shock. The narrator simply says, "But Richards was too late" (22). What Richards is "too late" to do, precisely, is left to the reader's imagination. Chopin suggests that all marriages, even the kindest ones, are inherently oppressive. Louise, who readily admits that her husband was kind and loving, nonetheless feels joy when she believes that he has died. Her reaction doesn’t suggest any malice, and Louise knows that she’ll cry at Brently’s funeral. However, despite the love between husband and wife, Louise views Brently’s death as a release from oppression. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin employs specific structural and stylistic techniques to heighten the drama of the hour. The structure Chopin has chosen for “The Story of an Hour” fits the subject matter perfectly. The story is short, made up of a series of short paragraphs, many of which consist of just two or three sentences. Likewise, the story covers only one hour in Louise Mallard’s life—from the moment she learns of her husband’s death to the moment he unexpectedly returns alive. The short, dense structure mirrors the intense hour Louise spends contemplating her new independence.
Jake S. Throughout "The Story of the Hour", the theme and structure are related in some ways. For example, the structure of how the mood goes up and down from when a woman found out that her husband died to when Louise enters and is very joyous to when the joy kills Louise. "... she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills." This shows how life is a roller coaster but being happy is what is important and ties in with the structure.
The them relates to the structure in some ways. One theme of this story is the oppressiveness of marriage. Throughout this story she is on a mental roller coaster, not knowing what to think about her husband's death. Marriage is also a roller coaster with its ups and downs. Also, when she dies of heart disease the doctors state, "of joy that kills." However, the reader does know that she died because of the dissapointment that her husbands return brought on her. She had the chance to be free and to be an independent women. Marriage was retricted her of these freedoms. They restricted her so much that she died because of it.This is how the theme and the structure connect. Joe R
By utilizing short, choppy paragraphs, Chopin only adds to the overall intense, dramatic nature of "The Story of an Hour." Because the story is only about an hour of Louise Mallard's life, the structure mirrors the frantic emotions she feels during that time. The story is short yet powerful; it shows how much one's life can change in an hour. Chopin wastes no time with back stories or flashbacks; every sentence moves the story forward. Chopin drops hints in the beginning of the story that then relate to the ending, creating a "circle" effect. Also, the rhetorical nature of the story adds to the overall power of it. For example, in the story, it states "She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday that she had thought with a shudder that life might be long," referring to Louise's thoughts and actions in her new found predicament. This shows just how much Louise's life had changed in an hour. Skylar S.
Jared C. Period: 2 The structure of the story has a profound effect on the overall theme. The theme of the story is how individual freedom is given up and restricted by marriage, especially in the 1800's. Ms. Louise has many changes in emotion as the story progresses. At first she is distraught, "She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment.", and further on she was happy, "Free!". She was sad of her husband's death but overjoyed at the prospect of finally being free. The small-paragraph structure shows how much she changes emotion and allows the reader to separate when she is and isn't feeling a certain way. Again, in the end, she finds out her husband is alive and dies in shock and sadness. The structure added another layer of emotion to the plot and theme.
The author masterfully uses the structure of her story to enhance the overall theme. The story begins in a very somber tone that presents the reader with a feeling of lethargy. The low energy helps to communicate the exhaustion that one feels when in a failing relationship. Upon the woman discovering that her husband has died, the story takes on a sad and mournful tone as she retreats to her room to mourn. Her mourning is interrupted as she begins to acknowledge the new found sense of freedom that she has gained with the passing of her spouse. Ecstatic, the woman begin the exclaim "Free! Body and soul free!" as she revels in her liberation. The high energy, happy tone helps the reader to realize the joy that comes with freedom and the oppression that comes with a relationship. The happy tone takes a quick turn as the woman discovers that her husband is alive and then promptly dies thus, further emphasizing the the burden that comes with having a relationship.
"The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin is a story which relates its paradigm to the emotions of its protagonist. This is no surprise because in any well written story, there must be a peak of emotional investment at the climax, followed by a falling action and a resolution. In "The Story of An Hour", Josephine breaking the news to Mrs. Mallard serves as exposition, Mrs. Mallard's sudden rush of joy due to her new found independence serves as the rising action, and Mrs. Mallard having a heart attack after witnessing Mr. Mallard enter the house serves as the climax. Chopin gradually gains momentum as she describes, "But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air..." Chopin puts a great portion of the story in the rising action, only to have no falling action and an ironic doctor's diagnosis as resolution. In a way, its just like how Mrs. Mallard is uplifted and then abruptly brought down, dropping dead from the horror. Chopin's style is quite effective for it makes for a better reading. Dan Lalor P 2
MaryColleen
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the story. I thought it was structured well. My emotions while reading it elevated and deflated exactly where I believe they were supposed to. When a tragic event happens in a story, the author will use symbolism to emphasize his or her point. But in this story, when the wife is informed her husband has died and she moves to her room, "There was patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that has met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window." (pg.1) This signifies hope. If the author wanted to let the reader know it was a gloomy scene, he or she would've set it as a gray sky or something foreboding. I believe that there were a couple different themes throughout the story. But the main one was the oppression of marriage, I believe, Marriage is the joint unity of a couple. But people tend to use it as an excuse to control the other person, especially in the past. In the traditional vows of the older years a woman had to promise to be faithful, take care of them in sickness or in health, and to never leave them. The man however only had to promise to be a good husband. Many men were expected to "control" their wives and some men took this a little too far. Can we blame Louise for being happy when she realizes she doesn't have to be controlled anymore? But the bitter ending is an unforgettable one, and it changes the whole feeling of the story.
While reading "The Story of the Hour," I could not help but to notice how the structure and the theme were linked. The story starts on very somber note, with the reader receiving the information that a woman, presumably later in life, having to hear that her husband has died. To add to this already weighted moment, the woman has heart troubles and her family fears that this news will cause a great deal of damage to her. The author continues on this somber note and brings the character, Louise, into a room. In this room, Louise grieves, but then also feels a strong sense of self assertion. Louise repeatedly whispers, "Free! Body and soul free!" her sense of joy and happiness shines through, and the reader becomes happy with her. However, the author then cuts this feeling short when she writes that this joy is in fact what would kill Louise, "... she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills." This fluctuating structure of bringing the reader from sadness to joy back to a depressed state to finally happiness that Louise did in fact die from joy ties with her theme; life has its ups and downs, highs and lows, but in the end, being happy is all that matters. This style of writing was odd to me at first, but after taking a step back and reevaluating the story, I found it to be a very interesting way of writing that I did in fact enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThroughout "The Story of the Hour", I noticed that their was a close relationship between the structure, and the theme. As the story begins with tragic news, you can really feel for the women who is trying to get over a significant loss. As the story rolls on we learn that her husband isn't dead. As the women is facing heart troubles her husband returns home after a long time away. He is shocked to see his family and friends so somber and depressed. " He stood amazed at Josephine's piercing cry; at Richards' quick motion to scree him from the view of his wife. When the doctors came they said she died of heart disease, of the joy that kills." Throughout the story you can see how the structure and theme are connected and intertwined.
ReplyDeleteCaroline M. 2
ReplyDeleteChopin's whole writing style in this story is kind of a tease. She forces the reader to fill in the blanks. Consider, for example, the way she describes the end of the story. Mrs. Mallard is coming down the stairs when her husband, who is supposed to be dead, walks in; the couple's friend Richards tries to move between them to keep her from sustaining a potentially deadly shock. The narrator simply says, "But Richards was too late" (22). What Richards is "too late" to do, precisely, is left to the reader's imagination. Chopin suggests that all marriages, even the kindest ones, are inherently oppressive. Louise, who readily admits that her husband was kind and loving, nonetheless feels joy when she believes that he has died. Her reaction doesn’t suggest any malice, and Louise knows that she’ll cry at Brently’s funeral. However, despite the love between husband and wife, Louise views Brently’s death as a release from oppression. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin employs specific structural and stylistic techniques to heighten the drama of the hour. The structure Chopin has chosen for “The Story of an Hour” fits the subject matter perfectly. The story is short, made up of a series of short paragraphs, many of which consist of just two or three sentences. Likewise, the story covers only one hour in Louise Mallard’s life—from the moment she learns of her husband’s death to the moment he unexpectedly returns alive. The short, dense structure mirrors the intense hour Louise spends contemplating her new independence.
Jake S.
ReplyDeleteThroughout "The Story of the Hour", the theme and structure are related in some ways. For example, the structure of how the mood goes up and down from when a woman found out that her husband died to when Louise enters and is very joyous to when the joy kills Louise. "... she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills." This shows how life is a roller coaster but being happy is what is important and ties in with the structure.
The them relates to the structure in some ways. One theme of this story is the oppressiveness of marriage. Throughout this story she is on a mental roller coaster, not knowing what to think about her husband's death. Marriage is also a roller coaster with its ups and downs. Also, when she dies of heart disease the doctors state, "of joy that kills." However, the reader does know that she died because of the dissapointment that her husbands return brought on her. She had the chance to be free and to be an independent women. Marriage was retricted her of these freedoms. They restricted her so much that she died because of it.This is how the theme and the structure connect.
ReplyDeleteJoe R
By utilizing short, choppy paragraphs, Chopin only adds to the overall intense, dramatic nature of "The Story of an Hour." Because the story is only about an hour of Louise Mallard's life, the structure mirrors the frantic emotions she feels during that time. The story is short yet powerful; it shows how much one's life can change in an hour. Chopin wastes no time with back stories or flashbacks; every sentence moves the story forward. Chopin drops hints in the beginning of the story that then relate to the ending, creating a "circle" effect. Also, the rhetorical nature of the story adds to the overall power of it. For example, in the story, it states "She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday that she had thought with a shudder that life might be long," referring to Louise's thoughts and actions in her new found predicament. This shows just how much Louise's life had changed in an
ReplyDeletehour.
Skylar S.
Jared C. Period: 2
ReplyDeleteThe structure of the story has a profound effect on the overall theme. The theme of the story is how individual freedom is given up and restricted by marriage, especially in the 1800's. Ms. Louise has many changes in emotion as the story progresses. At first she is distraught, "She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment.", and further on she was happy, "Free!". She was sad of her husband's death but overjoyed at the prospect of finally being free. The small-paragraph structure shows how much she changes emotion and allows the reader to separate when she is and isn't feeling a certain way. Again, in the end, she finds out her husband is alive and dies in shock and sadness. The structure added another layer of emotion to the plot and theme.
The author masterfully uses the structure of her story to enhance the overall theme. The story begins in a very somber tone that presents the reader with a feeling of lethargy. The low energy helps to communicate the exhaustion that one feels when in a failing relationship. Upon the woman discovering that her husband has died, the story takes on a sad and mournful tone as she retreats to her room to mourn. Her mourning is interrupted as she begins to acknowledge the new found sense of freedom that she has gained with the passing of her spouse. Ecstatic, the woman begin the exclaim "Free! Body and soul free!" as she revels in her liberation. The high energy, happy tone helps the reader to realize the joy that comes with freedom and the oppression that comes with a relationship. The happy tone takes a quick turn as the woman discovers that her husband is alive and then promptly dies thus, further emphasizing the the burden that comes with having a relationship.
ReplyDeleteWest
Period2
"The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin is a story which relates its paradigm to the emotions of its protagonist. This is no surprise because in any well written story, there must be a peak of emotional investment at the climax, followed by a falling action and a resolution. In "The Story of An Hour", Josephine breaking the news to Mrs. Mallard serves as exposition, Mrs. Mallard's sudden rush of joy due to her new found independence serves as the rising action, and Mrs. Mallard having a heart attack after witnessing Mr. Mallard enter the house serves as the climax. Chopin gradually gains momentum as she describes, "But she felt it, creeping out of the sky,
ReplyDeletereaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air..."
Chopin puts a great portion of the story in the rising action, only to have no falling action and an ironic doctor's diagnosis as resolution. In a way, its just like how Mrs. Mallard is uplifted and then abruptly brought down, dropping dead from the horror.
Chopin's style is quite effective for it makes for a better reading.
Dan Lalor
P 2