Kate Chopin (1850 – 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels, mostly of a Louisiana Creole background. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century.
    
     This is a disturbing story with a plot twist that gives you much food for thought.
    
     Click here to read The Story of an Hour
    
     Looking forward to discussing it with all of you.
     Cheers - Chris

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Hi Chris and all!
     A very much disturbing story indeed! Interesting to see how the true Louise finds her short-lived freedom at last ! Interesting to once more read about slavery as being related to marriage, about the murderable power ill relations entail, about the power that one person may exercise on others.
     "There would be no powerful will 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."

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Husband's death - list of killed - Head thrown back - heart complaint .. leads us to conclude that this is a a gripping tale of shock grief and sadness with lots of flowery language .. .a great read!

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Not only marriage: 'she..opened the door to her sister's importunities.'

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This is an overwhelming story with an unexpected ending that leads to deep reflection. Being a woman, I was able to empathise with Mrs. Mallard. I could understand exactly what she was feeling, her freedom, the ending of as hinted an unsatisfacoty marriage and the only possible way out. I was feeling happy for her when her husband arrives and I could feel the frustration that killed her as she sees him coming in. The communication skills of Chopin are fantastic, through her words she made me live the story . I can only say, "Thank you for this wonderful experience." I will continue reading her stories. I wish I could write like her one day.

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Hi Chris & All
    
     Thank you for suggesting this short story. It was my first "encounter" with this American author- Kate Chopin.
     As SM Thompson had highlighted, "...a gripping tale of shock grief and sadness with lots of flowery language", I also think this story is emotionally very strong,contrasting with some lighter language tones.
     We think the idea of freedom and fanciful dreams are destroyed to give place to a suffering ending. This is very painful, and makes us reflect both on life and death.
     We would like to stress these sentences: " ... she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window."; " It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long."
     In this " ...Story of an Hour" we realize a lifetime of unhappiness, oppression, which culminates in an atmosphere of "fancy destruction".

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Hi Maria and all!
     All the freedom that she breathes in that hour through that window in her bedroom is all the freedom that she can get ! Her thoughts about living for herself in the years to come an impossible dream! Why would any man or woman fall prey of a situation like this?
    
     Best
     Pilar

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Oh! this must be the top of story writing. few words, endless story: touching, imaginative creativity based on things that we feel they can happen in our real life and that are near us all the time, but told in a pleasant imaginary world -the world of literature and of the story telling.
    
     I've always enjoyed stories that are told in places like the graveyard, or loss of beloved people where happen every possible thing of love or hate, but I never expected to read a "funny" and tragic story like this...
    
     Is marriage slavery to women? Would women/men wait for their partners' death as the way out or dream of a "free" life?
    
     This story uncovers some true feelings behind a relantioship and can help us analize careful our we relate to our husbands and wives.
    
     Thanks Ruben and all,
    
     Tanguene

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In reply to Tanguene .... Marriage can be seen as slavery if the man is too dominant or the woman has no rights at all .. a relationship must be equal for both partners! Thanks for your informative message!
     SM Thompson, Southampton: UK:

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Fantastic story.So true, and I wish we were all more honest!
     Reminds me of "Birds Of Passage" by Bernice Rubens.
     Marriage has been called the " Tender trap" after all.
     Iris

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Hi Pilar & All
    
     Many thanks for your thoughts.
     As for your question, I think every man or woman
     should enjoy freedom, along with more responsibility, and live their life more respectfully each other, sharing the "pros" and "cons" of everyday. Thus, they would be more likely to keep control of things around. It would also minimize suffering, disappointments, and eventually life "traps", I think.
     Wishing you happy days within your family and at the teaching field.
    
     Maria

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not grief exactly, here there is happines more than grief but it is difficult to understand this at the first sight.
    
     when she says free, freee ,I surprised and couldnt understand then I can.
    
    
     is it how sad that marriage is like prison and in this condition death is better than marriage , isnt it
    
     now I ask u which one is right decison to go on this marriage or dying?

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Hi All,
    
     I think we should stress the point that we're living in the story telling world, as for the reality I appreciate Maria's view that we should love each other and enjoy freedom in the relantioship. But we cannot take for granted that women have been protesting against the power of men in the family relantioship, and this should be a move for a better sharing beetwen men and women. I was reading "Thus spoke eve..." by Sanguita and I saw "Eve" crying for "she" found it totally unfair to take all the blame and the punishment alone for the wrongs of the two, and "Thus she spoke"! through the eyes of the potess.
    
     The paradise should be for both men and women, children and elders... as "there are so many leaves in just one tree"!
    
     Thank you for all the lessons and sharing we have the privilege to experience by being members of this reading group.
    
     Tanguene

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In modern society marriage is popular!
     SM Thompson, Southampton: UK:

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I love the ironies embedded in Chopin's Story of an Hour and would like to incorporate it when I can in my literature syllabus. However, I found out that over the years that most of my literature students (aged 16-20) cannot appreciate the themes that come out from the discussion of this story. I can understand. Young as they are, they view marriage through rose-colored glasses, and then this story jolts them to the fact that for some women marriage is a prison. The experience may indeed be disturbing. Thanks for including this story in this discussion. With this mature group, Mrs. Mallard's actions and thoughts are understood.

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Hi Marge
    
     I think you are right. I suppose stories only hit us when you are prepared for them. Has it ever happened to you that you read a book that does not really impress you very much, and then years later you read it again it strickes you like a lightening bolt?
    
     Perhaps some years ago, Chopin's story would be one of those to me. Now after 18 years of marriage and a very happy divorce, I do undestand Mrs. Mallard!! :)
    
     Cheers - Chris

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A Happy Divorce! And a successful life ... to you all and many thanks to Chris ... it has been a challenging series .... Chopin's Story!
     SM Thompson, Southampton: UK:

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Dear Chris and Colleagues,
    
     I keep thinking that the story is spoiled by our being told about heart trouble at the beginning and heart disease at the end. I've tried to convince myself that a metaphorical reading is intended, but then it has to be a very subtle story if what is known to others as a medical condition isn't any such thing. I don't want to believe that you have to have a heart condition to die in such circumstances, as this seems to diminish the story. Tell me the heart trouble's metaphorical please.
    
     Sorry for the thought, but..
    
     Porlock

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Dear Porlock,
    
     The heart problem is not significant in the story. As Marge mentioned before, the story has ironies, and Chopin is using the heart disease as a device to introduce irony, specially towards the end of the story when "doctors said that she died of joy, of joy that kills". I think Chopin resorts to Mrs Mallard´s health problem as a sort of metaphor -to use your words. The house itself may be considered a symbol of a "prison" and when Mrs Mallards learns about the death of her husband, she starts to feel freedom. However, when she realizes that her freedom has been so sporadic, then we can interpret that the only way out of that "prison" was her own death. In sum, for me the heart problem is just a minor element.
     Thanks to everybody for your good comments! Ruben -Argentina

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Dear Porlock & Ruben
    
     In my interpretation I sliced the story in two parts:
    
     - From the beggining untill before the tragic death of Mrs. Mallard I had the impression the story wanted to raise awareness on the need of freedom women (Mrs. Mallard) have sought besides love and care in the family. This is sound if we accept the common sense that suggests women have been in desadvantage (no freedom) compared to men in a marriage.
    
     - After the death Of Mrs Mallard the chain of events breaks to another story, where I felt neither the husband nor the wife should wish malice towards each other.
    
     Then, the description of Mrs Mallard state of mind after crying a lot and in calming down she envisage a world of her own, free to choose any road ahead without free of her husband, is one of the main ironies (from many)of the story as we learn she dies, but not of shock, as we are shown she ironically dies of joy!
    
     Thank you for all this...
    
     Tanguene.
    
     PS: I wished I could attach "Thus spoke Eve" by Sanghita, one of the works that in a poetic way portray an outcry of women wanting freedom, justice, based on that both men and women were together in the beggining and this shouldn't change in the course untill we reach the end - only if I had permission.
    
     Tanguene

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Dear Tanguene
     urs is a very good post. I'll post the poem for you and for others to read it:
    
     Thus spoke Eve…
    
     I was asked not to look at the tree
     Where knowledge grew.
     The instruction to Adam was also the same.
    
     One day we both touched the tree
     Ate the fruit
     Received knowledge forbidden.
    
     Adam was banished from heaven
     I was banished too.
    
     I was given an additional punishment
     Of tremendous pain at childbirth.
    
     In sex Adam was privileged, in spite disobedience
     My pleasure followed pain.
     I obeyed you -
     I obeyed Adam -
     For his spared rib.
     For seeking the knowledge forbidden
     For seeking the knowledge for the privileged
     For leading Adam to it.
    
     We both came down to earth
     To create a world of our own
     On our own.
    
     Our world of togetherness
     Our world of partnership
     Our world of equality.
    
     With time equality changed into inequality stratified;
     Eve, the partner was turned Eve, the subordinate
    
     Adam wanted me not look at several other things
     Adam followed the norm created by you.
     I made to obey Adam since then.
    
     Eden is no longer mine
     And the world belongs to Adam.
    
     With love and regards
     Sanghita

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Dear Sanghita & All
    
     Pleasure to "see" you again here and re-read your lovely poem. We had known it from "Wordpowered".
     In "Thus Spoke Eve" we have realised that women's representative - Eve - started being portrayed as a smart woman, knowledge-thirsty, being able to share it with Adam: "For seeking the knowledge forbidden/For seeking the knowledge for the priviliged/For leading Adam to it."
     However, (and we would say ... unfortunately)
     "with time equality changed into inequality stratified; Eve, the partner, was turned Eve, the subordinate." That's here we can find a similarity with Mrs Mallard, subdued by her husband.
     Thank you so much for having posted your poem for all Readers here.
     Warmest regards,
     Maria

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hi all,
     what impresses me the most about this story is the brevity with which the words have been used. every word not only means what it means but also hints at so many things and feelings and experiences. never thought so much could be conveyed in so few words. amazing experience.
     best
     rajni

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"Thus spoke Eve" : when the only possibility of owning a life in this world fades away she seeks for freedom in Virginia Woolf s sense and death turns into an alluring way out. Yet, Mrs Mallard is not Virginia for
     Weakness is the poison that kills Mrs Mallard, she can conceive of no exit but her husband s death, the idea of leaving him never crosses her mind.
     Some bonds!
     Some upbringings!
     Some inherited beliefs may turn somebody s life into a hellish nightmare!

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I loved reading your posts about this story because it really gives us a lot to think about. And thanks a lot for sharing the poem Sanghita!
     Chris

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