The difference between verbal irony and the situational irony is that verbal irony is something that is said in the opposite of what the speaker means: “I beg; open the door- you will make yourself ill. Go away. I am not making myself ill. No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window” (Chopin 570). Situational irony is where an event happens that contradicts something of similar nature. The perfect example of situational irony is when the author states “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” (Chopin 569). The quote is situational irony because she is abandoned yet in her sister's embrace. Both quotes perfectly describe each irony perfectly with the first quote being where the sister is worried her sister will make herself ill despite absorbing the elixir of life, while with the second irony was perfectly used because of the fact that the protagonist was in her sister’s arms yet deserted.
An author might use foreshadowing to set the outline of the story and to give the reader a possible heads up of what is to come. Chopin proposes foreshadowing at the beginning of the story “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard [is] afflicted with a heart trouble, great care [is] taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin 569). The protagonist having heart trouble and finding out that her husband has passed would have a great deal of stress on her heart. It is the perfect foreshadowing to outline the story since that is the very first sentence of the story casts that something with her heart will happen later. At the end of the story, she does pass away because of her heart disease.
In the current week that I was reading, the symbol that I noticed is death. Death means so much more than just someone passing away and leaving the world. The deeper meaning of death is also being released from one’s body as one might be sick, weary, or even just because of an overall sadness. Mrs. Mallard creates happiness and relief in The Story of an Hour by exclaiming “Free! Body and soul free” (Chopin 570)! She is relieved that her body and soul will be free, as she figures that she will pass soon.
The difference between tone and mood is how the author approaches the story. The tone is the way the author describes the story depending on the type of story. Chopin uses a busy tone throughout the story due to the descriptions of what the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard is experiencing “The vacant stare and the look of terror that [have] [follow] it [goes] from her eyes. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood [warms] and [relaxes] every inch of her body” (Chopin 570). The tone is very busy with how she reacts to her experience with death coming to her feet so soon. The mood is where the author uses emotion for the story and it can change with each section. Chopin adds a somber yet relaxed mood interchangeably during the story “She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her. She knew that she [will] weep again when she [sees] the kind, tender hands folded in death: the face that has never looked save with love upon her” (570). The first quote was relaxed with joy, yet the second quote was somber and quite gloomy.
The analogy I noticed when reading the story was when the protagonist Mrs. Mallard compares herself to that a sleeping child to sobs every so often “ She [sits] with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob [comes] up into her throat and [shakes’ her, as a child who has [cry] itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams” [Chopin 569]. The description of her comparing herself to being completely still yet every once and a while a sob occurs just as a child that is asleep cries in their dream. This analogy was very noticeable as it used a simile that compares two actions with different causes. The analogy also describes how Mrs. Mallard has calmed down from the devastating news of the death of her husband, but still sobs as it is still upsetting. The quote also happens to be the only analogy in the entire story so it was easy to find.
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A simile is where something is compared, while a metaphor is where something resembles something. Chopin perfectly uses a simile for Mrs. Mallard and her will to fight “She was beginning to recognize this thing that is approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will-as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been”(570). This simile shows that Mrs. Mallards' will to fight is as powerless as her slender arms and how she has no will. Even though a simile and metaphor may be similar there are many differences, a metaphor that is portrayed in Chopin’s writing is “There [is] a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she [carries] herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” (Chopin 570). This metaphor describes Mrs. Mallard coming to terms with still living despite the death of her beloved husband, and how she feels victorious for overcoming her grief and being free from the clutches of sadness.
I identified Mrs. Mallard as a strong protagonist in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. Mrs. Mallard is a strong protagonist because of how she is able to come to terms with her emotions and accept that her husband is gone and has the will to live “ Spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that [will] be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long” (Chopin 570). Even though when she first heard the news of her husband's passing and is struck with grief, she is able to overcome such strong emotions and hopes for a long life. She is also strong as she intends to seize each day and season as her own.
The antagonist also happens to be Mrs. Mallards' negative emotions, as well as her will to cease to live and embraces death: “When she [abandons] herself a little [whisper] word [escapes] her slightly parted lips. And she [opens] and spread her arms out to them in welcome” (Chopin 570). Her negative emotions made her embrace the upcoming death and left all well behind. Mrs. Mallard is at war with her inner emotions and is giving up on those said emotions as they are the obstacles, and it looks as if she will die right then and there as she is her own savior and enemy. The emotions are obstacles present the will to live as well as question if life is still worth living for.
It is extremely important to read over the plot of this story because even though the story is simple there are many things a reader could have missed. One example of something a reader could have missed if they read it once, is when Mr. Mallard is still alive but when he comes home through the door Mrs. Mallard had just passed away “He stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richard’s quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife” (Chopin 570). At first, it seems as if the reactions are from finding out he is actually alive, but it is the opposite and it is because he is alive and his wife died because of her heart. This is easily someone could interpret as a happy ending since it sounds like he is able to see his wife who is still there but, that is not the case.
A really common theme is death and the story, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin has multiple common themes, but death is the most obvious in the story as well as an internal struggle: “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard [is] afflicted with a heart trouble, great care [is] taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin 569). Right at the very beginning of the story introduces the theme of death and so the story revolves around the theme and ends with death. The other common theme that is integrated with the story is the internal struggle of Mrs. Mallard and her ability to accept that her husband is dead “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with an [paralyze] inability to accept its significance” (Chopin 569). This explains that she refused to accept his death because of being in denial and believes he is still alive.
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