Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Story of an Hour: Kate Chopin
Is it just me or was that mean to be a funny story? Maybe it was the irony that was so funny to me, but as soon as I was through with the reading, I began to cackle. Not chuckle. Cackle. Like a banshee. I mean honestly, death was the means to her freedom no matter what. Had her husband died, she would have been free. And when she died, she freed herself from the constraints of her life and marriage. Kudos.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You're right about the ironies, there, since "freedom" from the constraints and oppressions of Victorian society only seem possible through death. See also the "eng 40 short fiction" blog on this story (in "previous blogs") and my comments there and on others' blogs as noted in that comment.
ReplyDeleteYour right, the irony of this story is a little bit funny. Although I'm not sure what a cackle is, I did laugh a little bit. I thought the last line ,"of joy that kills", was clever choice of words to end the story.
ReplyDelete"I'm not sure what a cackle is, I did laugh a little bit." Cackle = a sinister laugh, like that of the wicked witch of the west. And I agree with you GoGirl, I found it to be quite fitting for her to die at the end as well. At no point in the story does it imply that her husband was a bad guy at all. In fact, just the opposite. Although the story was written in a time of feminine empowerment, I say "Good Riddens" to the woman who wished her hard working husband dead. He build railroads for a living - not the easiest of jobs.
ReplyDeleteYes the irony of the story was quite funny, but no matter how miserable a person may be, the happiness a person could feel when a person, your spouse especially dies, is just very wrong!
ReplyDeleteGood discussion--but keep one thing in mind: it's not that Mrs. Mallard wished her husband dead, or that she was happy that he died--look carefully at the story's development, as noted in descriptions of Mrs. Mallard, the story's imagery, etc. What enlivens her is her new found sense of self--that's something we all need...
ReplyDelete