The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin's 1894 short story “The Story of an Hour” describes the hour after Louise Mallard receives the news that her husband has died. Though at first she weeps bitterly, Louise is not entirely saddened by her husband’s death, which made the story controversial when it was first published. Through vivid imagery and profound tonal shifts, Chopin presents a complex psychological portrait of a woman reconsidering the conventional hierarchy that values love and obedience over personal freedom, particularly for women. In a moment of epiphany, Louise realizes that she cannot accept anyone else's determining the course of her life, even someone she loves. This epiphany, however, is not destined to be understood by the other characters in the story. Louise Mallard becomes a representative of all women misread by the world around them—a message emphasized by the story’s conclusion.