The Story of an Hour

Summary: This essay shows how the main character, Louise Malard, experiences a change of perception in her life in the novel "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin.

In the short story "The Story of an Hour," writer Kate Chopin shows how the main character, Louise Mallard, experiences a change in perception of her life. Throughout Louise's life, she has always been living in the shadow of her husband. She has never been able to decide for herself, and she has always been a slave to her own house. Chopin shows how Louise comes to realize these `downfalls' of he life and how she envisions her future before everything turns disastrous in the end.

Mrs. Mallard (Louise) has always lived in the shadow of her great husband, Brently Mallard. He is clearly an important figure in the community, as upon the news of a railroad disaster, "Brently Mallard's name [lead] the list of `killed' " (The Story of an Hour, para. 2). This does not allow her to be herself. She will always be the wife of Brently...