Winter 2019 ENG1120L Essay: The Story of an Hour & Self-hood

This essay delves into Kate Chopin's short story, 'The Story of an Hour,' exploring the intricate connections between familial bonds and the concept of self-hood. The author examines the relationships within the Mallard family, particularly focusing on the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, and her reactions to her husband's supposed death. The essay analyzes how these relationships, including those with her sister Josephine and her husband Brently Mallard, shape her emotional journey and impact her sense of self. It investigates the themes of oppression, freedom, and the societal constraints faced by women during the time the story was written, highlighting how Mrs. Mallard's perception of her identity shifts in response to her circumstances. The essay concludes by emphasizing the significance of familial bonds and self-hood in shaping individual experiences and identities, showcasing how Chopin's narrative explores these complex dynamics. The essay uses textual evidence and secondary sources to support its arguments and provides a comprehensive analysis of the story's themes and characters.

Running head: THE STORY OF AN HOUR BY KATE CHOPIN
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1THE STORY OF AN HOUR BY KATE CHOPIN
Kate Chopin was an American author who was known to write several short stories as
well as novels. She was considered by many to be one of the earliest writers who had paved
the way for the feminist writings to be written by other American authors in the 20th and the
21st century. Her short stories as well as the novels that she wrote were set in Natchitoches in
Louisiana where she herself used to reside. The Story of an Hour is said to be one of the best
novels to be written by the author. She was recognized as one of the leading American
writers of all times after her death. Indeed the stories and the novels that she are considered to
be the best that she has written during her time.
The purpose of this essay is to determine the family bonds and the self-hood and
how these are connected to the larger identity of family, tribe or nation in the story The
Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin.
In the short story written by author Kate Chopin, the author has talked about the
familial bond that exists between the members of the family. In the story itself, this familial
bond between the characters is what has been explored by the author herself. Through the
interactions of the characters of the short story, the author shows how the bonds among the
family members can work together in consoling a family member when he/she loses a loved
one and is suffering from a disease himself. This is exactly what is happening in the story to
the character of the protagonist Mrs. Mallard, when she hears about the apparent death of her
husband in a train accident.
As stated by Chopin (2019), it can be stated that the author has used the story to draw
the relationships that are used and how these relationship as well as the familial bonds. This
can be seen in the relationship that is shared by the protagonist of the story Mrs. Mallard with
her husband Brenty Mallard. It is because of the love and relationship shared by both of them
that the members of her family are really reluctant to inform the protagonist about her

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husband’s death. As stated by Chopin (2019), this is because Mrs. Mallard herself suffers
from a heart disease and it would be difficult to reveal the actual news to her because nobody
was sure how she would react to the news of her husband’s death. The story gives such ideas
to the readers that perhaps the author has used the character of the protagonist to describe the
situation of those times that the women themselves had to face. The author has raised
suspicion that perhaps the protagonist of the story, Mrs. Mallard had been feeling trapped by
the marriage that she was with Mr. Mallard. Although the author confirm that she did love
her husband, however, this might make the readers want to believe the fact that young Mrs.
Mallard had been forced to marry against her wishes. From this statement, it can be said that.
Mrs. Mallard might have wanted to live her life in her own terms in a free manner until she
was forced to marry Mr. Mallard by the society. This might be the reason why she found joy
in spite of her husband’s death as she thought she would finally be able to live her life in her
own way.
The author has used the emotional attachment and the familial bonds to explain this
concept to the readers. The author states that it is because of the emotional attachment that
the individuals become dependent on each other. It is in fact, this dependency on others that
makes an individual weep for their loved ones when that loved one passes away. The author
has shown in the novel how the concept of marriage represses women from doing the things
that they want to do and has also drawn the attention of the readers to the fact that the women
are treated with disdain in some societies after marriage and also gives the hint that perhaps
the protagonist might have been treated in such a manner for her to feel free after the death of
her husband in the story itself. This is exactly what happens to the character of Mrs. Mallard
once she realizes that her husband is no longer alive.
Familial bond has not only been shown between the characters of Mrs. Mallard with
that of her sister whose name was Josephine. In the story, It was seen that it was Mallard’s

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sister Josephine who had informed her about her husband’s death. It was also her sister who
begs her to open the door when she closes the door on her sister and starts thinking about her
husband. Finally, she realizes that her time is up and that she is going to die and she takes her
sister with her to her death (Chopin, 2019).
From this relationship between the sisters, it can be said that Josephine used to care a
lot about the protagonist which caused her to reveal the news about her husband’s death in
such a way so that she would be able to take the shock and yet be able to survive. Her sister’s
concerns on the protagonist locking the door behind her also tells the readers of the caring
attitude that the sisters had for each other. It is this trust in her sister that caused Mrs. Mallard
to take her sister along with her when she was intending to commit suicide. The relationship
between them ends with Josephine unable to prevent Mrs. Mallard from committing suicide.
Thus, the familial bond has been shown not only between the sisters themselves but also with
the protagonist and her husband also. This is because it is the news of her husband’s death
that has caused the protagonist to finally die. The irony is revealed to the readers at the end of
the Mr. Mallard used to control her wife, which is why she had felt happiness once she had
learnt about her husband’s death. However, she cannot bears the shock of seeing her husband
alive and walking through the doors in to the rooms and this sadness of knowing that she will
be controlled again by her husband is what kills her. The author has used the term “joy” to
refer to the notion that the protagonist who could not gain freedom in her life will finally be
free in her death. She got what she had always wanted in her life but at the same time, it had
cost her, her life
All these factors prove the role of familial bonds and the relationship that these bonds
share with other family members like that of spouses, siblings, parents or children. Familial
bonds are the relationships that the individuals in a family shares with the rest of the family
members. Family members are the one who are emotionally attached with each other and

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plays important roles in each other lives. It is these roles that individuals play that brings the
familial bonds and the family members together (Chopin, 2019). This has been seen in case
of the family of Mrs. Mallard when all the family members and friends of the Mallards were
present on hearing the news of the death of Mr. Mallard. Josephine informing her sister about
the sad news as well as consoling her forms one of the main roles that people expects to see
in a familial bond. Hence it can be said that the familial bonds can be depicted in any kind of
relationship whether that relationship is between family members or between friends. That is
exactly what has been presented between the Mallard family in the short story.
As stated by Chopin (2019), just like the familiar bonds in the short story, the concept
of self-hood has also been expressed in the short story named The Story of an Hour by Kate
Chopin. Self-hood is explained in the actions of Mrs. Mallard after she learns about her
husband’s death. She expresses grief after learning about her husband’s death but then
realizes that she is no longer bound to any emotional attachments and is free in the world to
do whatever she wants to do. She realizes with happiness that she can do whatever she wants
to do now without anyone stopping her. This has been explained by the author in the story
with the use of the words “Free” by the protagonist herself. The readers get the idea that the
protagonist might have felt being oppressed and controlled by her husband which made it
difficult for her to lead her life in the way that she had always wanted to be. The readers get
the idea from the story itself that perhaps the married life of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard had not
been a happy one. The author has hinted in the story that perhaps Mrs. Mallard herself
wanted a bit of respect from her husband. Perhaps she might have wanted to be known more
than just by the name of Mrs. Mallard. From this fact, the readers get to know about the
concept of self-hood that the protagonist feels in the story. She knew that she would be able
to start her life once again according to the way that she wants it to be. This tells the readers
that the character of Mrs. Ballard, although suffering problems of her heart, is still an

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independent woman who wants to live her life according to her own way. Although she loved
her husband, she realized that with her husband being dead, she would finally be able to
enjoy her life in her own way. However, this wish of her remains unfulfilled as her husband
comes back home and she dies because of her heart failing (Chopin, 2019). Thus, the story
ends on a note of sadness as the readers realize that the protagonist and her self-hood remains
unfulfilled.
From the above discussions, it can be concluded that the short story named The Story
of an Hour by author Kate Chopin can be considered to be one of the best stories to be
written by the author. The author has presented the familial bonds that exist in any family as
well as the concept of self-hood that the readers experiences through the sufferings faced by
Mrs. Mallard once she gets to know about her husband’s death. Therefore, it can be said that
the story presents the sufferings of a young woman and her decisions to fulfil the wishes due
to her self-hood. Hence, it can be said that the author Kate Chopin, in the short story has
indeed expressed the concept of familial bonds and the self-hood that is so well defined in the
story itself.
Reference List
Chopin, Kate. "Commitment To Privacy". Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019,
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/hour/.

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Chopin, Kate. The story of an hour. Jimcin Recordings, 1981.