Plot and Irony Analysis of the story of an hour
Abstract: Kate Chopin is the most important woman writer in America during 19 century. A story of an hour is the high-quality one among her short story. The most important writing skill in the story is irony. In this paper, through analysis the irony skill in the story to resolute how the author expression the ignore to the value of woman and bound of the freedom of woman by the means of artistic expression of irony and so on.
Key words: irony self-awareness an story of an hour Outline: part 1:what is the irony Part 2: Plot analysis of the story Part 3: irony analysis of the story
Part 4: setting and characterization analysis of the story What is irony?
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions. There is presently no accepted method for textually indicating irony, though an irony (punctuation) mark has been proposed. In the 1580's Henry Denham introduced a rhetorical question mark or percontation point which looks like a reversed question mark. This mark was also proposed by the French poet Marcel Bernhardt at the end of the 19th century to indicate irony or sarcasm.
Ironic statements (verbal irony) are statements that imply a meaning in opposition to their literal meaning. A situation is often said to be ironic (situational irony) if the actions taken have an effect exactly opposite from what was intended. The discordance of verbal irony may be deliberately created as a means of communication (as in art or rhetoric). Descriptions or depictions of situational irony, whether in fiction or in non-fiction, serves the communicative function of sharpening or highlighting certain discordant features of reality. Verbal and situational irony are often used for emphasis in the assertion of a truth. The ironic form of simile, used in sarcasm, and some forms of litotes emphasize one's meaning by the deliberate use of
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language which states the opposite of the truth — or drastically and obviously understates a factual connection.
Plot of the story
The short story describes the series of emotions Louise Mallard endures after hearing of the death of her husband, who was believed to have died in a railroad disaster. Mrs. Mallard suffers from heart problems and therefore her sister attempts to inform her of the horrific news in a gentle way. Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her room to immediately mourn the loss of her husband. However, she begins to feel an unexpected sense of exhilaration. \what she believes is a benefit of his death. At the end of the story, it is made known that her husband was not involved in the railroad disaster and upon his return home Mrs. Mallard suddenly dies. The cause of her death is ambiguous and left for analysis as it can range from her known heart problems to psychological factors. We can ask ourselves if the real reason for the death was knowing that she wouldn't be free after she sees that her husband isn't really dead.
Initial Situation
Mrs. Mallard has a weak heart
This is the setup we need to know for all the events to come, as well as being a piece of characterization. The fact that Mrs. Mallard has a weak heart changes the way everybody has to behave to her. She has to be handled gently so that her heart doesn't get a shock. Just in case we forget, should she get a shock at any point, she could die. This results in instant and constant dramatic tension.
Conflict
Mr. Mallard dies and Mrs. Mallard’s friends have to break the news to her gently.
Not only has her husband died, Mrs. Mallard could very well die too upon hearing the news. His death puts them both in danger. Mrs. Mallard's friends have to take special care in letting her know what happened so that she doesn't die also.
Complication
Mrs. Mallard mourns and tries to deal with her unusual feelings.
In the case of this story, the complication stage itself embodies the idea of complicated. We'll explain: Mrs. Mallard complicates the traditional or expected reaction of a widow to a husband's death by reacting in a totally unusual way. Instead of refusing to believe the news or take it in, she
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instantly grasps it and cries her eyes out, before going off to be alone. All this is meant to show us that she's an unusual widow, and it prepares us for the climax to follow.
Climax
Mrs. Mallard declares that she is free.
Mrs. Mallard struggles with her grief, and then also struggles with a piece of new knowledge coming at her. She tries to avoid it, but can't completely push it off. Finally, she succumbs to the realization that she is free, and that she's glad. After the tragedy of hearing such bad news, and managing such changing emotions of grief and abandonment, Mrs. Mallard is so overwhelmed by her feeling of freedom that she can barely whisper.
Suspense
Mrs. Mallard comes out of her room, meets her sister, and starts to go down the stairs. Mrs. Mallard floats out of her room on the crest of Victory, feeling like she's conquered her sadness, her non-sadness, and her new desire for freedom. She sweeps out of her room like a new person, stronger for her grief, and excited about her life ahead. She's almost high with all the emotion and adrenaline floating about her as she keeps fixating on the idea that she's free at last.
Denouement(Resolution)
Mrs. Mallard walks in, far from dead, shocking everyone.
Suddenly, a totally unexpected thing happens: Mr. Mallard comes home. Everyone's shocked, except Mr. Mallard, who has no idea of what's been going on. Even though Josephine and Richards are surprised too, they try to keep Mrs. Mallard from receiving the shock. But they can't. As if getting a shock wouldn't be hard enough on her heart, she's got all these emotions and excitement about freedom running through her body.
Conclusion
Mrs. Mallard died of joy.
We readers have to piece together the fact that Mrs. Mallard has died based on what we know about her (the weak heart), her shock on seeing Mr. Mallard, and the narrator's dry statement that Richards couldn't prevent her new shock. Between that and the doctors' explanation for her death, we realize that Mrs. Mallard has passed away. Unlike her husband's death in the train accident, there's no room for error or miscommunication there. She can't return. The events foreshadowed in the \
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Plot-and-Irony-Analysis-of-the-story-of-an-hour
