Perspectives

Literary perspective

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin was published in 1894. “The Story of an Hour” belongs to the literary movement called Realism. One of the features of Realism is the focus on realistic feelings and issues. Louise Mallard is a good example of this, as she struggles with an unhappy marriage with an unequal power relationship. Realist literature also focuses on describing the inner conflicts of the characters. After finding out that her husband is dead, Louise initially struggles to fight the feeling of joy, but soon allows herself to dream of a better future. 

Although Chopin began writing before the feminist movement in literature began (and did not want to call herself a feminist), some critics consider her works a forerunner of feminist literature. In “The Story of an Hour”, Louise Mallard is a woman who beings to see the joy of being a widow, as this opens up a lifetime filled with possibilities for...