The Plot Diagram of "The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin

Ngoc Thu Tat

The Plot Diagram of

"The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin

One Literary Device :

Metaphor

+ An example of a literary device within the short story

+ 5 passages of text w/ annotations

Climax

" No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window..."

Mrs. Mallard looks at her own reflection and finds a different pair of eyes. She senses an abnormal feeling coming to her. Through her grieving, she realizes her freedom. Freedom from her marriage, freedom from her "womanly" duties."...'free, free, free!'..pluses beat fast..coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body." She could make her own decisions. No one would stop her actions. Mrs. Mallard then, began to imagine what life would soon give her. "'Free! Body and soul free!'"

The term "elixir of life" is associated with positive feelings such as the feel of immortality or power over death. What Mrs. Mallard feels is joy. Pure joy like she has been granted a new life, full of possibilities that she has never imagined before. There is no such thing as an elixir of life, but it is as if she had gone through a sense of renewal.

5 Passages Of Text w/ Annotations

"..roomy armchair... Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body...

Her body must have dealt with all the oppression that Mrs. Mallard experienced. She never realized that she was this tired. Unconsciously, her body knows that she is now free.

E

'...when a sob came up into her throat and shook her..."

A personification of a sob. She is shocked of the news which led the sob to "choke" her.

LD

"...approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will- as powerless as her two white slender hands..."

Describes her inability to be able to rise up against dominant beings. She's not able to fight for her own opinion, mentally afraid and physically less fit.

E

"There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself..."

THE FALLING ACTIONS

She'd never gotten to make her own choices. It was only her husband's word that led her life. With him out of the picture, she has all the descion power.

E

"Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her...breathed a quick prayer that life might be long...only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long...

After Mrs. Mallard comes down to the conclusion, Josephine is coaxing her sister out of her room. Her sister worries for Mrs. Mallard's health while what Mrs. Mallard is actually feeling is the after effects of drinking an "..elixir of life..". Still thinking about her future life without her husband, she opened her door to her sister. As they descended down the stairs, Mrs. Mallard carried herself as a "goddess of Victory"

When her husband was still "alive", she was not able to do anything. Plus, with her heart condition, she probably stayed indoors a lot. After gaining her freedom, she wanted to explore the world of its experiences. Mrs. Mallard never got to do anything. She saw the world as a new life instead of the prison she as in when her husband was still there.

C

The RISING ACTIONS

Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband's death from Josephine. She burst out crying uncontrollably surrounded by her sister's arms. Tears dried, she closeted herself in her room. Mrs. Mallard sat down at her window and looked out into the world. She saw things she never noticed, "The delicious breath of rain...notes of a distant song...countless sparrows were twittering...patches of blue sky showing here and there.."

ReSOLUTION

At the bottom of the stairs, was Richard. The door rattled and opened to Mr. Mallard. They were far way from the accident and did not know of the disaster. Josephine screamed, Richard tried to block Mr. Mallard's view of his wife. Mrs. Mallard had died due to her heart disease. Doctors said, "she died of heart disease - of joy that kills" thinking that Mrs. Mallard was so overjoyed to see Mr. Mallard that her heart could not take it. But it was the realization of her freedom was taken when she saw her husband caused her to die.

Exposition

In "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, we were introduced to Mr. Mallard, Mrs. Mallard, her sister Josephine, and Mr. Mallard's friend, Richard. Mrs. Mallard suffers from a heart condition therefore people around her treated her gently. Josephine had come to her with shocking news. Josephine tries to comfort Mrs. Mallard, concerned that her weak heart would not take the stress.