Literary Criticism of Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour

Literary Criticism and the Story of an Hour Literary criticism gives the reader the tools to see literature in new ways. Each type focuses on different components of the story and asks the reader to examine a given text for ques. When an analysis is performed in a given critical style, a whole new perspective of the text becomes available. Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour is an account of a marriage in the late 19th century. Mrs. Louise Mallard is identified by her marriage and she allows herself to have formed an identity based on that marital state. At a point early in the story, Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband has been killed. Instead of leading her to devastation, the thought of his death rejuvenates her. Eventually, it is revealed that Mr. Mallard is indeed alive and the discovery of this fact leaves Louise devastated and she immediately falls down dead. Her family and friends believe that the death was caused by too much happiness when she learned her husband was alive, but Chopin makes clear that this is not the case. The Story of an Hour is a rich story which lends itself well to both feminist criticism, as an example of the socially designated domination of women by men, and psychological literary criticisms, as an example of how the mind constitutes the individual self and that what a person may think to themselves can be different from what they allow to be expressed to the outside world. Feminist critics would look at this story and see it as aShow MoreRelatedKate Chopin s Literary Creativity And Women s Independence1097 Words   |  5 Pages Kate Chopin has become one of the most influential feminist writers of the century. From Chopin’s literary rejection of The Awakening, the rejection sparked a fire in Chopin’s feminist side. 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While there is an aspect of this story that is provocative, namely, that Mrs. Mallard