1. The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin

2. Main characters Mrs. Mallard Josephine Richards Brently Mallard
Wife to Brently Mallard
Main character in the story
Josephine
Friend to Mrs. Mallard
Person who tells of the “disaster”
Richards
Friend of Brently, who shares in the retelling of the news
Brently Mallard
Husband to Mrs. Mallard
According to the reports, dead in a railroad accident

3. Key events in the story:
Railroad disaster is reported
Brently Mallard heads the list of those killed
Mrs. Mallard is informed of the news by Josephine and Richards
Mrs. Mallard weeps at the news and retreats to a “Study” room
Secretly begins to see the world in a new light
“She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves”

4. Storyline…continued a. Mrs. Mallard’s retreat (continued)
ii. Physical description of Mrs. Mallard
1. “young, with a fair, calm face…”
iii. Mrs. Mallard becomes “free”
iv. Knows that she will temporarily weep later at the funeral, but that she will be forever free
1. “Free! Body and soul Free!”
v. Josephine is imploring her, in the meantime, to open the door to the study
1. Mrs. Mallard remains secretly joyous
2. When Mrs. Mallard does open the door, she does so as a victorious women

5. Storyline…continued
3. Josephine and Mrs. Mallard begin to leave the apartment
a. The door is opening, it is Brently
b. He knows not that he is presumed dead
c. Mrs. Mallard shrieks at the sight of Brently
d. She dies of “a heart disease…a joy that kills”

6. Questions: What is irony and how is it displayed in this story?
Why does Kate Chopin continually refer to Mrs. Mallard in the formal sense, not the personal sense as with the other characters?
What does Chopin/Mallard mean by “Free, free, free”
What is the imagery created by the following phrases?
How do the following examples show the irony created by Chopin in this story?
How do the following examples lead the reader in one direction and prepare the reader for the blunt, maybe tragic ending?