In "The Story of An Hour", Kate Chopin makes use of the setting, symbols, as well as her choice of words to show the realization and change in perception of the main character. The main character, Mrs. Mallard is informed that her husband, Brently Mallard has been killed in a railroad disaster. Upon hearing of his death she undergoes many changes of the way she looks at life and the way she wants to live the rest of hers. The staircase in the Mallard house, the open window in the bedroom, the blue sky breaking through the clouds, and the signs of new life seen and heard from the bedroom window are all signs of the new life Mrs. Mallard has been given. .
When the story opens, the characters are on the main floor of the Mallard household. Mrs. Mallard's sister Josephine gives her the news of her husband's death gently since it is a known fact that Mrs. Mallard has heart trouble. After the initial shock of the news, she goes upstairs to be alone. Hearing the news about her husband did not affect her in the way anticipated. Once she is upstairs she begins to feel a change, but doesn't quite know what it is. By the time her sister Josephine comes to check on her she feels free and full of life. She now "breathed a quick prayer that life might be long"(883). She now believed her life was her own. This is also shown when Josephine refers to her sister as Louise and not Mrs. Mallard. At the beginning of the story when she is downstairs she is known by her husband's name. This is evidence that her life was not her own. When her husband was alive she was just a part of him, and referred to by his name. While upstairs, Josephine calls her sister by her own name, Louise. This is a sign that her life is now her own and she is no longer just the wife of Brently Mallard, but her own person. As Louise and Josephine go back downstairs, they are returning back to Louise's old life. While they are walking down the stairs to return to the main floor, the front door opens and in walks Mr.