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the story of an hour


The theme of the story is the irony of fate and how life can take unpredictable turns. .
             The author infers that Mrs. Mallard was not happily married with her husband by using some ironic symbols. In the story, Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard as having "a heart trouble,"" (Chopin 261). Her use of the article, "a- shows that it is not just heart trouble, but another type of heart trouble. This is obviously trouble she has in her heart with her husband. The irony of this is that in the end, she actually dies of heart disease, but really it is also the other kind of heart trouble that kills her, as well. She dies because she is troubled that her husband is still alive. Another ironic symbol that shows Mrs. Mallard's unhappiness is, "when the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone,"" (Chopin 261). The "storm of grief- is an ironic inference to how Mrs. Mallard really feels. It is not like a "storm of grief- at all. She is exuberant about the life she is going to have without him. In another way, Chopin makes a statement of irony when she writes, ".as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams,"" (Chopin 262). The comparison to the way Mrs. Mallard is crying to a child sobbing in its dreams ironically and subtly shows that Mrs. Mallard is crying because one of her dreams has been fulfilled. All of these elements of irony show how Mrs. Mallard really felt about her husband's death, and give an understanding to the story's theme of ironic fate. .
             Throughout the story, Chopin gives subtle, ironic clues that describe Mrs. Mallard's condition and provide a foreshadowing for things to come. Not only was the heart condition mentioned, but Mrs. Mallard is described as being, "pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul,"" (Chopin 261). Going along with the story, this statement looks as though it is merely describing the weight upon her after the news of her husband's death.


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