The story of an hour Flashcards
‘knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble..’
heart trouble: could be a metaphor for her unhappy and restricted marriage with her husband. also foreshadows her death which is caused by a heart attack, which as classed as a heart toruble. Ironic as her husband being dead is what kept her alive.
‘great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible’ … ‘broken sentences; veiled hints..’
She is infantilised by others, implying she is seen as weak and vulnerable because of her husbands death, which is ironic as she experiences joy and happiness instead. Women were also seen as fragile and delicate in the 19th century when the poem was set.
people thought they needed to be careful around her and protective aswell as sensitive.
she did not hear the story as many women have heard the same
first indication which shows she is different to others and doesn’t fit in with the usual stereotypes. mirrors how people her to feel grief and much sadness, but we know later on that in reality, she feels joy and excitement
she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment.
wild: adjective which has connotations of being untamed and free. Also dehumanises her and portrays her as an animal, which could possibly reflect how she was treated in the marriage: Restrained and held captive. Also shows how she is losing sense of herself.
wept: showing her grief, which will eventually turn into excitement and joy
storm of grief
metaphor for her grief, which is shortlived and quick, like a storm. Implies her grief will pass by quickly
There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair
window: symbol of freedom from husband’s death - new life, possibility. you can see the outside from a window, but you are not actually outside which mirrors Mrs M’s freedom
she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul
metaphor of grief
hyperbole: suggests she has been tired for a long time as she’s been experiencing the fatigue of being with someone she did not love
she could see in the open square …. all aquiver with the new spring life
pathetic fallacy: calm and peaceful scene now that she’s lost her husband and is no longer in his captivity
semantic field of positivity and hope
spring has connotations of rebirth and new beginnings, impying that she can start her life over again and experience new things and freedom
there were patches of blue sky showing here and there… in the west facing her window
patches of clear sky present hope and optimism. blue sky has connotations of strength and peace and hopefullness
sky symbolises hope and calrity
west facing her window suggests new beginnings/ awareness of the outside
a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams
similie: Shows her vulnerability and helplessness. suggests husband was controlling and infantilised her. her marriage was the cause of her unhappiness and it wore her down
there was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was… But she felt it creeping out of the sky
feeling of freedom described like a beast
rhetorical question: joy and freedom - comes in widowhood rather than marriage
repetition of ‘it’ builds suspense as we and Mrs M doesn’t know what ‘it’ is - vague, builds tension and suspense
monstrous joy
oxymoron: Internal conflict. feels happy but realises that she shoudln’t be, but still is.
“free, free, free ! “
moment of epiphany
exclamatory: emphasises the excitement of her freedom
repetition: emphases repressive nature of marriage
through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air
tricolon: powerful, sensory language which shows her excitement at the promise of independence
‘There would be no one…’
‘There would be no one…’
anaphora: shouldn’t be happy but is, emphasies the lack of restrictions she has now. complexity of emotion