The Story of An Hour

Pick out atleast five phrases which you think are especially important to the story (what you might mak on a printed text.) Briefly describe why you chose each.

1. "Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul."

• I chose this quote because it shows how this grief was so powerful that it was wearing her down, not only physically but emotionally as well. Also, I liked the way that Chopin used personification, it adds imagery to the sentence.

2. "She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when 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."

• I chose this quote because of the way that the similie helps illustrate Mrs. Mallard as this hopeless character who has no other option but to cry. The description of "her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair" gives this impression of despair and depression. Also, I thought that by this motion, it was a way of her finding comfort on the cushion of the chair, as if anything could possibly comfort her in a time like this.

3. "She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been."

• I chose this quote because of the way that Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard's heart trouble. She knows what is taking over her and yet she fights back. This gave me a notion that she is expecting her death but is not willing to give up just yet. It depicted Mallard fighting internally, within herself, to try to avoid this condition of hers from taking away her life. Eventhough, she knew it was inevitable. Overall, great diction. I like the way this foreshadows the upcoming events in the story.

4. "And yet she had loved him--sometimes."

• I chose this quote because of it being so typical to everyday women in our times. It merely shows how women preserve the love that they have for their men regardless of what ever wrongs they received from them. The word "sometimes" greatly emphasizes this concept.

5. "Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.

• I chose this quote because it added a twist to the story because it sounds as though she were claiming her victory of finally being free. Almost as if she would have been longing for this to happen. She goes from crying and feeling hopeless, to this feeling of joy and accomplishment.

What Questions about character or motivation of plot does this story leave in your mind?

1. Was Mrs. Millard happy that her husband had died?

2. Why does the story go from Mrs. Millard feeling depressed and emotionally overwhelmed with her husbands death, to feeling somewhat happy and victorious?

3. If Brently Mallard was not the one that died, then why was his name on the list of "killed"?

4. What were some things that made Mrs. Millard not love her husband at times?

5. Why does Mrs. Millard feel free?