Transcendence beyond literal time and place

¶ … Setting in "The Story of an Hour"

The setting in a short story is rarely just a place where things happen. Settings can transcend space and time to illuminate the character's experience. One story that illustrates how this operates is Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." In this story, the house in which the events occur is more than a house: it is symbolic because it represents the oppression of women in the eighteenth century and it is also like a character because it is one of the few things Louise "knows" like another person. Without realizing it, she shares the depths of her soul in the house and it gives her the freedom to do so. Chopin demonstrates how a setting can develop a presence and rise above general expectations.

The house is a symbol because it represents the oppression of women in the eighteenth century. Louise is kept inside the house like a prisoner or child. Brently uses a latchkey when he comes home from work, so she could never leave even if she had to for an emergency. Her room is also significant because this is where she runs when she hears of Brently's death. In her room with no one watching, she keeps repeating "free, free, free!" (Chopin 636) because she sees the opportunity before her. With Brently gone, she can leave the house and literally be free. In her bedroom, the "vacant stare and look of terror" (636) fell from her eyes. She was not only free from the prison of a home but she was free from an overbearing husband that wouldn't even allow her to go outside the home unless he was with her.

The house is like a character because it is the place in which Louise spends her time. She is literally locked in the house and it becomes her "protector" of sorts. It is as real as a character because it is has a type of power over Louise. She can never leave it. After hearing the news of Brently, Louise runs up to her room and "would have no one follow her" (635). The room takes on a persona as it becomes the one thing with which Louise shares her secret of freedom. Here, she can relish in the thought of being free without worrying about the disapproval of others. Here, she can express the excitement she feels when she looks outside and considers freedom as something within her grasp. This is the only place that knows her true heart and it is the only place in which she has few minutes to taste the freedom she desires. The room envelops her and allows her to this moment before her own life comes to an end.