Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

¶ … Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin

Deconstructing the meaning of "death" in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"

As a method of literary analysis, deconstruction seeks to generate layers of meanings that are both latent and manifest within a literary work. More often, it is through deconstruction that leads the reader to identify a specific theme found in a work. Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" provides symbolic meanings that provide the readers with awareness about the state of gender equality that was yet to be fully recognized in Chopin's society (during the 19th century).

In this paper, the researcher seeks to create a literary analysis using the method of deconstruction, wherein a particularly striking word found within the literary text was taken, and themes and discussion of the word's relation to the story and its characters are generated. One primary emergent theme that prevails throughout the story is the author's concept of freedom, taken from the points-of-view of Chopin as well as the main character, Louise Mallard. However, despite the prevalence of this theme, the researcher decided to choose a word that is significant, yet subtly given importance to both the characters and the context in which the story was written.

Thus, the word "death" is chosen as the point of analysis and discussion in this paper. The primary objective of this deconstruction analysis is to determine how the signifier, which is the word "death," paves the way for the creation of themes that would best describe the purpose of the author (Chopin) in writing "The Story of an Hour." In the texts that follow, both figurative and literary meanings of death are given, in relation to the characters and plot of the story.

In this analysis, the researcher posits that the signifier (death) provides an alternative avenue for Chopin to subtly express her disagreement, even protest, on the persistence of inequality between males and females in 19th century Western society.

One literary meaning given to death is "end of something," which, in human society, meant the end of life. Indeed, the signifier was signified in the story initially by Brently Mallard, Louise's husband who was allegedly included in the list of railroad workers who had an accident. Death in relation to Brently was manifested in the word "killed," which also marked the beginning of Louise's 'rebirth' as an individual, a point that will be discussed in analyzing the signifier's figurative meanings.

Death was also signified by Louise. As the primary character of the story, she had experienced the real death, where at the end of the story, she ended up having an attack that left her dead. Brently, who was purportedly dead, was in fact alive; Louise, ironically, had met death upon learning that her husband was still alive.

Relationships between Louise and Brently emerged if their deaths, true or not, were studied in the context of the story. Since the story was created using a feminist paradigm, the death of man, as shown in Brently's being killed in a railroad accident, was actually the beginning of the woman's birth, as symbolically described in Louise's new resolve to life a brand new life -- single and without a husband to subjugate her. Moreover, death signifies life, as shown in Louise's new appreciation of her life as she has experienced freedom from her husband and the bondage of being married and a woman.

Thus, at the literal level, death's meaning is associated with positive concepts such as freedom and life, primarily because this was when Louise was at her happiest self. The death of her husband allowed her to reclaim her freedom, while her own death meant freedom once more to an even greater bondage -- the limits that society puts against women, which was especially more difficult when the woman is also married, as in the case of Louise.

Figurative meaning embedded in the word death is the end of patriarchy. This is a strong and very serious issue that Chopin creatively disguises through the characters of Brently and Louise in "Story." Brently's death led to Louise's freedom, which tells the reader that it is only with the 'death' -- literal death of men -- that women can truly be themselves, be free from any limits or following discriminating norms of the society. His death may also mean that it is only when men are 'under the earth,' an imagery of death, that women can be free and be happy. Notice that the imagery, 'under the earth' is also synonymous with the meaning of being subjugated, wherein one is put under someone's control involuntarily. Thus, it is in death that one achieves freedom, and the other, subjugation or passiveness (a characteristic of death).