Kate Chopin -- Short Fiction

Notes and Discussion Questions

"The Story of an Hour" (1894) -- Discussion Questions:

  1. Why did Chopin choose to write this story in the third person (limited to Mrs. Mallard)? What would change if the story were in the first person?

  2. Discuss the significance of the first and last paragraphs of the story.

  3. Examine the part of the story where Mrs. Mallard is upstairs alone in her room -- the 4th paragraph through the 19th paragraph. Think about the setting, especially the small details. Think about possible symbols.

  4. Examine the part of the story where Mrs. Mallard finally opens her bedroom door and descends the stairs. What does this scene suggest to you?

  5. This story seems to be structured more "traditionally" (a mostly linear plot in sequential paragraphs) with no other, obvious structural elements like extra line spaces or numbered sections. Can you discern an "internal" structure or "progression" within the story -- e.g., groups of paragraphs which belong together? If so, what is it, and why might the story be arranged in this way?

  6. With this story, what is Chopin suggesting about marriage? About love? About self? About _____? In other words, what is/are the theme(s) of the story?

"The Story of an Hour" (1894) -- Reading Notes: