For August 14, 2015
The Story of an Hour
Characters:
Mrs. Louise Mallard:A young, attractive woman
and the wife of Brently Mallard who was reported to be dead. When Louise hears this
news, she is secretly happy because she is now free. She is filled with a new
lust for life, and although she usually loved her husband, she cherishes her
newfound independence even more. She has a heart attack when her husband, alive
after all, comes home.
Brently Mallard:Mrs. Mallard's husband
and was supposedly killed in a train accident. Brently arrives home unaware
that there had been a train accident.
Josephine: Mrs. Mallard's
sister. Josephine informs Louise about Brently’s death.
Richards: Friend of Brently
Mallard. Richards learns about the train accident and Brently’s death at
the newspaper office, and he is there when Josephine tells the news to Louise.
Setting:
The
action takes place in a single hour .
Plot:
Introduction
Mrs.
Mallard has a weak heart and so he was given a great care as gently as
possible.
Conflict
Mr.
Mallard dies and Mrs. Mallard's friends have to break the news to her gently.
And so they need to take special care in letting her know what happened so that
she doesn't die also.
Climax
Mrs.
Mallard declares that she is free.
Mrs.
Mallard struggles with her grief, and then also struggles with a piece of new
knowledge coming at her. She tries to avoid it, but can't completely push it
off. Finally, she succumbs to the realization that she is free, and that she's
glad. After the tragedy of hearing such bad news, and managing such changing
emotions of grief and abandonment, Mrs. Mallard is so overwhelmed by her
feeling of freedom that she can barely whisper.
Falling action
Mrs. Mallard
comes out of her room, meets her sister, and starts to go down the stairs. She
floats out of her room on the crest of victory, feeling like she's conquered
her sadness, and her new desire for freedom. She sweeps out of her room like a
new person, stronger for her grief, and excited about her life ahead.
Denouement
Mr.
Mallard walks in, far from dead, shocking everyone. Mr. Mallard comes home.
Everyone's shocked, except Mr. Mallard, who has no idea of what's been going
on. Even though Josephine and Richards are surprised too, they try to keep Mrs.
Mallard from receiving the shock.
Conclusion
Doctors
say Mrs. Mallard died of joy.
Point of view
The story uses the third person (Omniscient) point of view.
Theme:
Women
before had no rights to choose their lives.
#creative writing
#shortstory