The Story of an Hour is a very short story by Kate Chopin, first published in Vogue in 1894. Louise Mallard, who has a weak heart, is told that her husband has been killed in a railway accident. Alone in her room, she discovers, to her own surprise, an overwhelming sense of freedom. The story's ending is famous for its irony.
The story
Louise's sister and her husband's friend break the news gently. Louise weeps, then goes up to her room alone.
Looking at the spring sky, she feels a strange emotion rising: the joy of a life that will belong only to her.
A woman's freedom
Chopin does not present the husband as cruel: the story is about marriage itself as a limit on a woman's freedom.
In a few pages, it captures a whole inner awakening, like a miniature of Chopin's novel The Awakening.
The ending
The last lines bring a sudden reversal, and the doctors' explanation of what happens is deeply ironic.
The story is one of the most taught short stories in American schools and universities.
Anecdotes
Originally The Dream of an Hour
The story was first published under the title The Dream of an Hour, in Vogue in December 1894.
A thousand words
The story is only about a thousand words long, yet it is often studied as a model of compression in short fiction.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Louise Mallard?
A woman told that her husband has died.
Where was the story first published?
In Vogue, in 1894.
What does Louise feel alone in her room?
An overwhelming sense of freedom.