İNGİLİZ/AMERİKAN EDEBİYATI I

She was born İn St. Louis. The correct answer is A.

Chopin had her education in a monastery for nuns “The Sacred Academy” and won medals for her exceptional work. The correct answer is B.

Naturalism is a literary movement that began to be formed through the end of the 19th century and developed in the 20th century. The idea of naturalism is driven from the Darwinian Theory that one’s character is shaped by heredity and social conditions s/he lives in and that people have little control over their lives. Naturalism focuses on and questions the conditions that lead the characters into conflict. The correct answer is C.

In the 19th century women were considered inferior to men. The basic duties of women were to look after their children, take care of the household and satisfy the needs of their husbands. They had no political and civil rights and when they married all they owned were their husband’s, and they had no control over their possessions. Moreover, the chances for education and occupation were very low which disabled them from achieving any financial and social independence. Therefore, they were brought up as a wives from childhood. There was also little chance for divorce as it was the right of men to divorce. The correct answer is E.

It is Richards, Brentley’s friend who brings the news that Brentley was killed in a railroad accident. The correct answer is B.

That Louise “sank” into a comfortable chair facing an open window, which implies her readiness for a new life and opportunities, symbolized by “the open window”, and that life is presented as comfortable, symbolized by the depiction of the chair. The correct answer is A.

A type of representation in which a writer expresses something which can be interpreted in two ways is called double entendre. The reason why Kate Chopin preferred such kind of presentation is actually lies in the norms of the society. In those times, it was not possible for women to question their roles as women, daughters and wives. The correct answer is D.

Patches of blue sky symbolize hope for the future, freedom. The correct answer is E.

Not knowing the spiritual transformation she has experienced, the doctors diagnose the reason for her death as extreme joy: “joy that kills”. This dramatic irony, a type of irony that is understood by readers but not by the characters within the story, highlights the fact that Louise died of extreme sorrow because her precious freedom lasted for only an hour. The correct answer is A.

Oxymoron: a phase that has a conflict "Monstrous joy". The correct answer is C.

When Louise enters her room, the first detail given about the room is “a comfortable, roomy armchair” in front of an open window (line 16). It is interesting that details about comfort and open window are given, normally people do not recognize such details when they are overcame by the exhaustion of death news. That Louise “sank” into a comfortable chair facing an open window, which implies her readiness for a new life and opportunities, symbolized by “the open window”, and that life is presented as comfortable, symbolized by the depiction of the chair.

The “open square before her house” symbolizes the lack of a superior authority over her will in her new life.

Clouds: Problems in marriage

Paradox: a sentence that has a conflict in it
Revealed in half-concealing
Joy that kills

While Louise is enjoying her freedom, the others in the house, namely Josephine and Richards are anxious about her. Josephine begs entrance to her room claiming that Louise is going to make herself ill. This paragraph is again significant in that it is the first time that the readers learn the central character’s name: Louise (line 69). This is not coincidental. Up until this point Louise is referred to as either Mrs. Mallard, which identifies her position in society as a wife, or just “she” an unidentified female character.Until Louise is left a widow, she is not addressed with her first name. However, it is the first name that is special for the individual, and the last name is used to describe the members of a family. In this perspective, until Louise declares her independence with her exclamation “Free! Body and soul free!”, she is not regarded as an individual, and her liberation gives her an identity.

This new state of individuality and independence is described as “a very elixir of life” by the author (line 71). This metaphor of “elixir of life” allows the readers to understand how Louise finds this new feeling pleasing and how it gives her a new strength to live and expresses her new state by claiming that she is not making herself ill (line 71). Her passion for her new life is strengthened in the next paragraph (lines 73-76) with her constant emphasis on the long life ahead of her. Contrary to the expectations of those around her, she is not weakened by the death of her husband, rather she is rejuvenated and wishes for an even longer life. This is also an irony as she has only a few minutes to live.

The description of Louise in this paragraph in lines 17-18 is also quite complicated. She is said to “have pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul”. This physical exhaustion has two meanings. The first straightforward meaning is that Louise is exhausted because she cried a lot and she is very sorry for her husband’s loss, and she feels deep sorrow. The other implied meaning is about the very nature of marriage and how Louise perceived it. Upon close investigation, it can be understood that Louise was not happy with her marriage both physically and spiritually. The exhaustion that is said to have “haunted her” therefore is considered to be a metaphor for marriage itself, and exhaustion here is personified. This type of representation in which a writer expresses something which can be interpreted in two ways is called double entendre. The reason why Kate Chopin preferred such kind of presentation is actually lies in the norms of the society. In those times, it was not possible for women to question their roles as women, daughters and wives.

Among the things that attract Louise’s attention are the fresh air, a peddler, a distant song and the twittering of the sparrows. To begin with, it is said that “the delicious breath of rain was in the air” (lines 21-22). Here the fresh air is considered to be just the opposite of the oppressive atmosphere of her marriage. The distant song and the twittering of the sparrows are also noticed by Louise. These two, which indicate a positive mood and are usually considered to be inappropriate for mourners to recognize, are the things which imply the change in Louise’s mood. Moreover, the peddler who can be considered as trivial in the face of such serious situations is among the things that Louise recognizes. Normally, people are not expected to pay attention to details around them upon death news.

The plot reaches a climax, when Louise declares her freedom with the words “Free, free, free!”. Her realization of her freedom is very important because at this point Louise goes through a transformation and it is impossible to confine her to the limitations of the marriage institution. Therefore, this is the turning point of the story. After this point, there is no tension in the story until the end.

The story is written in third person limited omniscient point of view since the writer used third person narration, but all the events are presented from Louise’s perspective. This kind of narration allows the reader to go deep into the psychology of the central character, yet the perspectives of the other characters are not given. From the beginning to the end, all the fluctuations in Louise’s psychology are analyzed in detail.

“The Story of an Hour” is a highly symbolic story because of two reasons. First, it was almost impossible to talk about controversial issues very explicitly in the 19th century. With a careful use of symbols, many writers avoided harsh criticism especially from the society as uncovering the symbols require some sort of literary education or insight. Therefore, the story is rich in symbols. Below are the summaries for the symbols as they were discussed within context in the overall analysis part:

Open window: Readiness for a new life and opportunities, freedom
Roomy armchair: Comfort of self-assertion and free-will
Spring time: renewal, new beginning
Patches of blue sky: hope for the future, freedom
West: death
Louise’s descending the stairs: her fall