FORMALIST CRITICISM WITHIN “THE STORY OF AN HOUR” BY: CODY ARMSTRONG In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”, a formalist criticism is used to show the forms of symbolism, imagery, and theme portraying the mixed emotions of a wife who just lost her husband. Many people may overlook some of the subtle things described in this short story as just being a common occurrence, but it is much deeper than that. Going more in depth with formalist criticism will help bring out all of the great, hidden qualities the story possesses. Irving Howe states that once formalist literary theories are found within, entire aspects of the story change for the reader. (1) As we analyze the text, we can find imagery, which really helps bring aspects of the text to life as we read. The short story, “Story of an Hour” creates a vast amount of imagery in Mrs. Mallard’s changing emotions throughout the text. As described by Selina Jamtl, “As she sets aside the world of social conventions, her emotions underscore the individuality that is awakening in her. This thing that is approaching her is her consciousness of her own individuality, and she waits for it fearfully. Accompanying it is a monstrous joy that highlights the colossal significance of selfdiscovery at the expense of the hollow conventions that would dismiss her joy as horribly inappropriate and unbecoming, Now, however, joy and hope lead her to an awareness that she has become, as she realizes, she’s free.” (2) This imagery makes the reader feel more captivated in what kind of tole losing a husband is taking on Mrs. Mallard. Considering most have not gone through a traumatic experience such as this, it helps shed light on what one might feel for a better understanding. It is clear that the setting around Mrs. Mallard insinuates some instances of symbolism throughout the story. Daniel Deneau asserts the significance of the open window and the spring setting playing a major symbolic role in the joy that Mrs. Mallard experiences. (1) The beautiful springtime setting is trying to captivate the symbolical view of bliss in correspondence to Mallard’s feelings on her current situation in the story. Aside from the setting, other things throughout the text contain symbolic meaning as well. Another symbol is brought to attention by Selina Jamtl as she describes, “Mrs. Mallard’s heart trouble is not so much a physical ailment, as the other characters in the story think, as a sign of a woman who has unconsciously surrendered her heart (her identity as an individual) to the culture of paternalism. This repression has long brewed in the depths of Mrs. Mallard’s heart (emotionally speaking), and it causes her to be generally apathetic toward life. The physiological aspect of Mrs. Mallard’s heart ailment appears to be, then, a result of the psychological burden of allowing another individual such as her husband’s, powerful will to smother and silence her own will.” (3) This explains the reasoning behind Mrs. Mallards sudden outbreak of happiness following her husband’s death. Even though the “The Story of an Hour” seems blatantly straight forward with a woman’s death in occurrence to an extreme shock, the theme of the story runs much deeper than that. Nicole Diederich reveals a theme of occurring oppressiveness found in all marriages, which by their nature rob couples of their independence. (2) Even Mrs. Mallard, who readily admits that her husband was kind and loving, nonetheless exclaims cries of freedom after his death. Mrs. Mallard’s epiphany in which these thoughts pass through her mind reveals the consistent oppressiveness of all marriages, which by their nature rob people of their independence. One theme of the story suggests that all marriages, even the kindest ones, are inherently oppressive. A fitting example of this theme is displayed in an episode of the hit show, “Seinfeld”. In the video clip below, it is stated how marriage is a “man made prison”. This scene demonstrates the forbidden joy of independence that Mrs. Mallard experienced. This video perfectly conveys her perspective on marriage. Another theme to take into consideration is the role that time plays within the short story. The events in “The Story of an Hour” happen very quickly, and the author herself does not mince words in relaying them. Yet it seems like life can change drastically, and a person can change dramatically, in under an hour. Mrs. Mallard spends less than an hour processing the news that her husband has died. In doing so, she moves rapidly through her grief to arrive at a “dream” or “story” of what life by herself will be like. An article from “The Story of an Hour Theme of Time” insinuates that this is where the title of the short story derives from. In less than an hour, Mrs. Mallard has gotten used to the idea of a whole different future, a future she is genuinely excited about, instead of a future with her husband that she dreads. But within the time of a few seconds, seeing her husband alive and well, proves her wrong and blows up that new dream of a potential future of freedom. All of this goes to show that a reader should always search for literary theories throughout a text no matter what it is. In the case of a short story such as “The Story of an Hour”, a formalist criticism seemly transformed the true meaning of what the story was trying to transcribe. All of the elements such as symbolism, imagery, and theme can truly change the way you look at something, for the better. So, next time your reading a short story, analyzing a piece of research information, or even skimming through a lighthearted fiction novel; ask yourself, “What do I personally feel about this text?” At the end of the day, there is truly no right way to look at literature, so never fear wrongfulness; look for things the average reader would never take into account.
