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A Story of An Hour-Questions

This document contains comprehension questions about the short story "A Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. The questions probe the themes of freedom and confinement explored in the story. They ask about Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's supposed death and her realization that she will now be "free". The questions also analyze the story's setting within a single house and hour and how this reflects Mrs. Mallard's inner emotional state. Readers are prompted to consider the nature of the Mallards' marriage and whether the story presents a critique of 19th century attitudes toward marriage that still resonates today.

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Elson Ryan
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201 views2 pages

A Story of An Hour-Questions

This document contains comprehension questions about the short story "A Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. The questions probe the themes of freedom and confinement explored in the story. They ask about Mrs. Mallard's reaction to her husband's supposed death and her realization that she will now be "free". The questions also analyze the story's setting within a single house and hour and how this reflects Mrs. Mallard's inner emotional state. Readers are prompted to consider the nature of the Mallards' marriage and whether the story presents a critique of 19th century attitudes toward marriage that still resonates today.

Uploaded by

Elson Ryan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

“A Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, p.

784

Comprehension Questions
 The first paragraph of the story consists of a single sentence that communicates several pieces of
information. What facts do you learn from the sentence? What can you infer from it? Why do you
think it is written in the passive voice?
 Who are Josephine and Richards? Describe how each of them demonstrates concern for Mrs. Mallard.
 After she weeps upon learning that her husband has been killed, Mrs. Mallard goes to her room and
insists on being alone. Why do you think Mrs. Mallard would want to be alone after hearing such
terrible news?
 Describe the scene visible through the open window in Mrs. Mallard’s bedroom. How does it contrast
with her emotional state as she sinks into a chair at the window?
 Mrs. Mallard is described as a young woman “with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression
and even a certain strength.” What do you think Mrs. Mallard has repressed during her marriage? In
what ways might she be strong?
 As she thinks about her life without her husband, Mrs. Mallard whispers, “Free! Body and soul free!”
How does she envision her life in the future? How will she be “free”?
 The last line of the story is this: "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy
that kills." In what ways is this an ironic statement? What is gained by having the doctors make such a
statement?

Freedom and Confinement


 How "free" was Mrs. Mallard before she knew about the train accident?
 What kinds of freedoms do each of the characters in the story have? In what ways are they confined or
limited?
 What should we make of the fact that Mrs. Mallard locks herself up – purposefully confines herself?
Why is it only when she's confined to a room, but liberated from a marriage, that she discovers herself
to be free?
 What does her room symbolize? What does the view out the window symbolize?
 How does Chopin use the external setting as a metaphor for Louise Mallard’s inner state?
 Why do you think of Chopin places the entire story's action within a single house and a single hour?

1. What is the nature of Mrs. Mallard's "heart trouble," and why would the author mention it in the first
paragraph? Is there any way in which this might be considered symbolic or ironic?

2. The setting of the story is very limited; it is confined largely to a room, a staircase, and a front door. How do
these limitations help to express the themes of the story?

3. What kind of relationships do the Mallards have? How does Mrs. Mallard feel about her husband? Is he
unkind to her, or is there some other reason for her to whisper "free, free, free!" while in her room?

4. Mrs. Mallard closes the door to her room so that her sister cannot get in, yet the window is open. Why does
Chopin make a point of telling the reader this? How might this relate to the idea of being "free" and to the
implicit idea that she is somehow confined or imprisoned? Do other words in the story relate to this idea?

5. What view of marriage does the story present? The story was published in 1894; does it only represent
attitudes toward marriage in the nineteenth century, or could it equally apply to attitudes about marriage
today?

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