The Story of an Hour

Louise is the protagonist of “The Story of an Hour.” Her character arc from grieving widow to independent woman comprises most of the action of the plot. Louise is described as “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Paragraph 8), indicating that Louise presents the outward signs of late 19th-century social propriety. She is beautiful, youthful, perceived as passive yet poised. Louise’s heart condition and the delicacy with which Josephine and Richards break the news of Brently’s death support the conception of Louise as a woman in need of protection. However, Chopin’s observation that Louise weeps “with sudden wild, abandonment” at the news of her husband’s death suggests early on in the story that Louise values her own emotions and opinions highly (Paragraph 3). Similarly, Louise’s solo retreat to the solace of her own company hints at her inherent independence and rich inner resources.

At first, Louise resists the realization of her own independence, but the appeal of a long life ahead lived on her own terms proves too enthralling. To Louise, self-determination is more appealing than love. She arrives at this conclusion entirely on her own, in private and away from the opinions and interventions of others. By the end of the story, Louise is transformed into a “goddess of Victory” (Paragraph 20), displaying none of the fragility that the beginning of the story suggests. Her death at the end of the story is portrayed as tragic irony: She loses her life just as she has gained total control over it, and the doctor’s assume it is joy, rather than shock or disappointment, that has killed her.