Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Literature - Essay Example The Story of an hour begins with a tone of anxiety when the family members express concern how to break the news to Mrs. Mallard, the main character. The reader is immediately transported into a state of anxiety and fear as he too is keen to know what the news to be broken to Mrs. Mallard is. When her sister breaks the news of the fatal accident that Mr. Mallard had met with, Mrs. Mallard bursts into tears. This is moment of ‘recognition’ as described by Aristotle, which did have the emotional effect both on the main character and the reader alike. Her reaction was different from other women of her times, which makes the moment more effective. The description of her state at learning the news creates mixed reactions in the reader. She sits motionless on the chair and then stares with a vacant look. The reader also wonders what is approaching her as she becomes powerless and whispers ‘free, free, free’. This moment is significant as it is filled with terror a nd emptiness and is successful in evoking the emotions in the reader. As the news sinks in, Mrs. Mallard seems to be elated at the thought that henceforth she would be free to do what she wants in life when the author describes, ‘she was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window’. This is the moment of reversal because is something different from what the reader would expect from a woman who has just lost her husband. The moment of reversal comes when Mr. Mallard walks in totally unaware of what had taken place. This description too leaves the reader shocked as this was least expected. The first unexpected event is the walking in of Mr. Mallard, which itself is stunning. The second event is the moment of both recognition and reversal at the same time as Mrs. Mallard collapses on seeing her husband. The doctors declare that she died of a joy that kills. The reader wonders