The Story of an Hour

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1894

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Essay Topics

Written at the turn of the 20th century, how does “The Story of an Hour” portray technology such as the railroad and telegraph? Does Chopin suggest any relationship between modernization or industrialization and social reality for women?

Does “The Story of an Hour” follow conventional Aristotelian tragic plot constructions? Identify the possible inciting incident, peripeteia (reversal of fortune), climax, and anagnorisis (discovery) among the emotional events of the story.

How does the story’s extremely short length and narrative timeframe emphasize its themes? Why did Chopin choose to tell “The Story of an Hour” rather than “The Story of a Day”?