Irony in Kate Chopins Story of an Hour Essay - 796 Words

Irony in Chopins Story of an Hour Irony is a useful device for giving stories many unexpected twists and turns. In Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour, irony is used as an effective literary device. Situational irony is used to show the reader that what is expected to happen sometimes doesnt. Dramatic irony is used to clue the reader in on something that is happening that the characters in the story do not know about. Irony is used throughout Chopins The Story of an Hour through the use of situational irony and the use of dramatic irony. Situational irony is used in The Story of an Hour through Mrs. Mallards reaction to her husbands death and the description of the settings around her at this time. Upon†¦show more content†¦Mrs. Mallard is pleased that her husband has died, which certainly is not the reaction that one would expect. Another case of situational irony is the description of Mrs. Mallards surroundings after hearing the news of her husbands death. When Mrs. Mallard retreats to her room, she looks out the window. The majority of times when surroundings are described in stories after bad news, everything looks dark and gloomy because of the sadness that the character must be feeling. However, the surroundings Mrs. Mallard experiences are anything but dark and gloomy. The world was described as warm and friendly. She could hear someone singing and the birds twittering. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds (Chopin 213). It seems as though her surrounding s are a reflection of her feelings. Normally, one would expect her to be feeling sad and depressed, and therefore her surroundings to be depressing as well. Dramatic irony is also used in Chopins The Story of an Hour through Mrs. Mallards realization that she is free from her husband and with her death. During the time Mrs. Mallard spent alone in her room, she experienced a revelation that she no longer would be bound to her husband. However, no one else in the story knew of this realization. They all believed that she was extremely depressed, and that was the reason she had gone to her room. Josephine even thought that Mrs. Mallard was making herself sick. SheShow MoreRelated Irony in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour Essays1295 Words   |  6 PagesIrony in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour A very dull and boring story can be made into a great story simply by adding in something that is unexpected to happen. When the unexpected is used in literature it is known as irony. An author uses irony to shock the reader by adding a twist to the story. The author of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† is Kate Chopin. Her use of irony in the story is incredibly done more than once. 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She becomes overwhelmed with joy about her newRead MoreIrony Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1008 Words   |  5 Pagesare his in his car. The officer then conducts a search on his car and finds a plastic bag full of cocaine. This is an example of irony. Literary irony can be used to get the readers attention, to cause the reader to stop and think, and to emphasize the author’s main point or idea. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of An Hour† has many instances of irony. These instances of irony are used as ensure the reader’s attention, to provoke thought, and the most important use is to emphasize the idea of how oppressive