T.C. ANADOLU ÜN‹VERS‹TES‹ YAYINI NO: 2710 AÇIKÖ⁄RET‹M FAKÜLTES‹ YAYINI NO: 1673
ANADOLU UNIVERSITY
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TII--II
Yazarlar
Ö¤r.Gör.Dr. ‹pek GÖNEN (Ünite 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14)
Ö¤r.Gör. Murat GÖLGEL‹ (Ünite 1, 3, 6)
Okt. Ela ÖZBEK (Ünite 2, 4, 9, 10, 11)
Editör
Prof.Dr. Zülal BALPINAR
Bu kitab›n bas›m, yay›m ve sat›fl haklar› Anadolu Üniversitesine aittir.
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UZAKTAN Ö⁄RET‹M TASARIM B‹R‹M‹ Genel Koordinatör
Doç.Dr. Müjgan Bozkaya
Genel Koordinatör Yard›mc›s›
Arfl.Gör.Dr. ‹rem Erdem Ayd›n
Ö¤retim Tasar›mc›lar›
Doç.Dr. Müjgan Bozkaya Arfl.Gör.Dr. ‹rem Erdem Ayd›n
Grafik Tasar›m Yönetmenleri
Prof. Tevfik Fikret Uçar Ö¤r.Gör. Cemalettin Y›ld›z
Ö¤r.Gör. Nilgün Salur
Kitap Koordinasyon Birimi
Uzm. Nermin Özgür
Kapak Düzeni
Prof. Tevfik Fikret Uçar Ö¤r.Gör. Cemalettin Y›ld›z
Dizgi
Aç›kö¤retim Fakültesi Dizgi Ekibi
English/American Literature-I ‹ngiliz/Amerikan Edebiyat›-I
ISBN 978-975-06-1375-3
1. Bask›
Bu kitap ANADOLU ÜN‹VERS‹TES‹ Web-Ofset Tesislerinde 3.000 adet bas›lm›flt›r. ESK‹fiEH‹R, Eylül 2012
İÇİNDEKİLER
Ünite 1 Short Story ... 1
Ünite 2 The Story Of An Hour... 17
Ünite 3 The Legacy ... 35
Ünite 4 The Kugelmass Episode ... 51
Ünite 5 The Boardıng House... 73
Ünite 6 Like A Winding Sheet... 89
Ünite 7 Everday Use... 103
Ünite 8 Novel As A Genre ... 117
Ünite 9 Robinson Crusoe 1 ... 135
Ünite 10 Robinson Crusoe 2 ... 149
Ünite 11 Robinson Crusoe 3 ... 169
Ünite 12 Dracula I ... 181
Ünite 13 Dracula II ... 201
Önsöz
Sevgili Öğrencilerimiz,
İngiliz/Amerikan Edebiyatı I dersimizin amacı size meslek yaşamınız boyunca haşır neşir ola-cağınız İngiliz dilini biraz daha iyi tanıtmak, fikir vermek ve bu dilin yaratmış olduğu yazılı ürünlerden birkaç seçkin örnek sunabilmek. Ayrıca, okuduğunuz eserlerin sizin İngilizceğizin gelişimine de yardımcı olacağı inancındayız.
Bir çoğunuz dersimizin kapsamına baktığı zaman seçilmiş olan eserler hakkında bilgi sahibi olmayabilir veya bu kadar çok eseri bize neden okutuyorlar diye sorular sorabilir. Ancak, bil-meniz gereken önemli bir nokta var. Bir dilin en güzel özellikleri o dilin edebiyat eserlerin-de gizlidir. Sizlere hem İngiliz hem eserlerin-de Amerikan eeserlerin-debiyatından bazı eserler seçerken bu nok-tadan hareket ettik, bu nedenle de farklı edebiyat türlerinden eserler seçtik. Gerek kısa öykü, gerek roman, gerek tiyatro gerekse şiir gibi farklı edebiyat türleri dil, kültür, düşünce sistemi ve o dili konuşan toplum hakkında bizleri yönlendirir, bilgilendirir. O dili konuşanlar neye ağlarlar, neye gülerler, imgelerini nasıl oluştururlar bilgi sahibi oluruz. İşte bu nedenlerden sizlere geniş bir yelpazeye yayılan eserler seçtik. İstedik ki İngilizce konuşan toplumlar hak-kında birazcık da olsa bilgi sahibi olasınız ve o dilde yazılan birkaç eseri de okuyasınız. Tabii tüm bu çabalarımızda bir de gizli amacımız vardı. Elden geldiğince sizin İngilizce okumanızı sağlamak. Bu kitabımızda yukarıda sözünü ettiğimiz edebi türlerden kısa öykü ve roman ör-neklerini göreceksiniz.
Peki bu derse nasıl çalışmalı, başarılı olmak için neler yapmalı? Bu sorunun yanıtı aslında basit. Başarılı olmak için sorumlu olduğunuz eserleri okumanız ve anlamaya çalışmanız ye-terli olacaktır. Sizlere sorumlu olduğunuz eserleri anlamanızda yardımcı olabilmek amacıyla bu kitabı hazırladık. Bu kitabı dikkatli okur ve özümserseniz eserleri anlama konusunda zor-lukla karşılaşmayacağınıza inanıyoruz. Konularınız ünite, ünite size yazıldı ve hangi üniteleri hangi zaman aralığı içinde okuyup özümsemeniz gerektiği de belirtildi. Size yol gösteren bu takvime uyarsanız zaman sorununuz olmaz ve her şeyi bir program içerisinde takip etmiş olursunuz. Tabii eğer sizin okuma hızınız bizim size önerdiğimiz takvimin önünde gidiyorsa ne mutlu bize okumayı seven öğrencilerimiz var demektir.
Biraz da bu derse nasıl çalışılmayacağı konusu üzerinde durmak istiyoruz. Hepiniz üniver-site 3. sınıf öğrencilerisiniz. Sorumluluklarınızın bilincinde ve kendi kendine düşünme olgun-luğuna sahipsiniz. İngilizce düzeyleriniz de bu eserleri okuyabilecek düzeyde. Ancak, yuka-rıda da anlattığımız gibi size önerilen takvimi göz ardı edip, her şeyleri son dakikalara bırakır-sanız, zamanınızı iyi organize edemezseniz başarısızlığa giden yola girmiş olursunuz. Hele he-le bir de bu eserhe-leri ‘belki daha iyi anlarım’ gibi yanlış bir düşünce ihe-le Türkçe okumaya kal-karsanız işte o zaman işler daha da karışır. Geçmiş deneylerimizden biliyoruz ki size sunulan her eserin ustaca çevrilmiş Türkçe karşılıkları yok. Bazen yalan yanlış çevirilere başvurma olasılığınız var. Bu tür bir çalışma yöntemi sizi başarısız kılar ama daha önemlisi dersin ama-cı boşa gitmiş olur. Eğer amaama-cınız Türkçe okumak ise onu kendi boş zamanınızda da yapabi-lirsiniz. Ama lütfen sizin için seçtiğimiz eserleri İngilizce olarak okuyun ve özümseyin. Bir dilin edebiyatı ile uğraşmak keyifli bir iştir. Üstelik biz sizlere farklı türlerden seçenekler sunmaya çalıştık. Umarız bizim kadar sizlerde keyif alırsınız. Başarılar diliyoruz.
Prof.Dr. Zülal BALPINAR Öğr.Gör.Dr. İpek GÖNEN Öğr.Gör. Murat GÖLGELİ Okt. Ela ÖZBEK
-UNIT 1
SHORT STORY AS A GENRE
Amaçlarımız - Our Aim
After studying this unit, you will be able to discuss; • The background information of short story; • Definition of the short story;
• Types of the short story; • The Elements of the short story.
Anahtar Kavramlar - Key Concepts
• Short story as genreİçindekiler - Unit Contents
• INTRODUCTION• WHAT IS SHORT STORY
• DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT STORY • CLASSIFICATION OF SHORT STORIES • ELEMENTS OF FICTION ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study unit is to help you read and understand the background information on short story. In this unit you will learn the definition of short story, its history, types, and the elements of a short story. The unit will help you to focus on the elements of short story. While you are going through this study unit you will be asked to do tasks.
WHAT IS SHORT STORY
The exact definition of short story may not easy to be given. However, if it is asked what a short story is the answer would be very simple; a story which is short. However, in detail the answer needs more explanation, such as one of the most successful short story writer H.E. Bates quotes,
“the basis of almost every argument or conclusion I can make is the axiom that the short story can be anything the author decides it shall be.”
The shortest short story can be no more than a page or two in length, or can run over a hundred pages. Here we are facing with a problem. It is quite impossible to draw a line between the long short story and the short novel. Some modern critics name a long short story as novella. The novella at this point is different from short novel with its smaller number of characters, its less varied setting, and its simpler plot. That makes the definition of what a short story is clearer. (Rees in Deedari, 2005). In short it is suitable to keep in mind that, a story is briefly a fictional prose narrative which may vary widely in length. As in a novel the elements of plot, characters, theme and setting are interwoven. A novel may go on for hundreds of pages, mix plots, introduce and eliminate characters, develop several themes and roam from one setting to another but a short story does not have the space to do so. Most of the terms used for analyzing the component elements, the types, and the various narrative techniques of the novel are applicable to the short story as well.
Short stories existed from pre-historic times until the present but different from what we describe as the “short story”.
DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT STORY
In the very beginning, short stories emerged as oral story telling traditions. In other words, oral story telling tradition was the previous form of short stories that we read in our modern world. Oral stories were told to youngsters by elders of the tribe in a rhyming poetic format
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-It’s Your Turn! 1
so that others can remember the stories in the future. These story telling ceremonies aimed to give lessons and moral about life to the younger members of the tribe.
It is believed that the earliest form of storytelling traditions are the folk tales, proverbs and the legend fables. Fables were assumed as some kind of folk tales that explicitly expressed moral to the society. There is a general belief that fables were originated in India and then carried into Persia and from there spread into Greece, nevertheless; according to Greek
historian Herodotus, fables were born with the Greek slave named Aesop in the 6thCentury
BC. These ancient fables are also known as Aesop’s Fables.
Fables are the short stories featuring animals and plants which are given human qualities. They show how foolish or wise people can be. While making us laugh, their main purpose is to teach a particular lesson to people.
Another ancient form of short story is anecdotes. This short story form was famous during the years of Roman Empire. These forms function as a sort of parable in which the narration is brief and realistic.
In the early 14thCentury the oral story telling tradition began to leave its place to its written
form in Europe. Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” and Giovanni Boccaccio’s
“Decameron” can be considered as the first examples of written short story forms. In the 17th
Century the development of short story was refined in France with a new name “nouvelle”.
In the 19thCentury with the growth of printed magazines and journals, modern short stories
started to be widely seen in the market. In the 20th Century a number of high-profile
magazines were publishing short stories in each issue.
CLASSIFICATION OF SHORT STORIES
Short stories can be categorized in several different ways. It is possible that one short story may fit into several different categories.
It’s Your Turn! 2
The plotless short story: In this type, there apparently is no action or very little action. The story appears to be mostly the description of a character or the creation of a mood. While this may seem like a useless type of short story in fact the author does not want to come to a firm conclusion. The plotless story may well be more realistic than any other type since as life itself cannot always be said to be organized.
The episodic story: This type of story also referred to as the “slice of life” type. It consists of one main incident. What has happened may be told, hinted at, or not told at all. What happens after the incident is left up to the reader, although the author makes that clear. While the incident may not appear to be important, it may capture some aspect of life quite well and may even reveal more.
The character story: This type of short story has, as its main purpose, the revealing of something about one main character; for that reason there may be very little plot. The character may be involved in only one episode, and he may be the only character in the tale. At the end of the story, the reader usually knows a good deal about the character.
The thematic story: In this type, the author’s main purpose is to develop one particular theme; the theme may attempt to reveal some great truth about life such as “humanity is corrupted” or a simple statement about life such as “mothers are always worrying about their children.”
The psychological short story: Sometimes the character of the story fits into this category. Typically any action in the story takes place within the character-such as changes in feelings, states of mind, beliefs, desires, and attitudes. One leaves such a story knowing a great deal about what the character is like internally.
ELEMENTS IN FICTION ANALYSIS
Plot
Plot, in general definition, is the sequence of incidents or events that composes the story. A story plot may include what a character says or thinks, as well as what s/he does. Yet it leaves out description and analysis and concentrates ordinarily on major happenings. (Perrine, 1974) On the other hand, plot, in a very common definition, is a connected chain of events.
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• What types of short stories do you lime reading most?
It is customary to say that a narrative- a story whether a short story or a novel has an introduction, a complication and a resolution. In other words it gets under way, some difficulty or problem or complexity (usually a conflict of opposed forces) arises and there is some type of settling down.
A plot in a story contains a strong sense of causality (cause and effect relation). Some fiction has a good deal of physical action, wondering, births and deaths. Nevertheless, there is also fiction in which little seems to happen. Usually those plotless stories involve a mental action which is the plot. The sense of causality is mostly rooted in the character. Things happen in most good fictions, at least partly because the people have certain personalities or character traits (moral, intellectual). What they look like or their names may help us understand them. What they say and do are also important.
The Phases of a Plot
A good plot is consisted of five phases. These are initial balance (exposition), rising action, climax, falling action and denouement (resolution). All these phases can be shown in Freytag’s Pyramid.
Freytag’s Pyramid is a way to analyze a plot that consists of these five elements in an ascending and descending manner.
Initial Balance (exposition): In exposition the setting, characters and the plot are introduced. In other words, the background information that is necessary to understand the story is provided. Exposition ends as the motion in the story starts and this motion leads to rising action.
Person against Self: An internal conflict of feelings. Conflict with some element in his/her own nature. This may be physical, mental, emotional or moral.
Person against Person: This is a typical protagonist verses antagonist scenario. The good guy and the bad guy have some kind of battle in this type of conflict.
Person against Society: The protagonist battles against the larger organizations of the society, or a system of beliefs held by the society.
Person against Nature: The protagonist is threatened by a component of nature. Climax: Climax is the highest dramatic tension of the story that the reader can find. In other words, climax is the turning point in the story which shows that nothing will be the same again.
Falling Action: In falling action the tension subsides and the plot moves towards its conclusion. Namely, the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist resolves with the protagonist’s victory or defeat against the antagonist. The falling action, then, is made up of the events that follow the climax and lead to the resolution.
Denouement (resolution): It is the final outcome of the story. The main event or the conflict unravels. In resolution loose ends are tied up, the fate and perhaps, the future of the characters is revealed.
There are three types of plot structure other than the triangular plot structure mentioned within the illustration of Freytag’s pyramid. These are:
Linear Plot Structure: There is no climax in this type of plot structure. It has an anti-climax in which the turning point does not take place and the protagonist relieves all the tension. Circular Plot Structure: In this type the action finishes where it is started. The same setting (place) and the same characters are the key words for a circular plot structure. Time is also important in this type. At the end of the story we should find ourselves in the same place where the action started.
Open-Ended Structure: This type of plot structure does not offer a complete resolution and ends with a climax. This time we do not have falling action or resolution. The reader is left to imagine the fate of the characters.
When analyzing a story be sure to remember:
• In most short stories, plot depends less on large external events than on small occurrences that set off large internal changes in the main character.
• Stories mostly present how the main character comes to a personal turning point, or how this character is examined or revealed by events.
-• A good story in a way is like life itself. The true nature of a character should be revealed by the way the character acts not by the words that s/he uses to clarify her/him self. (Kennedy, 2007)
It would be beneficial to keep in mind that plot is the most obvious and superficial part of a story and it is an important expressive device. That means a plot combines with the other elements of fiction like, imagery, style, and symbolism. (Kennedy, 2007)
Point of view
It is the camera eye of the story.
In the old times the story tellers of the tribes started to tell their stories without considering the form. “Once upon a time”, they began their stories and proceed to narrate the stories to their listeners describing the characters when necessary and telling what they thought and felt as well as what they did. While doing this the story tellers interjected their comments and ideas of their own. In our times, modern fiction writers know that there are many ways to present a story. They decide upon a method before they begin to compose a story. Instead of telling the stories themselves they employ one of their characters in the story to do it for them (Perrine, 1974).
The opening lines of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain would be a suitable and clear example of what is said in the previous paragraph.
“You don’t know about me, without me you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but it ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.”
Mark Twain wrote the novel but the narrator or the speaker is Huck Finn. The story is told from Huck Finn’s perspective. By doing this Mark Twain selects a special angle of a vision of a boy who moves through the tick of events, with a mind at times shrewd, at other times innocent. Through Huck Finn’s eyes Mark Twain takes in certain scenes, actions and characters and records them memorably, as only Huck Finn’s angle of vision could have enabled Twain to do so well. (Kennedy, 2005)
voice falls into two categories: third person voice (he or she) or first person voice (I, we). Sometimes, the author intrudes, speaking directly to the reader, outside of the plot narration. Briefly, stories are told from the point of view of a narrator and the narrator as a participant may appear in a major or minor character. When the story is narrated by using the first person “I”, it is clear that the narrator is there as a major character, protagonist, or one of the minor characters in the story.
I. Participant
A. As a major character B. As a minor character
First Person: First person narrators embody the first person autobiographical (the character in the story tells the story, often about his or her own life, sometimes in a confessional tone); first person observer (the character in the story tells story, but this time s/he talks about the other characters. In other words the narrator is a reflector of the action); first person interior monologue (narrator speaks to us either in non-linear or stream-of-consciousness style or in a linear, focused or edited monologue). In the first person voice, the character refers to himself or herself as “I” in the story and addresses the reader as “you,” either explicitly or by implication.
In the stories sometimes the narrator is a voice from outside; the narrator is not a participant. II. Non-Participant
A. Omniscient (talks about all the characters)
B. Selective Omniscient ( talks about some of his characters)
C. Objective (does not enter into the minds but objectively reports what he hears or sees.) When the narrator is non-participant, he or she does not appear in the story as a character. Rather the narrator is the viewer. When the narrator refers to characters as “he”, “she” or “they”, it is clear that the narrator is non-participant, and then it is true to say that the story’s point of view is third person.
Third person: It is the voice outside the action who tells the story. Third person narrator includes:
-The omniscient: In this type, the narrator is all-knowing and is able to tell us what each character is thinking using the third person. The narrator in such circumstances can direct the reader’s attention to the inner thoughts of any of the characters and controls the sources of information.
Limited omniscient: The author tells the story in the third person, but s/he tells it from the view point of one character in the story. The author places him/herself at the elbow of one character in the story. This way the author looks at the events of the story through his/her eyes and through his/her mind. The author moves inside and outside this character. Yet never leaves this character’ side. The writer tells us what this character sees and hears and what s/he thinks and feels. The writer knows everything about this character, more than the character knows about him/herself. However, the author shows no knowledge about what the other characters are thinking. The chosen character may be either a minor or major character, participant or an observer. (Perrine, 1974)
Objective: This is the most “drastic” third person point of view, the story is told simply by no one. The narrator disappears into a kind of roving sound camera. This camera can record only what is seen and heard. There is no way of entering into the minds of the characters. The reader is permitted to view the work only externally, from the outside. In other words, the reader is placed in the position of a spectator at a movie or a play. The readers see what the characters do and hear only what they say. So this point of view is sometimes called Dramatic Point of View. Here the author is not there to explain anything about the events or the characters. (Perrine, 1975)
Characters
The simplest definition of a character is an imagined person who inhabits a story (Kennedy, 2005). Much of the interest in a short story or in a novel lies in the characters whose world the readers enter and whose lives they share. The readers while reading analyze their personalities through the way they behave on incidents and the way they talk sometimes and trace how the characters are affected by events and empathize or disapprove of them (Croft, 2000)
Characterization is the introduction, presentation and description of characters in a work of fiction. Moreover, characterization is the creation of imaginary persons so that they seem
The ability to characterize the people of his/her imagination successfully is one of the chief attributes of a writer, although modern fiction may sometimes dispense with characterization altogether.
There are three fundamental methods of characterization in fiction.
1. The explicit presentation by the author of the character. This maybe done through the authors own description or by means of the comment, thoughts, feelings of another characters concerning the character in question.
2. The presentation of character in action with little or no explicit comment by the author. 3. The representation from within a character of the impact of actions and emotions upon
his inner self. This type of characterization is best represented by the stream of consciences novel where through interior monologues, the subconscious or unconscious mind of the character is revealed.
Reading for character is more difficult than reading for plot, for character is much more complex, variable, and ambiguous. Anyone can tell what a person has done in a story, nevertheless; one may need to have considerable skill to analyze what type of character the person in the story is (Perrine, 1974). In order to identify what a person is one should first have an idea about the character types.
Character Types: The character types and their explanations are given below.
Flat character: It is the character type that has one or two traits- one dimensional. In other words this type of character is built around a single idea or quality and is presented with much individualed detail, and therefore can be summarized in a single sentence. (Abrams, 1999) Round character: It is the character type who is many sided, complex, has multiple qualities and unique. To describe these characters is not easy. This character type may require an essay for full analysis.
Stock character: (A stereotype character) a stock character is a familiar figure who appears regularly in certain literary forms. Among the most familiar stock character of contemporary fiction and cinema are the tough (often insensitive) realistic and cynical detective and the absent minded professor.
Static character: This character type remains the same from the beginning of the plot to the end. Dynamic character (developing): The character undergoes a permanent change, changes and develops in the story. The character grows as a person, learns a vital lesson, or becomes something else. This change must be
• within the possibilities of the character • sufficiently motivated
• allowed sufficient time for change
-Protagonist: The most important character in a story, play or other literary work. The terms “principal character” and “central character” are often used synonymously. It is the central character, sympathetic or unsympathetic or a hero and is considered dynamic.
Antagonist: The rival of a protagonist, the major character in opposition to the central one. Anti-hero: A central character who does not conform to the patterns of the hero of the old fashioned kind. (ex. Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man) An anti-hero is not necessary capable of heroic deeds.
Confidant: (female- Confidante) Someone to whom the secrets, especially love affairs are confided.
A foil: It is the character who serves to bring out the qualities of another. A foil makes character seem better, more prominent or different in an important way.
Fool: A familiar character in drama who speaks wisely under the appearance of folly. In dramatic use of fools are often used as vehicles for social satire.
Setting and Atmosphere
Setting is the locale in which the readers find the characters. In other words it is the imagery world of a fiction into which the readers are invited to meet the characters and see the location and the place of the fiction (Croft, 2000). Description of setting is a way to establish the atmosphere, mood or tone of the story. There may be many different settings during the course of the story (Grover, 1988). Through the setting writer can create an emotional state for the reader while reading the story.
The setting of the environment, not mere geography, provides an atmosphere, an air that the characters breathe, and a world in which they move. Narrowly speaking, the setting is the physical surroundings, the furniture, the architecture, the landscape, the climate, and there are characters that are associated with them.
Setting in a story means the time and place where the events of the story occur. As mentioned above it can mirror the mood of the story, but it can also be used ironically. Setting can mold or shape the character. It also helps the reader escape to imaginary or historical places and
Place:
Dramatic Place: This is exactly where the story takes place. For example, a living room, a house or a bar
Geographical Place: In which country, which city, which town, etc the story takes place. Time:
Dramatic Time: How long the story takes place. Maybe two hours, may be a year. Historical Time: The real time, or the exact time. For example, in 1986, in April, in the summer etc.
Tone and Style
Style in a story refers to the language codes used to build the story. To create a style, a fiction writer can conduct diction, sentence structure, phrasing, dialogue, and other aspects of language. Therefore, the reader may feel that the story’s style is richly detailed, flowing or barely controlled. Main styles change through time; thus the time period in which a fiction is written often influences its style. For example, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” was written in the nineteenth century and the writer uses diction and sentence structure that might seem somewhat artistic and formal to contemporary readers:
“With this excellent resolve for the future, Goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose.”
Author’s style can create a communicative effect with the readers, and this effect can be named as the story’s voice. In order to identify the story’s voice, the readers should ask themselves, “What kind of person does the narrator sound like?”A story’s voice may be serious and straightforward, richly comic, or dramatically tense.
A story’s style and voice contribute to its tone. Tone refers to the attitude that the story creates toward its subject matter. Tone in writing is the attitude that the writer conveys to the reader. It’s designed to create a specific response or emotion in the reader. Tone creates a personality that can either engage or repel readers. For example, a story may convey an earnest and sincere tone toward its characters and events, signaling to the reader that the material is to be taken in a serious, dramatic way. On the other hand, an attitude of humor or sarcasm may be created through subtle language and content manipulation.
Theme
Theme of a work is its central or dominating idea. In other words it is the idea that holds the story together, such as a comment about society, human nature, or the human condition. It is
-the controlling idea of -the story. It is a generalization about life arising from details or specifics of the work itself. Theme is the unifying generalization about life stated or implied by the story. To reach the theme of a story one should ask what its central purpose is: What view of life it supports or what insight into life it reveals.
“Not all stories have themes. The purpose of a horror story is to thrill the reader; the purpose of an adventure story is to take the reader to exiting places; the purpose of a murder mystery may be simply pose a problem for the reader and to try to solve the murder; the purpose of some stories is to entertain the reader and to make them laugh or surprise them at the end. Theme exist only” • “ When an author has seriously attempted to record life accurately or to reveal some
truth about it
• When s/he has mechanically introduced some concept or theory of life into it that s/he uses as a unifying element and that his/her story is meant to illustrate.” (Perrine, 1974) Theme can be;
• a revelation of human character • may be stated briefly or at great length • a theme is not the “moral” of the story.
When analyzing the theme of a story, the readers should consider some important items, such as; • A theme must be expressible in the form of a statement - not “children” but “being a
child sometimes mean freedom in thoughts.”
• A theme must be stated as a generalization about life; names of characters or specific situations in the plot are not to be used when stating a theme.
• A theme is the central and unifying concept of the story. It must adhere to the following requirements:
1. It must account for all the major details of the story. 2. It must not be contradicted by any detail of the story.
Determining and Discussing the Theme
First we should distinguish between the story and theme from each other in fiction. The story is concerned with
“How does it turn out?” “What happens?”
But the theme is concerned with “What is it about?”
“What motifs hold the happening together?”
“What does it make of life and perhaps what wisdom does it offer?” Symbols
Symbols are neither puzzles nor colorful details but are among the concrete embodiments that give the story accuracy and meaning.
Symbolism in short story deals with the abstract layer of meaning. More specifically, a symbol is something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance.
In literature, symbols are often used deliberately to suggest and reinforce meaning, to help to organize and unify the whole work. In short story, symbols are more often used since a short story should be economical in language. Some symbols have associations shared universally (for example, water for fertility).
Symbols can be personal to the writer; in that case the reader can distinguish the symbols by reading multiple works of the author. Literary symbols can have multiple possible meanings (for example, the garden in Western culture). Symbols, especially complex ones, may be ambiguous or uncertain (the title whale of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick). Symbols acquire their full meaning in the context of a story or other literary work. It is possible to say that
• names, objects or actions can be used as symbols. Here are some suggestions to identify literary symbols:
1. The story itself must furnish a clue that a detail is to be taken symbolically - symbols nearly always signal their existence by emphasis, repetition, or position.
2. The meaning of a literary symbol must be established and supported by the entire context of the story. A symbol has its meaning inside not outside a story.
-3. To be called a symbol, an item must suggest a meaning different in kind from its literal meaning.
4.A symbol has a cluster of meanings.
The symbol in the story “Miss Brill” written by Katherine Mansfield, is a very significant one. The main symbol in the story is Miss Brill’s old fur neckpiece. The fur neckpiece is very old and out of date which symbolizes Miss Brill. Another symbol used to express the theme is the fact that it was autumn. This season symbolizes Miss Brill because the season has just started to change and it was windy, cold and leaves were falling off the trees. This is just like Miss Brill’s life in her old age.
Irony
This term always includes some elements of saying or implying the reverse of, the literal meaning of the words used. There are three types of ironies in literary works.
Verbal irony: In this type of irony one meaning is stated and a different meaning is intended. Situational irony: Inconsistency between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between what is and what would seem appropriate.
Dramatic irony: depends on the structure of a literary work more than on the actual words of the characters. Dramatic irony is a plot device according to which;
a. The spectators know more than the protagonist.
b. The character reacts in a way contrary to that which is appropriate or wise. c. Characters or situations are compared or contrasted for ironic effects
d. There is a marked contrast between what the character understands about his acts and what the play demonstrates about them.
It’s Your Turn! 4
• Did you read a short story that was presented through a first person narrative point of view? What was it?
References
Abrams, M. H (1999), “ A Glossary of Literary Terms”, Heinle&Heinle Thomas Learning. United States of America
Croft, Steven&Helen Cross (2000) “Literature, Criticism and Style” Oxford University Press, UK
Deedari, Reza & Mozhgan Mansuri (2005) “Understanding Short Stories” Rahnama Press, Iran
Grover, Julie (1988) “ GCSE English Literature” Longman Group UK Limited, England Kennedy, X.J.&Dana Gioia (2007) “Literature -An Introduction to Poetry, Drama, Fiction and Writing” Pearson Longman, USA
Perrine, Laurence (1974), “Literature- Structure, Sound and Sense Vol 1” Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. United States of America
Answer.com editors.(2007) Answers.com on Definition of Short Story. Retrieved July 3, 2010 from http://www.answers.com/topic/short-story
Swenson Pat. Elements of Fiction Analysis. California State University Northridge. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from http://www.csun.edu/~pjs44945/fiction.html
Perrine, Laurence. (1978) .Elements of Drama, Melodrama, Comedy and Farce
Definitions and examples from Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense; Shapiro and Beum, A Prosody Handbook; Miller Williams, Patterns of Poetry; and Lawrence Zillman, The Art and Craft of Poetry. Retrieved June 30, 2010 from http://www.psu.edu/dept/inart10_110/ inart10/narr.html
Reuben, Poul P. (2009) PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide - An Ongoing Project. Appendix G: Elements of Fiction - A Brief Introduction. Retrieved June 28, 2010 from http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/ AXG.HTML
http://www.dlshs.org/webpages/LeighL/shortstoryelements.htm
Bedford St. Martins. Virtualit Interactive Fiction Tutorial. Retrieved July 2, 2010 From http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/Virtualit/fiction/elements.asp?e=3
-UNIT 2
THE STORY OF AN HOUR
Amaçlarımız - Our Aim
After studying this unit, you will be able to; • discuss Kate Chopin as a writer;
• understand the background of the story;
• understand the conditions that the characters of the story live in.
Anahtar Kavramlar - Key Concepts
• Naturalism
İçindekiler - Unit Contents
• INTRODUCTION• BACKGROUND TO THE WRITER • BACKGROUND TO THE STORY • SUMMARY OF THE STORY • ANALYSIS OF THE STORY
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this study unit is to help you have a better understanding of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”. Before analyzing the story, first of all read the background to the story and the writer closely because understanding any literary work depends on the understanding of the conditions that are prevalent in the time of writing, the influences of the writer’s personal experiences that may have affected the literary work, and the literary movement that the story belongs to. While analyzing the story, try to see the connections between the conditions of the period and the motives of the characters.
Do not forget that studying a short story on your own requires self-discipline and carefully thought-out work plan in order to be effective.
BACKGROUND TO THE WRITER
Kate Chopin (1851-1904)
Life and Career
Kate Chopin was born in St Louis with the name Katherine O’Flaherty. She came from a wealthy Irish family that made a fortune from retailing. She lost her father at a young age in a train accident and was brought up in a family full of women. She was deeply influenced by the single, independent women who had brought her up; and especially her great grandmother’s mother who had been the first woman to divorce her husband in St. Louis (Wyatt, 1995).
Chopin had her education in a monastery for nuns “The Sacred Academy” and won medals for her exceptional work. In those years, she learned how to smoke, an unacceptable behavior for women at that time, which also indicated her exceptional personality. Later in 1870 she married Oscar Chopin “a creole cotton broker from New Orleans” and the couple moved to Cloutierville (Kennedy & Gioia, 2007, p. 116). It is generally believed that their marriage was a happy one and Oscar Chopin marveled at Kate Chopin’s intelligence. In 1883, Chopin lost her husband suddenly and was left with six children whom she had to look after. Moreover, she had to deal with the debts left by her husband. As a result, she began to produce short stories, but as it was difficult to both write and run business, she sold everything and moved back to St. Louis to live with her mother who died three years later (Wyatt, 1995). Chopin died of cerebral hemorrhage in 1904.
Literary work and style
Chopin’s observations of the strong women in her family were very influential in her philosophy and literary works. As previously noted, she grew up in a house full of single women who had to attain their lives. Under this influence, the major themes of her writings
-are about the liberation of women, the sexual and professional independence of women (especially in her novel The Awakening). While analyzing these in her literary works, she used a naturalistic language which requires precise observation of the unpleasant truths about life. Therefore, she was harshly criticized for her vivid descriptions of what was considered to be ugly in her time (Kennedy & Gioia, 2007, p. 116). After the publication of The Awakening, Chopin was unable to publish her work and was censored. This disappointed Chopin severely and her productivity ceased as a result of rejection by society. With her deep indulgence in women’s search for individual identity, she is considered to be one of the earlier American feminists; however, her work was appreciated only after seven decades after her death (Kennedy & Gioia, 2007, p. 116).
BACKGROUND TO THE STORY
Naturalism
Naturalism is a literary movement that began to be formed through the end of the 19thcentury
and developed in the 20th century. The idea of naturalism is driven from the Darwinian
Theory that one’s character is shaped by heredity and social conditions s/he lives in and that people have little control over their lives. Naturalism focuses on and questions the conditions that lead the characters into conflict. It is “a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings” and “Naturalistic texts often describe the futile attempts of human beings to exercise free will, often ironically presented, in this universe that reveals free will as an illusion.” (Campbell, 2010).
Place of Women in Society in the 19
thCentury
In the 19thcentury women were considered inferior to men. The basic duties of women were
to look after their children, take care of the household and satisfy the needs of their husbands. They had no political and civil rights and when they married all they owned were their husband’s, and they had no control over their possessions. Moreover, the chances for education and occupation were very low which disabled them from achieving any financial and social independence. Therefore, they were brought up as a wives from childhood. There was also little chance for divorce as it was the right of men to divorce. In any case, the
Mallard suffers from a heart disease. It is Richards, Brentley’s friend who brings the news that Brently was killed in a railroad accident. Hearing the news Mrs. Mallard bursts into tears and when she calms down, she goes upstairs to her room alone, and does not allow anybody to follow her.
When alone in her room, Mrs. Mallard sits into the armchair just opposite the window; and she begins to watch outside where she can see all the joy of spring life, the twittering sparrows, the distant song, the fresh smell of the rain and the voice of a peddler.
While watching outside, from time to time she sobs, but the sobs initially leave their place to a new feeling which the young Mrs. Mallard cannot identify. The approach of the new feeling is welcomed by Mrs. Mallard, although it is somehow accompanied by fear. When she finally accepts the new feeling, a few words escape her mouth: “Free, free, free!”. After repeating these words, her body relaxes.
In her new state, Mrs. Mallard thinks about how she would cry again in the funeral. However, she thinks she will not be crying a lot since she believes there is nobody else that she will be responsible for except herself after the death of her husband. She confesses that she sometimes loved her husband, but thinks that love is a weak concept when compared to freedom. She repeats her claim of freedom.
It is at this moment that Josephine wants to come into her room worried that Louise will make herself ill. Louise tells her to go away, but Josephine insists. After a while Louise opens the door and comes out.
Together Josephine and Louise go downstairs and join Richards who has been waiting for them. Right at that moment the front door is opens, and Brently Mallard enters. Although Richards tries to screen him from Louise’s vision, he fails; and Louise sees Brently and dies. When the doctors come, they say that Louise has died because of extreme joy.
ANALYSIS OF THE STORY
Overall Analysis
“The Story of an Hour” is a short story that must be analyzed almost word by word to have a deep understanding of the themes explored, the things that are represented by the symbols and the psychological state of the central character. It is significant to analyze the details in the story also to understand Kate Chopin’s views about love and marriage. Therefore, in this section a detailed analysis of the story will be provided. While reading the analysis, be sure that the story should be interpreted with the norms of the society when the story was written. The story opens as Josephine breaks the news of Brently Mallard’s death as gently as possible to the protagonist of the story, Louise Mallard. The reader is informed that the reason why the news is given with a special care is because Louise is “afflicted with a heart trouble”.
-Josephine cannot tell the news straight, rather she gives the news “in broken sentences, veiled hints that revealed in half concealing” (lines 4-5). This can be considered as a paradox as Josephine is trying to “conceal” but at the same time “reveal”. Moreover, because Louise’s health condition is perceived to be very serious, Richards, Brently Mallard’s friend who is described as tender, rushes to the home of the Mallards to make sure that the news is given with caution. These first two paragraphs of the story serve as the exposition introducing the characters and the main event of the story. Moreover, the health condition of Louise is made clear right at the beginning of the play. This not only explains the reason of the overcautious behavior of Richards and Josephine, but also serves as a foreshadowing to the end of the story where Louise dies perhaps of heart attack. It can be said that foreshadowing is the footsteps of a writer. If you can follow them during the story you can discover the link between the seemingly unrelated events in a literary work. The writers usually give implications of the future events within a literary work by deliberately giving hints.
The exposition of the story is not only critical in the understanding of the characters but also implies the position Kate Chopin takes in introducing one of the central themes of the story. Right from the beginning of the story, Louise is introduced as a very weak character who is in need of support from others. Here, her heart trouble is significant because it is also a symbol of the oppressive nature of her marriage. Although there is no specific explanation of the reason for her heart trouble, throughout the story, marriage is presented as a repressive institution which causes intensive stress.
After the exposition, in the rising action where the conflict is introduced and intensified, Kate Chopin goes into a deeper analysis of the psychology of the central character, Louise. In the third paragraph, lines 11-13, the first reaction of Louise to her husband’s death is introduced. Louise cries suddenly in the arms of Josephine, and her cry is somewhat hysterical. The writer explains her unusual reaction by saying “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance” This explanation introduces the codes of behavior expected of women upon hearing death news in the 19th century. Women are expected to be paralyzed unable to give any reaction at first.
It’s Your Turn! 1
• Does heart trouble have any such symbolic meaning in your culture? Have you seen any event in which the heart trouble is associated with any institution or concept?
The feelings of Louise are described with the words “storm of grief” (line 13) signifying the personality of Louise who is presented as a woman with intensive feelings. As will be demonstrated later, it seems Louise is a woman who feels everything in extremes. When she finally overcomes this feeling, she goes to her room alone. Again normally, women are not left alone after such news, which again highlights Louise’s exceptional personality. In this section the first reactions of Louise are introduced, again the reason for her unusual reaction is not made clear. Some critiques identify her first reaction as an indication of her sudden happiness for her late-received freedom.
When Louise enters her room, the first detail given about the room is “a comfortable, roomy armchair” in front of an open window (line 16). It is interesting that details about comfort and open window are given, normally people do not recognize such details when they are overcame by the exhaustion of death news. That Louise “sank” into a comfortable chair facing an open window, which implies her readiness for a new life and opportunities, symbolized by “the open window”, and that life is presented as comfortable, symbolized by the depiction of the chair.
The description of Louise in this paragraph in lines 17-18 is also quite complicated. She is said to “have pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul”. This physical exhaustion has two meanings. The first straightforward meaning is that Louise is exhausted because she cried a lot and she is very sorry for her husband’s loss, and she feels deep sorrow. The other implied meaning is about the very nature of marriage and how Louise perceived it. Upon close investigation, it can be understood that Louise was not happy with her marriage both physically and spiritually. The exhaustion that is said to have “haunted her” therefore is considered to be a metaphor for marriage itself, and exhaustion here is personified. This type of representation in which a writer expresses something which can be interpreted in two ways is called double entendre. The reason why Kate Chopin preferred such kind of presentation is actually lies in the norms of the society. In those times, it was not possible for women to question their roles as women, daughters and wives.
After Louise sits down into the “roomy armchair”, she begins to view outside from the open window. This part of the story which is highly symbolic is of utmost importance because it highlights how Louise perceives her future. First it is spring time (line 20) and spring symbolizes renewal and the beginning of a new life, in her case the new life where she will experience her complete freedom. The “open square before her house” also symbolizes the lack of a superior authority over her will in her new life. Other details about spring life
22
-It’s Your Turn! 3
• Is it possible for women to question their roles as women and wives in your culture? • How are women treated when they question their position?
provided in this paragraph also require attention. Among the things that attract Louise’s attention are the fresh air, a peddler, a distant song and the twittering of the sparrows. To begin with, it is said that “the delicious breath of rain was in the air” (lines 21-22). Here the fresh air is considered to be just the opposite of the oppressive atmosphere of her marriage. The distant song and the twittering of the sparrows are also noticed by Louise. These two, which indicate a positive mood and are usually considered to be inappropriate for mourners to recognize, are the things which imply the change in Louise’s mood. Moreover, the peddler who can be considered as trivial in the face of such serious situations is among the things that Louise recognizes. Normally, people are not expected to pay attention to details around them upon death news.
In addition to the lively atmosphere created, the description of the sky is also highly symbolic. There are clouds in the sky, yet “there were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled above the other in the west facing her window” (lines 24-26). The clouds present a metaphor for the problematic life Louise had and the repression she feels in her marriage. The “patches of blue sky”, on the other hand are considered to be the symbol of hope for a better future. Blue is also usually associated with freedom, and it can also be considered that the blue sky stands for the approaching freedom Louise feels. Nevertheless, there is a dramatic touch to this scene. West is usually associated with old age, descending of sun and sometimes even death. Therefore, even if there is some sort of freedom for Louise, it will only be short-lived as the patches of blue sky show up in the west of her window.
After the physical description of the outside, the narration turns back to Louise. In this paragraph (lines 27-29) Louise is resembled to a child “who has cried itself to sleep and continues to sob in its dreams”. This simile where she is resembled to a child is another depiction of Louise as a weak character who is in need of the protection of the others.
It’s Your Turn! 4
• Do directions have any symbolical meaning like this in your culture? If so what are they?
• Louise notices the spring life outside to its slightest details. What kind of change do you think it signals?
intended was the repression that Louise felt during her marriage. As previously noted, the roles of women in marriage were to satisfy the needs of the husband and to keep the family together. It was this role that caused the lines on Louise’s face and it is because of this that she was “fixed on one of those patches of blue sky” (line 32). Her dull gaze here also implies the approach of the “intelligent thought”, that is, the feeling of newly achieved freedom. In lines 35-38, Louise is trying to cope with the new feeling that is new to her. It is indicated that she had been waiting for this feeling, yet she is still fearful. The reason behind this fear might be interpreted again in two ways. The first is for a person who has never felt free before, it is a frightening feeling because she does not know what to do with it. The next one is the difficulties that Louise will perhaps encounter if she really behaves freely as a widow. Here again, the emphasis is on the feeling of freedom that she has never tasted before. As it is indicated she feels that “creeping” feeling of freedom from the “sounds, scents, the color that filled the air”.
In the next paragraph (lines 39-41) Louise tries to “beat back” the new feeling with her will. However, again this is not a very strong impulse as she is trying to beat it back “as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been”, that is, she is not really trying had to get rid of the feeling. Her slender hands here symbolize the weak desire to get rid of the feeling. Moreover, her excitement is also echoed in the motion of her body which shows great excitement.
It is the next paragraph (lines 43-47) that introduces the climax of the story. She repeats “Free, free, free!” which indicates that the change has occurred. The change is also reflected in her body. She experiences epiphany (a moment of enlightenment) and the blood that rushes every inch of her body relaxes. In this moment she becomes a whole new person which is clarified in the next paragraph.
In lines 48-50, Louise is completely stripped off her dubious feelings about her freedom as she dismisses the idea whether it was “monstrous joy that held her” and considers it as trivial. Up until this paragraph, she is depicted as a woman who is still trying to behave within the prescribed roles assigned to her by the patriarchal society that would make her feel guilty. However, when she finally admits that she is free, she relaxes spiritually and physically which is again explained in the following paragraph.
In lines 51-55, Louise imagines that she would be again crying in the funeral when she sees the corpse of Brently, but this again would not be a genuine mourning as she imagines her future years that would only belong to herself. This paragraph is very important not only because it demonstrates the new psychological state of Louise but also it implies the nature of her relationship with Brently. Although their marriage is portrayed as a repressive one from the beginning of the story, in this paragraph, Brently is depicted as a loving and caring husband: “the face that had never looked save with love upon her”. As can be understood from these words, Brently was not a patriarch who would exercise any violence on Louise. This is especially significant because it
-highlights the fact that the problem was not about Louise and Brently’s relationship but about the marriage institution itself. In marriages, men and women have responsibilities and the society also assigns both parties some roles, which are expected to be fulfilled. One of these roles is to be mothers and fathers. In this paragraph, Louise stresses that the following years “would belong to her absolutely”. This indicates that their marriage was a sterile one; they did not have any children. Lack of children here can be considered as a dysfunction of their marriage according to the expectations of society.
The next paragraph (lines 56-61) contains the most frequently cited sentences of this short story. The nature of relationships, or rather how the society perceives marriage is summarized by “powerful will bending her in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature”. Here men and women are presented as equals with the words “fellow creature” and marriage is introduced as an institution that allowes partners to exercise power over one another, and while doing so it is implied that love is interpreted as “blind persistence” is the cause of this power relationship. Moreover, it is explained that whether one has good or bad intentions while exercising that power over his/her spouse does not make any difference. In their marriage, it seems Brently did not have bad intentions, but in “that brief moment of illumination” Louise realizes the intentions do not really matter. It is generally believed that this paragraph summarizes Kate Chopin’s view of marriage and it is her manifestation of freedom from marriage.
In the next paragraph (lines 62-65) Louise is now confronting her conflicting feelings. She confesses that she loved Brently “sometimes”, but love is a weak “impulse” when she compares it with her independence that now she recognizes as the most important thing in her life. Toth (2012) purports “As Chopin often insists, love is not a substitute for selfhood; indeed, selfhood is love’s precondition”. Therefore, she keps on saying “Free!Body and soul free” (line 66). This exclamation is again not only a manifestation of independence but also an implication about the perceived nature of marriage. As Louise declares that both her body and soul are free, it is indicated that although she was unable to utter this overtly in the past, she saw marriage as an imprisonment both physically and spiritually; and now she feels totally liberated from those constraints. As Wan (2009) declares “Mrs. Mallard has a real existence only when she follows her own laws, and through conscious choice, becomes her own creation with an autonomous self.” (p. 168).
members of a family. In this perspective, until Louise declares her independence with her exclamation “Free! Body and soul free!”, she is not regarded as an individual, and her liberation gives her an identity.
This new state of individuality and independence is described as “a very elixir of life” by the author (line 71). This metaphor of “elixir of life” allows the readers to understand how Louise finds this new feeling pleasing and how it gives her a new strength to live and expresses her new state by claiming that she is not making herself ill (line 71).
Her passion for her new life is strengthened in the next paragraph (lines 73-76) with her constant emphasis on the long life ahead of her. Contrary to the expectations of those around her, she is not weakened by the death of her husband, rather she is rejuvenated and wishes for an even longer life. This is also an irony as she has only a few minutes to live.
With these feelings, Louise opens the door and goes downstairs with Josephine. The description of Louise is another moment of epiphany: “She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” (lines 78-79). Here, Louise has completely won the battle that she had in herself about her conflicting feelings about the loss of her husband. She has finally dismissed all the feelings of mourning and now she is Victorious over her own life as there will be no other authority in her life except herself. That Louise descends the stairs in this part is also symbolic because this new perception of freedom which has changed Louise drastically will bring her own end, and she will fall as quickly as she was rejuvenated.
When Louise and Josephine descend the stairs, Brently arrives “a little travel-stained” (line 83). This detail about the description of Brently is another important note about the nature of Louise and Brently’s marriage. It was earlier reported that Brently was supposed to be on the train traveling somewhere. Nonetheless, Brentley has never been on the train which brings question marks about where he actually was. He has obviously been somewhere, but that place seems to be a secret as his friend Richards also did not know anything about it as well. It can be suspected that Brently, who behaved well towards Louise, had another relationship which he also had to hide. Considering the fact that Louise had a heart trouble and the couple did not have any children, it can be inferred that their relationship was a sterile one. Brently’s entrance is a shock to everyone in the house. Richards tries to prevent Louise from seeing Brently, however, he fails. Louise dies upon seeing Brently, which is her catastrophe-the tragic end. Not knowing catastrophe-the spiritual transformation she has experienced, catastrophe-the doctors diagnose the reason for her death as extreme joy: “joy that kills”. This dramatic irony, a type
26
-It’s Your Turn! 5
• Can you think of any Turkish literary work in which the name of a woman is associated with her individual presence? Is there any similarity between the presentations of female characters?
of irony that is understood by readers but not by the characters within the story, highlights the fact that Louise died of extreme sorrow because her precious freedom lasted for only an hour. Louise’s death is important from the historical perspective, too. In the 19th century, it was impossible for women to think, discuss and declare freedom and Kate Chopin had to kill her protagonist because Louise’s transformation was so sudden and unconventional for that period.
As can be seen from the multiple layers of representation, the story can be interpreted in two ways. From the feminist perspective, which Kate Chopin held, marriage is presented as an institution where there is no room for individual existence especially for women. The repression in marriage is so severe that it can even cause heart problems that can bring the
end of a person. This type of interpretation is of course was not welcomed in the 19thcentury.
The story as a result, allows another interpretation in which a female character is punished for her inappropriate will for freedom. Considering the fact that the story takes place within an hour, this type of interpretation is more appropriate for the expectations of the readers of that time.
Plot structure:
The story has a triangular plot structure. In the exposition, the characters of the story, Louise, Josephine, Richards and Brently are introduced. Moreover, that Louise has a heart problem is indicated. The major conflict of the story is man versus self; that is Louise tries to reconcile with the feeling of freedom. The plot reaches a climax, when Louise declares her freedom with the words “Free, free, free!”. Her realization of her freedom is very important because at this point Louise goes through a transformation and it is impossible to confine her to the limitations of the marriage institution. Therefore, this is the turning point of the story. After this point, there is no tension in the story until the end. In the denouement or resolution Louise dies making sure that death is symbolically a better choice than marriage after her spiritual transformation.
Characters
The development of Louise is very much like a tragic heroine. In tragedies, there is a central character who has excessive pride or a flaw in personality which is called hubris. In this story, Louise is a woman who is very ready to accept her freedom. Especially within 19th century context, questioning the authority of men, and declaring independence would definitely be considered as a flaw for women. In tragedies again, the tragic hero or heroine makes a wrong decision, which is called hamartia. In the story when Louise descends the stairs “like a goddess of Victory” she has already decided to change her life dramatically. Unfortunately, this decision usually brings the end of the characters in tragedies, which is called catastrophe. Louise, in this story dies and prepares her catastrophe because she very quickly - in an hour - embraces her freedom. From this perspective, Louise fits well in the description of a tragic heroine.
Brently Mallard: Not much is revealed about Louise’s husband Brently in the story. The only information about him is that he really loved his wife and cared for her. Therefore, it is not Brently that Louise is against but marriage itself. However, the narration also makes the readers suspicious of Brently at the end of the story as he arrives home from a trip, but not from the train trip that he was supposed to be in.
Josephine: Although not much is not revealed about her, Louise’s sister Josephine is portrayed as a stereotypical women who have necessary affection for the ones around her and fulfill her nursing duties.
Richards: It is Richards, Brently’s friend who brings the news of death to the Mallards’ house.
Point of view
The story is written in third person limited omniscient point of view since the writer used third person narration, but all the events are presented from Louise’s perspective. This kind of narration allows the reader to go deep into the psychology of the central character, yet the perspectives of the other characters are not given. From the beginning to the end, all the fluctuations in Louise’s psychology are analyzed in detail.
Type of the story
“The Story of an Hour” is a psychological short story as the conflicts, the dilemmas and the inner evolution of the new psychological state of Louise Mallard is analyzed deeply with a precise but highly symbolic language.
-Setting
Setting of time:
Dramatic time: The story takes place within an hour.
Historical time: From the details, it can be understood that it is spring time and it is the 19th
century. There is indeed no specific reference to 19thcentury but Kate Chopin wrote about her
time, and as she lived in 19thcentury it is assumed that the historical time is the 19thcentury.
Setting of place:
The story takes place in an American house, but no other detail is given. The reason for the lack of such detail is to universalize the message that the writer is trying to give. When no specific place is given in a story, it is believed that the explored theme is universal and the writer is trying to address all readers regardless of time, country and culture.
Symbolism
“The Story of an Hour” is a highly symbolic story because of two reasons. First, it was almost
impossible to talk about controversial issues very explicitly in the 19thcentury. With a careful
use of symbols, many writers avoided harsh criticism especially from the society as uncovering the symbols require some sort of literary education or insight. Therefore, the story is rich in symbols. Below are the summaries for the symbols as they were discussed within context in the overall analysis part:
Open window: Readiness for a new life and opportunities, freedom Roomy armchair: Comfort of self-assertion and free-will
Spring time: renewal, new beginning
Patches of blue sky: hope for the future, freedom West: death
