Thursday, November 17, 2016

What is the setting of "The Story of an Hour"?

"The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin, is set in the home of the main character, Louise Mallard. It is not made clear where in the house Mrs Mallard is at the beginning of the story, when her sister Josephine breaks the news of her husband's death, but after learning the news, Louise goes to her room and closes herself in. She then spends the greater part of the story in this room.
Louise sinks into a chair facing the window, from which she can look down onto the street. It is a rainy day, and she can hear various noises going on below, such as somebody singing and sparrows twittering.
There is no clue offered in the story as to where Louise Mallard's house is actually situated. We know that she lives somewhere that is connected to a railway network, as she believes her husband to have been killed on the railway. Given that Kate Chopin was American, the story is probably set in the United States, but again, this is not made explicit.
In terms of chronological setting, there is no reason to suppose that the story is not set contemporaneously with the time of writing, which is to say, in the 1890s.

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