Technique

In “The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin reveals character interiority through thematic symbolism and imagery.

The above excerpt shows how Chopin sets up the epiphany that the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, experiences after her husband’s death. Mallard suffers from heart troubles, and her heart becomes the thematic symbol that drives the story. As the story develops, Mrs. Mallard’s heart shifts the story’s emotion from concern to relief, which Chopin demonstrates through the heart’s actions in the paragraph’s opening sentence:

Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously.

Considering the funereal circumstance and health issues, Mrs. Mallard’s heavy breathing is initially concerning. But two sentences later, Mrs. Mallard’s inner feelings are revealed:

When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under the breath: “free, free, free!”

The whispering (“free, free, free!”) signals an emotional shift in the story, when Mrs. Mallard’s heart is less heavy and constrained. Mrs. Mallard also has an inner epiphany that her now-deceased husband will no longer be “bending” her will. The implication is confirmed a few sentences later when Mrs. Mallard’s actions are described:

The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.

Use

• Body language is an underused technique that can reveal your character’s feelings.
• Focus on a single image that can carry the theme of your story like Chopin does with Mrs. Mallard’s heart.
• Use a word that can double as a refrain, letting the character repeat it and giving it an emotional charge.