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- Josephine’s appearance at the end of the story has a similar function in that it establishes her as a reflection of the patriarchy’s infantilizing view of women. As she sits outside of her sister’s bedroom door, she insists that Louise will make herself sick the longer she isolates herself from others.
www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/the-story-of-an-hour/character/josephine/Josephine Character Analysis in The Story of an Hour - SparkNotes
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Get everything you need to know about Josephine in The Story of an Hour. Analysis, related quotes, timeline.
The “half concealing” way in which Josephine reveals this information to Louise suggests a hesitation toward disrupting her sister’s identity as a committed wife, offering “veiled hints” in an attempt to downplay the significant implications of his death.
Analysis. Louise Mallard has a weak heart. Her sister Josephine, who is worried that bad news will overwhelm Louise and worsen her condition, tells her as calmly as possible that her husband, Brently Mallard, has been killed in a train accident.
- At The Beginning, News That Will Devastate Louise
- A Growing Awareness of Freedom
- Patches of Blue Sky Amid The Clouds
- A Force Is Too Powerful to Oppose
- Her Desire For Self-Determination
- She Would Live For Herself
- The Irony of Joy That Kills
At the beginning of the story, Richards and Josephine believe they must break the news of Brently Mallard's death to Louise Mallard as gently as possible. Josephine informs her "in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing." Their assumption, not an unreasonable one, is that this unthinkable news will be devastating to Louise ...
Yet something even more unthinkable lurks in this story: Louise's growing awareness of the freedom she will have without Brently. At first, she doesn't consciously allow herself to think about this freedom. The knowledge reaches her wordlessly and symbolically, via the "open window" through which she sees the "open square" in front of her house. Th...
The scene is full of energy and hope. The trees are "all aquiver with the new spring of life," the "delicious breath of rain" is in the air, sparrows are twittering, and Louise can hear someone singing a song in the distance. She can see "patches of blue sky" amid the clouds. She observes these patches of blue sky without registering what they migh...
In fact, Louise resists the impending awareness, regarding it "fearfully." As she begins to realize what it is, she strives "to beat it back with her will." Yet its force is too powerful to oppose. This story can be uncomfortable to read because, on the surface, Louise seems to be glad that her husband has died. But that isn't quite accurate. She t...
But his death has made her see something she hasn't seen before and might likely never have seen if he had lived: her desire for self-determination. Once she allows herself to recognize her approaching freedom, she utters the word "free" over and over again, relishing it. Her fear and her uncomprehending stare are replaced by acceptance and excitem...
In one of the most important passages of the story, Chopin describes Louise's vision of self-determination. It's not so much about getting rid of her husband as it is about being entirely in charge of her own life, "body and soul." Chopin writes: Note the phrase men and women. Louise never catalogs any specific offenses Brently has committed agains...
When Brently Mallard enters the house alive and well in the final scene, his appearance is utterly ordinary. He is "a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella." His mundane appearance contrasts greatly with Louise's "feverish triumph" and her walking down the stairs like a "goddess of Victory." When the doctors determin...
May 1, 2024 · Appears briefly at the end of the story, shocking Mrs. Mallard and ultimately leading to her death.
Her sister Josephine breaks the news to her; it was her husband’s friend Richards who first heard about the railroad disaster and saw her husband’s name, Brently Mallard, at the top of the list of fatalities. Her first reaction is to weep at the news that her husband is dead; she then takes herself off to her room to be alone.
