August 22, 2012
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
Vocabulary
"...Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble..."
"...when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received..."
"She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment..."
"...a peddler was crying his wares..."
"A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the
suggestion as trivial."
"...that brief moment of illumination."
August 22, 2012
Close Reading
Read the biographical information about the author. How might some of this information be helpful as you begin to read the story?
Read the :irst 2 paragraphs of the story. What information to you gain about Mrs. Mallard and about the situation?
What does Chopin mean when she says that Mrs. Mallard’s sister told her about her husband’s death “in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing”?
Now, read the rest of the story, pausing to decipher
unfamiliar words and phrases. Use context clues and
your own background knowledge.
August 22, 2012
What surprised or confused you about
the ending?
Read the story again--a second time and make note
of passages that seem to be confusing or seem to
provide clues about the ending.
August 22, 2012
1. Why does Mrs. Mallard's sister take such care in
telling her about her husband's death?
2. How does Mrs. Mallard respond at first?
3. How old is Mrs. Mallard?
August 22, 2012
4. What does she realize as she sits in her room alone?
What clues suggest this?
5. How do the doctors explain her death? What
information do they NOT know? How might this
information change their diagnosis?
6. What theme (or argument) does Chopin seem to
develop through this story?