The Story of an Hour (Kate Chopin)

For my students: While reading "Story of an Hour," add at least one comment to each part of the story that analyzes character traits, symbolism, theme, or another short story element. Make sure your comments include explanation of why this particular point in the story is important.

All italicized words are vocabulary and are listed at the bottom of each part.

Kate Chopin's short piece "The Story of an Hour" is about a sickly wife who briefly believes her husband is dead and imagines a whole new life of freedom for herself.

American author Kate Chopin (1850-1904) wrote two published novels and about a hundred short stories in the 1890s. Most of her fiction is set in Louisiana and most of her best-known work focuses on the lives of sensitive, intelligent women.