[Mention of author and story’s title:] In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” [Brief summary:] Louise Mallard, a young woman, is mistakenly told that her loving husband died in a train accident. In the space of a few minutes, she feels relief at the news as she comes to realize that, as a widow, she will be able to live for herself at last. When her husband returns, she dies of shock and disappointment. [Thesis:] Through the character of Louise Mallard, Chopin shows 21st-century readers the oppression that 19th-century women felt in their marriages. More precisely, [Presenting essay’s 3 claims while naming the techniques or elements of fiction used:] (1) the sensual imagery describing the world outside Louise Mallard’s bedroom window, the (2) setting and strategic positioning of secondary characters within the house, and (3) the irony of the story suggest that marriage for 19th-century women was not the fairy tale it appeared to be.
[Topic sentence—matches claim 1 above:] The imagery used by Kate Chopin in “The Story of an Hour” creates a contrast between marriage and freedom. When Louise Mallard hears about her husband’s death, she locks herself up in her room. There, she looks outside the window and notices signs of the life that are absent from her marriage. The trees are [Textual evidence—quotes:] “aquiver.” Spring brings about the “delicious breath of rain,” as well as a “distant song” and the “twittering” of sparrows (12). Outside Louise’s window lie images of joy. As she notices this, Louise is placed in the position of a prisoner in her own house. Life takes place outside her prison. [Summary of point made above:] Marriage is compared to a jail cell in this story. Life exists only outside the married woman’s household. [Transition into next paragraph:] Also, in Louise Mallard’s case, she is kept in her place by two benevolent jailers.
[Topic sentences—matches claim 2 in the intro.:] Louise Mallard’s sister Josephine and family friend...