Instant Resources for The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin!

Whether you're looking for a short story to pair with the novel you're teaching, or you need a 2- to 3-day sub plan to use with the stories in your textbooks, Prestwick House Instant Short Story Packs go beyond basic comprehension to help students learn how to analyze literature. 

Each downloadable pack addresses key skills through 5-10 standards-based analysis questions by guiding students through a series of scaffolding graphic organizers and in-class activities. 

This Instant Short Story Pack for The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin includes:

• Scaffolding graphic organizers and in-class activities
• Standards-based objectives
• Introduction and pre-reading notes
• Complete short story text
• Rigorous analysis questions
• Detailed teacher's answer guide

About The Story of an Hour

Like many other of Kate Chopin’s stories, “The Story of an Hour” created something of a commotion when it was first published in December of 1894. Louise Mallard’s feelings of exhilaration and liberation at hearing the news of her husband’s death shocked and angered many readers.

The story was originally published under the title “The Dream of an Hour” in Vogue magazine. In January 1895, it was reprinted in St. Louis Life under its current title.

“The Story of an Hour” is not a difficult story. The word choice might be a little old-fashioned, but the language overall should not create any problems. Despite its surface simplicity, however, it is a powerful story. As you experience the full range of Louise Mallard’s emotions as she reacts to the news she receives, try to remember that Mrs. Mallard is not a twenty-first-century wife. She is a woman living toward the end of the nineteenth century, bound by all of the laws and traditions we associate with the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Think about how Mrs. Mallard feels, and then consider how Chopin’s readers would expect her to feel, how they would think she was supposed to feel. Then, you will have discovered the full, shocking impact of the story.

Chopin became famous for her nontraditional views of marriage, womanhood, and independence. To many, she is, first and foremost, a feminist author. “The Story of an Hour” is one of the earliest works that contributed to that reputation. Love Mrs. Mallard, hate her, sympathize with her, or criticize her. Whatever your reaction, as long as you do react, Chopin will have achieved her purpose.