Realism in the Story of an Hour

A big part of Realism is being descriptive. leaving nothing for the imagination, and creating a complete picture for the reader. Kate Chopin does this in the Story of an Hour, when she says, "She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams". You don't have to create a picture in your mind. The picture presents itself to you.

I think that the social issue that Chopin is trying to address is; how spouses try to dictate each other's lives. How sometimes, people try to mold the lives of their partners into what they want it to be and disregard what their spouse wants for their own life. Chopin addresses this when she says, "There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature". In the story, the unhealthy Mrs. Mallard, seems to gain a new sense of appreciation for her life upon hearing that her husband is dead and that she can now live for herself.