大学英语高级写作A-Rhetorical-Analysis-of-“The-Story-of-an-

Zhang1ProfessorShuqingAdvancedEnglishWriting11November2014ARhetoricalAnalysisof“TheStoryofanHour”“TheStoryofanHour”isashortstorywrittenbyKateChopininLouisiana1894,itisconsideredasanoutstandingworkoffeministliterature.Inthisstory,thethemeoftheawakeningandstruggleofwomen’sself-consciousnessisthroughouttheentireessaybytheuseofmultiplerhetoricaldevices.Intheessay“TheStoryofanHour”,Chopinusesthethird-personnarrationalongwithseveralrhetoricaldevicestomakethestorysuchasuccess.Byusingthirdpersonnarrationtheauthorknowseverysinglethingofthecharacters,andshecanreflectcontentasobjectivelyaspossiblewithoutthelimitationoftimeandspace.Therefore,shechoosesthemosttypicalscenestoshowtheprotagonist’spsychologicalchangesandplotthestoryinanimpressiveway.Thishelpsreaderstogetmoreinformationfromtheauthor’sdescription.Forexample,itisclearattheverybeginningofthestorythatMrs.Mallardisafflictedwithhearttrouble.Thissuggeststhatthistroubleisbothphysicalandemotional,aproblembothwithherbodyandunhappinesswithherlackoffreedom.Thissymbolismherealsoindicatesherend.ItisMrs.Mallard’shearttroublethatinfluencesallherreactionsaswellasothercharacters.Thenewsofherhusband’sdeathisbroughttoher“asgentlyaspossible”.ThereasonMrs.Mallard’ssisterJosephineandherhusband’sfriendRichardsbreakthenewslikethis,isbecausethattheyfearthenewscouldmakeherconditionworsen.Asexpected,Mrs.Mallard“weptatonce,withsudden,wildabandonment”and“WhenthestormofgriefZhang2hadspentitselfshewentawaytoherroomalone.”Theword“storm”showsthatitisaneasycomeeasygosituationforMrs.Mallard.Itisironicforawomanwholovesherhusbandendshercryingsoquickly.Byusingthirdpersonnarration,ChopinfreelychangesthesceneintoMrs.Mallard’shouseanddirectlydepictsthefeelingandpsychologicalactivityofMrs.Mallard.Whenshelooksatthe“newspringlife”outsideherwindow,asubtleandelusivethingfromthe“sky”comesintoherbosom.“Herpulsesbeatfast,andthecoursingbloodwarmedandrelaxedeveryinchofherbody”and“self-assertionwhichshesuddenlyrecognizedasthestrongestimpulseofherbeing!”.The“newspringlife”and“sky”heresymbolizethefreedomandself-consciousness.BothMrs.Mallard’spiritsandbodyarerefreshedafterherawakeningofself-consciousness.Now,sheisnolongeraweakwomanwithserioushearttroublebutawholewomanwithconfidencetofacethetrueworldoutsideherroom.However,assoonashersteppedoutherroomandwentdowntothelivingroom,herhusbandcamebackinawholeskinandcrushesherdream.Herhusband’sdeathgivesheraglimpseofanewlife,andwhenthatnewlifeisswiftlytakenaway,theshockanddisappointmentkillherimmediately.Thedoctorssayshediesofjoyandthestorystopshereabruptly.TheironyoftheendingisthatLouisedoesn’tdieofjoyasthedoctors’claim,butactuallyfromthelossofjoy.ThefulltextofThestoryofanhourlessthan2000words,buttheuseofironyandsymbolismthroughthethirdpersonnarrationclearlyshowsthedifficultsituationforfemaletopursuetheprocessofawakeningself-consciousnessinthepatriarchalsociety.