Vocabulary
Fill in the blank: “I was ______ sure that I had locked the door.”
absolutely
What does the open window symbolize in the story?
Freedom, new beginnings, and hope.
In the sentence “There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself,” what does live for herself mean?
She will no longer live for others but for her own happiness and freedom.
What news does Josephine break to Mrs. Mallard?
That her husband, Brently Mallard, has died in a train accident.
What is a synonym for forestall?
Prevent, delay, or hinder
What does the phrase “a long procession of years” suggest about Mrs. Mallard’s future?
She imagines many years ahead of her now that she is free.
In the sentence “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her,” what does this thing refer to?
Her feeling of freedom and independence.
How does Mrs. Mallard react when she hears the news of her husband’s death?
She weeps at first but then feels a sense of freedom and relief.
Use elixir in a sentence that relates to The Story of an Hour.
"Mrs. Mallard felt as though freedom was an elixir that could heal her.”
What literary device is used in the line “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment”?
Imagery (vivid description of her crying).
In the sentence “There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds,” what does the blue sky symbolize?
Hope and new possibilities.
What does Mrs. Mallard see outside her window that symbolizes her newfound freedom?
The tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life.
Which word means noisy or disorderly disturbance?
tumultuously
What literary device is used in the phrase “the joy that kills”?
Irony (the “joy” of seeing her husband alive is what kills her).
In the sentence “She was striving to beat it back with her will,” what does beat it back mean?
She is trying to push away or resist the feeling of freedom.
What happens at the end of the story that makes it ironic?
Mrs. Mallard dies of “heart disease—of joy that kills” when she sees her husband is actually alive.