Analytical Essay: The Story of an Hour

     Short stories are a unique genre of writing because the meaning conveyed by the author should be expressed within a limited length. The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is a perfect example of how implication and symbolism can make writing layered. The story raises a theme of an unhappy marriage as a way of a woman’s oppression, which prevents her from being happy and free.

     The piece of writing describes an hour in Mrs. Mallard’s life, which changes her life completely. She is mistakenly informed that her husband was killed in a train crash, which comes as a shock to her first. However, even a more serious shock to her is her own thoughts and feelings after this news. She suddenly realizes that she feels relief and happiness because she does not have a husband now. The woman understands that she is free to do whatever she wants now and that her past life was just a cage for her. She is ashamed of feeling like this because her husband has always treated her properly, but she could not love him back. Mrs. Mallard feels exultation of a freed bird, yet her husband who appears to be alive suddenly returns. The woman has heart decease and cannot cope with it; however, as others think, she dies of happiness.

     The idea of a woman who is locked and imprisoned by her marriage is the key one throughout the story. A number of techniques are used by the author in order to convey this meaning. Thus, the setting of the story is arranged exclusively inside the house, which creates an impression that the woman is locked inside and has no opportunity to get outside. A window in her room is, in fact, the only connection with the big world, to which she has no access. Descriptions of the sky and clouds refer to feeling of space, which she lacks, and it also an implied comparison to her as a bird: some spots of blue sky would appear now and then through the clouds, and they would meet and pile one atop of the other as she could see them through her window (Chopin). It is remarkable that the author uses the word “patches”, which suggests that Mrs. Mallard’s life is incomplete, that it consists of numerous small pieces, which do not make a single harmonious picture. However, this does not occur to her so strongly until she is informed about her husband’s death.

     The window is like a channel for her, and it is related to the feeling of hope which suddenly reveals to her. For the first time, it acquires a different, positive meaning, promising change. Therefore, figuratively speaking, the window is like a monitor for her, which broadcasts past, present and future. When the woman realizes that her future can be bright now, even patches of the sky start looking promising. The author describes an epiphany that Mr. Mallard has about her future:

     There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. 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. A kind intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination (Chopin).

     The expression “a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” is, in fact, the description of her family life. The author demonstrates how people tend to unconsciously crash human beings, which seem to be the loved ones. Possession instead of love is similar to a fate of a caged bird, who longs for freedom. The bitter irony about the situation that the woman does not realize how unhappy she is until she has a real thought of living without her husband.

     The author does not expose why she stays with her husband and why there is no way out of the situation. The most probable option is that, in the epoch described by Chopin, women were totally dependent on men and could hardly cope without them financially and socially. However, the theme is more complex than that because even when women have an opportunity to leave their husbands, many of them prefer not to do it. This is a point about human nature and the nature of human relationships, which the author addresses. In fact, it is often impossible for a person to break up because they are attached to another person by a whole range of controversial feelings, which make the situation chaotic. Thus, it is clear that the woman feels guilty about her attitude to her husband, which is suggested by the phrase “a monstrous joy”. This phrase reflects a controversy that she has about the situation: she realizes that she has to feel sorrow, but she feels happy instead.

     In conclusion, the story by Kate Chopin gives a glimpse of emotional life that a woman has, which is triggered by an extreme situation. The theme of an unhappy marriage as a burden is not presented by the author in a straight-forward way. Instead, she prefers implications and symbolism, which also suggests that human motivation can be very complex. Unfulfilled potential as a woman and a personality is something that makes further life unbearable for the main character, so her death symbolizes a crash of hopes and expectations.

The Effect of Culture in our Society

     Culture is a set of practices, ideas, beliefs, and customs which make a community or a society distinct from any other society. The culture of a society influences how the people talk, how they reason, and how they relate to each other (Mead & Andrews 2009). Culture may be adaptable to change in some communities, while in others it is not. However, it is evident that culture has and continues to undergo a transformation.

     Culture and environment have shaped social, economic, and political development of various nations across the globe. In turn, culture also influences the life an individual leads in the society. This is attributed to the role that cultural practices play in imparting knowledge and passing societal norms from one generation to the other. Due to globalization, traditional nation-states have been forced to meet many new demands.

     With the onset of technology, information and resources are surpassing geographical boundaries, hence reshaping the relationships between the states, citizens, and marketplace (Kotter & Heskett 1992). In particular, the expansion of the mass media industry has significantly impacted on societies and individuals across the globe (Schein 1992). Though advantageous in some ways, an increased accessibility has the ability to negatively influence a society. With easy distribution of information throughout the world, cultural sense, tastes, and values run the risk of being homogenized. Consequently, the power of identity of persons and societies may begin to wane.

     Claxton and Mclntrye (1996, p. 360) recognize the value of understanding cultural differences in globalization. The recent years have witnessed an increased desire to align global activities with culture. The ‘social programming’ model, traceable to Hofstede, is a powerful tool for a cultural analysis. People attach different values and attitude towards work. It is critical for international companies to carry out cultural studies in the foreign countries before investing in those countries. This will enable companies strategically position themselves in such countries. By aligning strategies with the people’s culture, the companies receive broad and quick recognition in the foreign countries.       

     Culture has significantly influenced operations in companies. Organizations adopt different mechanisms of recruiting staff to promote diversity. Culture has also undergone a radical transformation encouraging a large number of people to use technology throughout their life. There has been an increase in the use of mobile phones and computers. Those who embrace the new technology slowly end up adopting new cultures (Schein 1992). Technology also follows the aspect of fashion. There was a time when Walkmans appeared fashionable but they were substituted by mobile phones. The technology may have a positive impact on the human life, but still it has negative impacts on the culture.

     Some people, particularly those with strict religious beliefs, uphold that it is in the best interests of humanity in general that all people stick to a definite model of society. For instance, evangelical missionaries, such as the New Tribes Mission followers, work to sustain social changes that other people would consider harmful to cultural diversity by trying to change the remote ethnic societies to the Christian faith.

     Today, communication with different countries has become more frequent than before. Many students, for example, choose to study overseas to experience culture diversity. They want to widen their horizons and build themselves. In the Chinese education, Chinese professors are the authorities and, therefore, command attention from students, and in return, students show immense respect to their teachers. This is unlike in the United States of America where students regard their professors as equals. The open discussion on diverse issues emanates from the academic freedom that the majority American institutions propagate.

     A technology change alters people’s culture. Technological inventions are not absorbed into the culture but eliminate the existing cultural aspects. Religion, traditions, social beliefs, and morals take a new form due to the technological changes. This means that technological evolution leads to cultural evolution; thus, old cultures ultimately die. It is a collective phenomenon since it is partly shared by people living within the same social environment where the same culture is upheld.

     Conflicts normally occur when cultures with different priorities try to work together since they exist in a different time line and can irritate one another in the course of work. Other challenge may occur due to the difference in the way people from different cultures view leadership, time, and status and in the way they communicate. The way people in an organization behave socially, for instance, if they support racism and other forms of discrimination, normally trickles down and affects the opportunities and improvement in services offered by the organization. For example, in the United States, during the times of segregation, African-American families were denied bank loans to use for housing and business activities, while the white family’s loans were approved. The remedy for social inequality is accepting one another in an organization as equal with a common aim of building up a well and successful organization (Shapiro 2004).

     Knowledge of cultural differences is crucial in international business. It is essential that global companies take time to appreciate the cultural differences exhibited in different countries. Studies indicate that there exist considerable differences in the attitudes that people from different countries attach to different aspects of life. These cultural differences shape the work culture of the given people. For multinational companies, it is necessary to identify the cultural differences between countries; this enables avoidance of importation of a model from one country to another. The knowledge gained from the analysis of cultural differences provides companies with crucial information on what to do to be successful in the foreign countries.

     In conclusion, for a company to conquer the global market, it should set strategies that appeal and respect different cultures. For proper and efficient administration, the cultural dimension of employees should be respected.