Story Review of “The Story of an Hour”

“The Story of an Hour” was written by Kate Chopin (born Katherine O'Flaherty on February 7, 1850, died on August 22, 1904), an American author of short stories and novels. Today Kate Chopin is considered as a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. Her major works are two short story collections, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadia (1897). During her lifetime, Chopin's stories and novels shocked many of her nineteenth-century readers. And “The Story of an Hour”, first published in 1894 in Vogue magazine, is one of Chopin's briefest and most widely read stories.

“The Story of an Hour” is about an hour in the life of Mrs. Louise Mallard, a young woman who suffers from heart trouble. In the beginning we find out that Mrs. Mallard got the news about her husband's death is brought to her "as gently as possible". Her sister Josephine and her husband's friend Richards, who bring this news to her, honestly believe that Mrs. Mallard would be very upset to hear it, and that it could make her even more ill. This part implies the readers will expect her to be upset and worry about her. And she has heart trouble, and it's very possible that sad news can make her feel worse than usual. "She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment", but it's just a first emotional reaction to the news, without deep comprehension of what had happened and how it would change her life.

She gets the news only later, and author shows us little by little how she comes to realize it and what helps her to understand it. She goes to her room, and "there stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank". Reading these words, the readers suddenly realize that something turns the story to a more positive, reassuring way. Here we see two things, which make us to feel that way "a comfortable, roomy armchair" as a symbol of security and comfort in spite of her husband's death, and "the open window", which here symbolizes connection to the world, to life.

In the next paragraphs, the author emphasizes these ideas by some details of scenery, such as "the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life." "The delicious breath of rain was in the air." "Countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves". All these sentences show us that Mrs. Mallard starts to feel a kind of freedom she never noticed before.

Mrs. Mallard, "young, with a fair, calm face", is sitting in the armchair with a "dull stare in her eyes", which "indicated a suspension of intelligent thought." There lines imply that something is changing everything in her mind. Probably, Mrs. Mallard still doesn’t realize it, "but she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, and the color that filled the air". Author shows to reader that her soul starts to fill with happiness of freedom; freedom, which is in everything in sounds and beautiful trees around, in blue sky

and in songs of the birds.

However, "she knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death" but it's just a reaction, which society expects her to have. What can compare to "a long procession of years that would belong to her absolutely"! Here the author finally opens a reason why Mrs. Mallard feels this way about her husband's death. "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". These words show the picture of Mrs. Mallard's family life. She was unhappy with her husband; she couldn't have her own opinion and couldn't show her own will, that's why she is happy to be free!

Expecting "spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own", Mrs. Mallard goes out of the room as a "goddess of Victory". From the first look, this point of the story seems as the highest culminating moment of the whole story, and here is the irony. The author prepared the main strong culmination right in the end, in three final paragraphs. Mrs. Mallard's husband opens "the front door with a latchkey". He enters "composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella". He is carrying it "composedly", because he doesn't even know about the accident and that his name is on the list of those who died. Even more ironical here are "Josephine's piercing cry" and "Richards' quick motion

to screen" Brently Mallard from his wife's eyes.

Mrs. Mallard dies "of joy that kills". These words carry the absolutely opposite meaning, than they read. We understand, that the doctors are wrong, thinking that she dies from happiness of seeing her husband again. She chooses rather to die than to live again under her husband's will, especially after experiencing freedom, even just for one hour. This hour in a comfortable armchair in front of the open window made her feel happy and free, made her to understand the sense of her being, and it was the only real hour of her life.

 

第二篇：The Story Of An Hour 译文欣赏

The Story Of An Hour 译文欣赏

浙江奉化二中 吴彩云

读了The Story of An Hour 使我感受到这故事充满了幽默和讽刺，它的结局出乎意料，这使人想起了《项链》的结局，作者对故事中的主人公表示强烈的讽刺，也给读者增添了不少笑料。本文作者对Mallard 夫人的心理和神态作了细致的刻画，写出了主人公由“喜”到“悲”，再 到“喜”的心理变化过程，充分揭示了她的内心世界，同时也彻底暴露了她的那颗虚荣的灵魂；那种被压抑的人性的复苏、对自由的追求和呼唤构成了小说的主旋律。 读了这两篇译文，本人认为各有风格，能忠实于原文，注意翻译的灵活性、多样性、直译和意译等特征。从总体上说，本人更欣赏B篇译文，它主题突出，渲染气氛，能细心体会到翻译中的“神似”，文笔流畅，充分烘托了主人公的虚伪性格。下面就部分句子进行分析：

B篇题目中的“梦”字，作者采取了意译的方式，很有新意，主人公这一小时的心理活动犹如一场美梦，读者一看到这“梦”字，就能激起他们的想象和好奇感。

原文的第一段，B文适当增加了“严重”两字，突出了她患的不是一般的心脏病，所以得注意方式方法，B文更优美地译成“格外谨慎地透露”，在忠实于原文地基础上适当注意灵活性，这样能使语句通顺，文字更典雅。

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. A文中的“话都说不成句，吞吞吐吐，遮遮掩掩地暗示着”就不如B文中的“支吾其词地告诉“长句短译，语言更精简。

She swept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms. Abandonment 有“狂放”之意，故A文中地“倒在。。。怀里， 放声大哭” 更确切。 There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. A文在整个句式的调整上显得更通顺，换序译法，使译文做到最大程度的通顺，而且B文漏译了roomy一词。

The delicious breath of rain was in the air. B文中的“绵绵春雨”，译得恰到好处，烘托了主人公当时的心情，在原文基础上增添的“格外沁人肺腹”，起了画龙点睛的作用。 There was patches of blue sky showing here and there through…..facing her window. B文中的“氤氲浓重、层层阴云、蓝天，更能突出文章的主题：被压抑的个性和对自由的追求，把原文的思想、感情、风格和神韵化到了译文的境界里，丝毫不留翻译的痕迹，让人感觉是在读原文一样。

She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke…B文中的“轮廓”翻译得很确切，而A文中的“抑制能力”不能体现本文作者对主人公讽刺的写作风格。

It was not a glance of a reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought. B文直译成“精神世界一片空旷”， 能点明文章的主旨，十分明了，作者对intelligent一词的翻译，更是把握了词语的褒贬色彩。

There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it. B文中的“袭来、恐惧万分、盼”充分显示了主人公的复杂而激烈的心理活动。“袭来”一词更得体地说明了“势不可挡”之意。

She was drinking in a very elixir of life through that open window. B文中的“她正站在敞开的窗子跟前‘贪婪地用吮吸着甘霖’”，可见她的感情压抑之深。

There was a feverish triumph in her eyes…B文中的“飘飘欲仙” 可见她沉醉于狂喜之中，得意的神色可与胜利女神相媲美，充分体现了译文的贬义性和讽刺性。

It was Brently Mallard who entered, a little travel-stained, composedly carrying his…B 文中的“风尘仆仆”，体现了他旅途之劳累。而“漫不经心”却表现出心情之平静。 这与她的心情产生了强烈的对比。

文章的最后一句，B文翻译得非常精彩，“发作”和“狂喜过度”，简洁明了，更加渲染了这个意想不到的结局，使故事进入了高潮。