Foreshadowing is the use of indicative words or phrases as harbingers of upcoming events in the story.
From the beginning of the story, it is mentioned that Louise Mallard has a heart disease.
"Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death."
In the end of the story, Louise sees her husband, alive, and therefore is killed by a heart attack. Ultimately, Chopin foreshadows the death of Louise Mallard by mentioning her heart disease in the very beginning of the story.
<Symbolism>
Symbolism is method of using words or phrases that have several meanings. In other words, a symbol is a word that has connotative meanings that are not always literal.
The heart of Louise Mallard is not only an organ that generates vital sign, but also the symbol of emotion. As she starts thinking about her newly gained independence thanks to her husband's death, she becomes very jubilant.
"Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body."
As she becomes excited, her heart starts to beat faster, which shows that Louise's heart is the barometer of her emotion.
<Theme>
Theme is the base subject of the literary work. In Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," independence and time are main themes.
Independence
To Louise Mallard, death of her husband is equal to her freedom from the bondage called "marriage." As a result, although she does feel sorrowful for Brently's death, she is excited about her newly gained freedom.
"What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being! "Free! Body and Soul free!" she kept whispering."
Although the newly gained independence fills Louise Mallard with Joy, it eventually causes her to die, when she sees her husband, alive. Her freedom only lasted an hour, but deeply affected her.
Time
Even the title of the story is "The Story of an Hour." The whole story happens within an hour. Although an hour is a short period of time, the story contains all aspects that it requires. Because Louise Mallard is continuously thinking about her newly gained independence and her future, the story is not restricted to her actions, but even contains her thoughts. Chopin uses time as the main theme of the story to make it flow well.
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