An hour consists of sixty minutes which consist of 3,600 seconds. In this short, insignificant amount of time, a plethora of events, emotions and experiences can materialize and just as quickly crumble and fade away. The literary work I will criticize is The Story of an Hour, written by Kate Chopin. This writing engaged me by drawing me into the struggle Mrs. Mallard had in realizing her impending freedom, reminding me of the similar struggle I had during my first marriage. The critique of this story was completed with the Reader-Response approach. This approach is when you personally connect with a piece of literature you are criticizing. According to Journey into Literature, “…by making connections and reflecting on them, you have already used a reader response approach” (chap. 16, p. 3). Your feelings and opinions aren't the only thing you rely on when critiquing literature; the distinct details of the essay as to why it makes you feel a certain way must be discussed (Clugston, 2010). Using a different critical approach such as biographical/historical analysis when reading the literary work could also critique this story. Using this analysis, you will understand from the story, the time period in which it was written, and Mrs. Mallard's struggle with her feelings of independence. During the 19th century it was acceptable for a woman to be a widow, so her newfound freedom would have been a gradual transition for her. The Story of an Hour is a satirical story about marriage. Journey into Literature describes a satire in that it “calls attention to the difference between what a particular thing should be and what it actually is. Or between the way a particular person should behave and the way that person… middle of paper… the judge declares that I am now free from this adulterous man. As I completed this story, my thoughts went beyond the end. I wondered how Mr. Mallard would react to his deceased wife. Would he embrace freedom, as his wife did before her death? Would he grieve the loss of his marriage? Did he know how Mrs. Mallard felt about him and their marriage? Would her death bring about a change in his life that would encourage him to live each day as if it were his last? These are the thoughts that were on my mind after the divorce because I was hoping that my ex-husband would realize these things too. Tragedy can instigate change for the better within a person, if only it allows it to infiltrate their being and transform their soul. Works Cited Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu/books