Who wrote 'The Story of an Hour'?

• A. Louisa May Alcott
• B. Harriet Beecher Stowe
• C. Kate Chopin
• D. Edith Wharton

Answer: (C)

Authorship of a late-19th-century American short story is being tested. The Story of an Hour was written by Kate Chopin, published in 1894. The tale follows Louise Mallard as she responds to news of her husband’s death and experiences a brief, intense sense of freedom before the story ends in tragedy. This work is closely tied to Chopin’s exploration of women’s inner lives and the tension between personal autonomy and societal expectations in the American South. Chopin is known for focusing on women's desires to live life on their own terms, a perspective less emphasized by some of her contemporaries. For comparison, Louisa May Alcott is best known for Little Women, Harriet Beecher Stowe for Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence, each associated with different themes and contexts.