A thesis statement for Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" could focus an essay on the feminist theme found within the story. Though some readers find Louise Mallard's epiphany in the wake of her husband's death shocking, it is a clear statement that she found her marriage oppressive and looked forward to living independently.
To take this approach, a thesis statement could look like this:
Louise Mallard's shocking death at the end of "The Story of an Hour" suggests that to return to an oppressive marriage would be intolerable after she has contemplated a life lived on her own terms.
In the essay, then, an analysis of Louise's brief period of mourning and then mounting joy would feature targeted quotations from the story as the narrator delves into Louise's innermost thoughts about her husband, her marriage, and her imagined freer future.
In "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard finds out her husband has been killed in a railroad accident. She experiences some sadness, but overall, she is elated to be free. Then she sees her husband walking up to house—the report of his death was false. Louise dies of "heart disease" (probably a heart attack) when she sees him. All of this happens within the period of a single hour.
One avenue you could explore is Mrs. Mallard's combination of grief and joy. She is more happy than sad, but she does note that her husband loved her. She recalls that she loved him—"sometimes." This seems to have been a decent marriage. Mr. Mallard does not seem to have been cruel to his wife, or she to him. This suggests that it was not so much this specific marriage that Mrs. Mallard was delighted to be freed of, but the institution of marriage in general. A possible thesis statement could be (and you would have to rework this to suit yourself), "In 'The Story of an Hour,' Kate Chopin is criticizing the institution of marriage and the way, in those times, it oppressed a woman, even in a good marriage." Then you would find quotes and examples to support this point of view.
You might consider writing the following: the doctors' ultimate ruling concerning Louise Mallard's cause of death is ironic because it is not her joy that kills her, but rather her disappointment at finding her husband alive. Then, in the essay, you could discuss the imagery of the "new spring life" outside the window and how it seems to symbolize what Louise is feeling inside herself. For example, she hears the "countless sparrows twittering in the eaves" and notices the "patches of blue sky" and the "delicious breath of rain" in the air. These are all such positive images. You could analyze the little speech she does actually have in the story. For example, why does she repeat the word "free" over and over? It seems as though her husband was not a bad husband, as he never looked "saved with love" upon her. You could even discuss her very healthy-sounding physical reaction to her new freedom. If she is so ill, then why does her "pulses beat fast [now], and the coursing blood warm and relax every inch of her body"? This sounds healthy, not sick.
You could use much the same evidence to argue that Louise Mallard's so-called "heart trouble" is actually brought on by her marriage. The fact that the lines in her "fair, calm face. . . bespoke repression and even a certain strength" seems to signify that it is the "repression" she has felt that may have seemed to weaken her, despite her initial and inherent "strength."
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