Louise Mallard's Short Story Of An Hour

Louise Mallard feels both excitement and sadness at the same time because, although she is depressed by her husband’s death, she is also relieved of having to do what her husband, Bentley Mallard, wants her to do. In what could’ve been a story of death and grief, turns into a story about how Mrs. Mallard rejoices in the knowledge of her newfound freedom after her husband’s demise, free from his will and the confines of marriage.
Mrs. Mallard is at first unsure if she should be joyous or sorrowful regarding her husband’s death as she weeps hysterically after hearing the news, but as she looks outside her window, she sees things in a more positive way, “...the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life...delicious breath of rain was in the air..notes of a distant song which someone was singing reaches her faintly...countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.” However, she brushes it off thinking of the wonderful years to come in a more positive light. Mrs. …show more content…
Mallard is able to grieve her husband’s death, yet still shine light on the situation in hopes of a better future. When Mrs. Mallard says that she is “body and soul free”, she means that she is happy and that she has now been freed from her relationship and is free to be whoever she wants to be. The author also uses words like “triumph”, “goddess”, and “victory” to show that Louise feels like she is on top of the world. The grief and euphoria come together in the words “monstrous joy,” which is “the joy that kills”, but her elation is short lived as her husband walks in alive and well with no knowledge of his supposed passing and Mrs. Mallard dies of a heart attack due to the realization and disappointment that he is alive. Louise is very in tune with her loss of identity and independence and even though her love for her husband keeps from it, the freedom she feels when she thinks Bentley is dead becomes unavoidable and delightful and she receives it