Mrs. Mallard's Death In The Story Of An Hour

“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin is a short story in which the main character, Mrs. Mallard, is introduced as having “heart trouble”. Great care was taken into consideration when her family and friends broke the news to her regarding the death of her husband. During the 19th century it was a common belief that women were too fragile to handle such information, so she was well protected. Mrs. Mallard locks herself in her, where her sister Josephine believes she is grieving; however, it is quite the contrary. When Mrs. Mallard goes downstairs, her husband shows up well and alive. Mrs. Mallard then dies suddenly and the doctors determine her death as a result of “the joy that kills” (Chopin 4). However, the emotions Mrs. Mallard expresses throughout the …show more content…
The news of Mr. Mallard's death causes Mrs. Mallard to grieve; however, this grieving was shortly lived. During the solitary time she spent in her room, Mrs. Mallard ponders about how there will “be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (Chopin 3). She expresses her perception of marriage in a very negative and limiting way, which imposes she is not fond of marriages. She does exalt however the idea of no longer being constrained to marriage. Mrs. Mallard examines how she will grieve once again when she sees her lifeless husband, but “she saw beyond that bitter moment a long