For this essay I chose to evaluate the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. This is the tale of a woman, Louise Mallard, who learns her husband has passed in a car accident. Louise has a terrible heart condition and has to be given the horrible news by her sister Josephine, and with extreme caution. After Mrs. Mallards sadness passes she has new feelings of freedom from a life she may not have been happy with. She explains she did sometimes love her husband but is excited and joyful for the years to come that will be for herself. After her moments of excitement, her husband walks through the door unharmed and very much alive. Since she has the terrible heart condition she has a heart attack and dies. The doctors are led to believe …show more content…
Mallard allowed Mrs. Mallard to have a new and more positive outlook on her life. Previously “she thought with a shudder that life might be long” but now she prays that her life be long. Now that she’s living her life free, and only for herself she hopes it is long enough to enjoy it and make up for the day’s she has already misses out on. The story says, “Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her… all sorts of day that would be her own. Once all of these thought of a new future settle there is a knock at the door. Her sister was there and after she walked in Mr. Mallard was there, right behind her, and very much alive. The story says, “Some one was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered…He stood amazed at Josephine’s piercing cry; at Richard’s quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife. But Richards was too late.” Mrs. Mallard had died. The doctors determined it was the heart disease and the excitement to see her husband. I think she died of the shock of having her new found freedom taken from her so quickly. She feared returning to the life she had already moved on from. She did not want to go back to the pressure of the role of perfect wife and the life she did not want for